Summer 2010

 This post is a continuation from "Torah Camp" posted earlier on. To view earlier posts, scroll down. 

July 5, 2010

I decided I wanted a beard when I was in first grade. I’m glad, in retrospect, it didn’t come in that early, but every day I’m reminded of the inadequacies of my own beard. Why? Because every day, I walk among beard major leaguers- chasids.

                When I would zone out during lectures, I used to try to imagine what rabbis would look like without their beards. I thought, I can’t see your face- how am I supposed to see the individuality of your character. I’m realizing now that beards might represent more character than faces.                       

My roommate Farmboy is looking progressively more like an Amish man. D’s Jafar beard is getting more entangled every day. Herring’s facial hair makes him look like a hood criminal. And Robin, of course, is still Robin Williams.

                Among the yeshiva guys next to us, you can find characters from all over American History. This guy looks like a pilgrim, this guy a cowboy, and this one an old prospector.

One of our rabbis is big and gentle with a massive black beard. He could play Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies. And while many beards have a wizard look, there’s one guy here who could be Albus Dumbledore’s twin. There’re men up here who like dwarves, gnomes, and giants too.

                Rabbi Kaplan is one of the heads of our program and a brilliant teacher. He is a mammoth Jew with an equally huge beard. But it’s all tied together when he speaks- a low, booming, powerful voice. And when this trained chazzan davens, the walls shake and you can feel the Hebrew in your bones. A single image crystallized in my mind when I met him: he was a Viking god in tzitzit.

One of our counselors, a young rabbi, goes by Chonie. He looks like the son of Santa Clause.

                I could name a dozen other characters these beards connote- blacksmiths, pirates, and ancient senseis, to name a few- but there were a few beards I just couldn’t place. I would look at the chasid in question and try to figure out why their beard looked so familiar, what character they looked like.

                I realized one day during a lecture. It was our oldest rabbi speaking, which meant most people were either zoning out or praying that class would end (so we would have afternoon prayer services and they could zone out).

                And suddenly, there was this one moment when he looked up to search through a text on the podium and his white beard crumpled against his suit, the book, and his face. The whole picture together hit me: it was like I was staring at the spirit of the Jew.

                I realized all those beards I didn’t recognize were Jewish beards. There was no other word to describe them. All I knew was that the Jew wouldn’t be the same without that beard, nor the beard without that Jew.

                Which makes my patchy, scruffy, awkward facial fur all the more frustrating.

This post is a continuation from "Torah Camp" posted earlier on. To view part one and two, scroll down. 

June 25, 2010

                At this point, I think I’ve gathered a pretty good picture of all the characters of our program. There’s ten of us boys, and it makes quite a mix.

                My first roommate, Farmboy, comes from Washington state. He was the first person I met and I felt quickly confident he would be a safe roommate choice. I’m from Missouri and I’ve still never met anyone with such a simple-country-boy-feel about him. He’s quiet and inoffensive. When he calls his parents, he remarks on the weather and tells them how much he loves them. If you pay attention, you’ll catch him saying “Sure do” and “Boy howdy”.

                My second roommate, D, came a few days late, and immediately looked to me like a young Jafar.  With the only extra bed, we got D in our room by default, so it very well could’ve been a sour relationship. I found a kindred spirit in him though- he’s a writer who’s as serious about exploring Judaism as I am. He’s great for staying up late with and discussing philosophy.

                Next door is our foreign student, Venezuela. Every guy loves their foreign friend for two reasons: first, there are certain things that any guy in his twenties likes talking about, so most relationships with the foreign friend revolve around those especially fun topics; and second, their unique perspective on the language means their jokes have an original flair. We have a lot of fun with our South American. He’s twenty-eight, but it makes no difference- he acts just like he’s in college.

                He lives with our second oldest resident, Robin, (the guy who looks like a young Robin Williams…he’s still not very funny). I’ve never met anyone who speaks as slowly as Robin, or emotes less. Still, he’s clearly got a good heart. His position in the program is unusual, as he is one of the most committed to one denomination of Judaism, (he has decided to become a chabadnik), yet he is one with some of the most limited formal Jewish education. Seeing someone taking these steps in life at twenty-seven makes me think it’s never too late for anyone to change.

                The third guy next door is Texas. What I love about him is that he’s a great complainer. Some people don’t realize how complaining can make any bad situation fun, if the complaints are well-crafted. Texas is a genius in this field. He knows how to throw together a complaint or an insult that’ll guarantee a laugh, and that fact that he knows what he doesn’t like helps. Texas actually just came back from his first trip to Israel and is doing his best to learn the Hebrew alphabet while working his way through Samuel.

                Living farther down is Herring. He’s the only one here younger than me, the only student who’s nineteen. When I first saw Herring, I thought of the Thing from Fantastic Four, (“It’s clobberin’ time!”) because of his meaty hands. Despite being noticeably young a lot of the time, Herring is the most committed to Lubavitch of anyone here. He also claims he can identify any type of chasid by the variations in their dress, (Chasidic fashion was what brought him to religion in the first place).

                At the end of the hall, we’ve got Persia, Harvard, and Boots.

                Persia’s twenty-three legally, but twenty-two in reality. He’s one of those especially charming, outgoing Persians who manages to know everybody’s name and have an opinion on everything, (many of which are uninformed or wrong). We typically use him to speak for our group; when our counselor isn’t getting things done or we need someone to unashamedly bicker about a teacher, Persia’s the one to do it.

                Harvard showed up last of everyone, and all we knew about him was that he’s the only one at the Ivy League Torah Study Experience who went to an Ivy League school. He was exactly what I imagined- intelligent, charming, and handsome, the kind of guy who always frustrated guys who spent years learning to interact competently with women (i.e. me). Ultimately though, he ended up being a great addition to the team.

                And Boots- what is there to say? He wears Armani clothes because he works at an Armani store. And enjoy fighting each other whenever we get the chance.

July 1

We went white-water rafting today! It was amazing. The only thing missing was the white water. The river was about as active as a Jew on Shabbes (HEY-O!). It was an incredible time though, the most fun we’ve had yet. Among men, the only two possible activities, races and fights, broke out several times. We spent the rest of the time lounging down the river, speculating on what kind of kabalistic super powers our senior rabbis have. It took us three hours to finish five miles of the river, while most people do the full ten miles in four. I suppose we’re underachievers.

July 3

Tonight was a special night. Tonight- we went to the girls’ camp.

We were told a few days ago that right after Shabbat, they were going to take us to the girls’ camp where we could finally meet our program’s complement. The news was delivered by a seventeen year old Chabadnik who expected we’d be losing-our-minds-excited, but, unlike this poor boy, we’ve all been around women before, and the initial reaction was somewhat subdued.

                However, as we got closer to the rendezvous, a certain palpable excitement actually started to spread. We had not seen a female over the age of four or under the age of forty in three weeks. And while there’s a certain comfort in the caveman style of living that develops, (eating with our hands, wearing pajamas all day, forgetting about hygiene), being a slob is only fun for a little while.

                Worst for me was this horrid facial hair I’ve developed. Intending on irritating my mom, I planned on not shaving the entire duration of Torah Camp and returning home totally unkempt. When we heard we were seeing girls, I decided it had to go. Unfortunately for me, and several others among us, we couldn’t shave because it was already the three weeks preceding the ninth of Av. We were stuck with three week old beards.

                Despite this, we did our best to look presentable. As Shabbat closed, some actually ran back to their rooms to take quick showers and make their hair look just accidentally tussled enough. The car ride there was wild. Herring admitted to us on the way there that he was looking for a wife out of this deal. Wagers were being thrown around about how many hot ones there would be. I was quiet the whole way, concerned three weeks without women had caused some atrophy in my social skills.

                The night was a success though. The girls were nervous and crazy as we were. Our groups got along incredibly well, and we’re going to try to see them tomorrow night for fireworks. Both Herring and D seem to have found some romantic matches- looks like we’ve got reason to be presentable again.

This post is a continuation from "Torah Camp" posted earlier on. To view part one, scroll down. 

June 20, 2010

One of our rabbis, Rabbi Schochet, talked to us about the creation of space. It is said that, to make room for the world, God withdrew and created a space, and the rabbi added that it is said that God is where you let Him in.

                This place, he concluded, is supposed to offer us space. The internet is spotty at best, and phone service is even worse. The town of Ellenville has very little to offer in ways of entertainment, and the camp isn’t exactly huge.

                But all these lacks represent an openness, an opportunity to remove from ourselves spiritual distractions and allow our minds to have space and to really learn.

                Some are clearly taking this to heart. I was surprised to learn that there are guys here who can’t even read Hebrew, who are learning the alphabet by slowly going through the letters and memorizing the sounds. These guys are usually three years older than me, and they’re taking on an even bigger project of learning than I am. Learning what we’re learning without even reading the language might’ve proven too much for me. I hope, for their sake, this space proves sufficient.

June 21, 2010

The task of learning everything it takes to become a ba’al tshuva is overwhelming. Every class, we scratch the surface of some topic I need to learn- holidays, blessings, prayer, Shabbat and kashrut- but there’s always so much more. I’ve never been so acutely aware of my own ignorance.

                Perhaps just as frustrating is my desire to take on all of the mitzvot immediately. Let me tell you, if you think forming one habit is hard, try taking on three every day. I slip up constantly, I forget all the time. People at school used to caution me to take it slow, to take on one thing at a time, but how can I wait when I believe every moment wasted, I’m doing the wrong thing?

                One thing I will say is I’m done with wasting time. I was spending two hours a day on the computer, trying to force the internet into offering me a single episode of Lost? There’s too much work to be done for that crap.

June 23, 2010

Yeshiva life is quite a grind. Wake up, daven, learn learn learn. Eat, daven, relax, learn learn lean. Daven, learn, learn, sleep. The constant repetition makes time sort of blend together here. The only three spaces we ever occupy are our rooms, the mess hall, and the beit midrash. The topics of study have bled into every conversation, and we talk Torah and philosophy all day. The total immersion is a little disorienting, but I think I see the point. The sheer amount of information I’ve learned in the last week surprises me, and while normal life is full of distractions, the environment is perfect for taking on more and more religious responsibilities.

A couple days in, I noticed the program is forty days long, which made me laugh. There’s a kabbalistic idea I once learned that forty is a number signifying a total change, (not forties in the Torah- Noah’s Ark,

I thought this was presumptuous on the part of the program to think we could change in that time. Now I am not so sure.

Dayna with several friends at the capitol

Immediately following a life changing trip to Israel with fellow Binghamton students the first week of June, I had the remarkable opportunity to go on another adventure. Along with 2 other Binghamton student leaders (Daniel Rabinowitz & Adam Shamah) I traveled to Washington DC to attend the Living Legacy Leadership Conference, from June 15th to June 17th. This conference, which marked the Lubavitch Rebbe's Yahrzeit, brought together about 50 students and hundreds of shluchim, community leaders & supporters ambassadors, politicians, & diplomats from around the world. Our conference began after check-in at our hotel the Courtyard Marriot. We kicked off the conference with a delicious cocktail reception at the St. Regis hotel where we received our name tags & special conference pins, which (were to be worn at all times) we wore throughout the conference. Students were warmly greeted by one another & even played "Jewish Geography," immediately making friends with fellow conference attendees. After an hour and a half of schmoozing and eating with fellow students and Rabbis, we moved downstairs for our opening session. We had an ice-breaker led by the Rabbi from University of Delaware & spoke with a Rabbi from England that gave us a "taste" of a farbrengen. When we thought it was time for bed we were welcomed with a great surprise. The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yonah Metzger took time out of his busy schedule to sit down and talk with us as a group. We all found him to be quite funny and he spoke of some anecdotes related to him and his relationship with the Rebbe.

Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger addresses participants in the student leadership conference

The next day we attended breakfast at Capitol Hill and got the chance to take pictures with tons of senators & other politicians including Senator Joe Lieberman.  Following the breakfast, we attended a symposium on the Rebbe’s leadership style and its lessons in which several scholars participated.

Quick picture with Senator Joe Lieberman



Participants pose for a group picture at the capitol 

After  the breakfast (which was extremely exciting) and the symposium, we continued on the day with a luncheon in the stunning Mellon Auditorium of the Reagan building. There were several guest speakers including the Chief Rabbi and the Ambassador to Israel Michael Oren.

Following the luncheon was the most memorable part of the conference and that was having a group session with the extraordinary Elie Wiesel. Elie Wiesel is a survivor of the Holocaust & the author of many books, including the most well-known "Night."  After having to read this in junior high, as many fellow students did, it was a surreal experience to meet him in person & hear him speak what he conveyed in his books.  What I took away the most from our session with him, was when a student asked "Do you think there could ever be another Holocaust?" Mr. Wiesel's response was to the effect of "No, not to the same effect as the Holocaust he was a part of.  The Holocaust remains to this day the most studied & researched event in the history of mankind." He finished with what struck me the most, "Most important is that we can NEVER forget. People don't realize that the ACT of forgetting the Holocaust could very well be more powerful than the event itself."  In addition to Wiesel we heard from the President of AIPAC & the generous Mayberg family that sponsored us to be there. 

Following Wiesel we attended an extravagant dinner banquet at the back at the Mellon Auditorium that was immensely fun. Food, dancing, music from Avraham Fried & more words from Wiesel & others marked this momentous occasion.  All of the speakers at this conference, including Wiesel were all there to teach us things that the Rebbe believed in, such as learning & spreading light in a world that sometimes has all too much darkness.

At the gala dinner 

From attending this conference I have discovered how simple it is to do just that.  Spreading light in a world like ours isn't as hard as it seems.  Every time we listen to a remarkable soul like Elie Wiesel or hear the political remarks of Senators we are learning things we can spread to others like us, not just to fellow leaders. 
As leaders we have a duty but as people, Jewish people, we have a moral obligation to keep learning and keep spreading the light so that we can carry on the work of the Rebbe, of blessed memory, and be his living legacy.

June 13, 2010

My name is Paul Brick, and I’m a junior at SUNY Binghamton. This blog is about a huge gamble I decided to take this summer: in a couple days, I’ll be leaving for a yeshiva program in the Catskills called Ivy League Torah Study Experience. I don’t know where it is exactly, I don’t know anyone going, and I don’t know anything about the grounds. Basically, I’m spending five weeks in a place that may very well be imaginary.

                A couple of my friends think this is weird, and I realize there are a lot of things that are only just now occurring to me that other people would have thought of. For example, the fact that I’m plunging alone into a totally foreign social situation just hit me. What if these yeshiva kids are lame? They could, legit, be totally lame.

                But whatever. I didn’t know much about my Israel program, and that ended up fantastic. I never visited Binghamton before I came, and now I love it. It’ll work out for the best. Probably.

June 15, 2010

                Okay, so officially, this place is not imaginary. But maybe it would’ve been better if it was.

                I’ve only ever seen Brooklyn in movies, so when my friend drove me to the rendezvous point this morning, I tried to soak it in as much as I could. My friend laughed when I asked, “Dude, are we like, in the hood?”

                And suddenly, (maybe I blinked), we’re driving around an area that might as well be B’nei Brak. I was in a sea of black hats and bushy beards. Since Israel, I haven’t felt such an overpowering Jewish presence; I didn’t know such a thing existed outside the Holy Land.

                My friend drove off, leaving me with two suitcases and a bright orange pillow, standing awkwardly in front of a Chasidic yeshiva, apparently the only one around for a mile who didn’t know there was a dress code. Even with my long pants and tzizit, I felt incredibly out of place. In a panic for something familiar, I grabbed my iPod and put on some Nelly. (If you ever get the chance, watching chasids walk around while listening to “Country Grammar”-it’s a pretty funny experience.)

                The first three kids that show up is a, a guy who looks just like a young Robin Williams (who seems to, unfortunately, have the sense of humor of a bundle of kindling), and a young Jew who would be totally unremarkable, were it not for his dwarf chasid companion, whose handshake felt like a child’s.

                Four hours later, we’re standing in a muddy field on the campgrounds. The reason it’s four- not three- hours later, is because the van showed up an hour late, (the ride itself included three hours of chasid music that belonged in a shiva house). The reason we’re standing in a muddy field is because the van is sunk in said mud and we’ve pretty well given up on trying to push it out.

                I look at my phone: no service.

                Crap, what have I gotten myself into?

                Now in (a surprisingly decent) bed, I blog silently. No one is socializing. Earlier on, there were a few token gestures at courtesy, but everyone remained tense. I know everyone was thinking the same thing I was: Where are the dudes I hang out with?

                I’m too tired and too experienced to be pessimistic though. New things never live up to what I expect (i.e. the ants all over the bathroom). But they also always proves to be better than their first impression indicates. One of the lessons I learned from Israel is that if you don’t like something, it means you don’t know it well enough yet.

June 17, 2010

Things have definitely lightened up. We were all a bit down when we saw this run down old campground, but with the discovery of a pool table, a trip to town, and the collection of some Shabbat beer, everyone’s spirits are brighter and the tension has slowly eased.

                The classes seem similar to my previous experiences with Jewish study programs. We went over some material I’ve known for years, since the old days at Schechter for elementary school. Then there’re times where I feel like I’m drowning as I realize how much information I don’t know.

                It’s too early to gauge on an individual basis, (especially with how limited our free time is), but it seems like the other seven students are where I am. They all have at least a little knowledge, either from Sunday school or from their university Chabads. Everyone is really interested in learning though- I’m not the only one combing the library- and that seems encouraging. At least in this way our hearts are united.

June 19, 2010

Shabbat was good. We had a fabragen, which of course, is always a great bonding activity. The boys all shared stories at the table, and we all hung out and opened up on our cabin’s* porch afterwards. I think the awkwardness has finally gone for good.

                I also felt much more relaxed tonight after our head rabbi, Rabbi Kaplan gave us a talk after dinner. He told us that other yeshiva boys will be coming soon, hard-core chabadniks, and warned us that they may try to sway us or preach to us. He stated clearly that, because we are a diverse, nondenominational group, we should not feel pressured by their attempts.

                Once I realized then that our chabadniks were not trying to change me or assault my identity, I immediately breathed a mental sigh of relief. As much as I like all of our teachers and advisers, I realize that I’ve been meticulously separating the mainstream Orthodox info from the Chasidic interpretations in my mind. I suppose I was guarding myself from indoctrination, but retrospectively, the rabbis here don’t seem the type. They’re strong chasids but they accept us for who we are.

*Yeah, we pretty much live in a big cabin, three guys to a room. We’ve got spotty running water, but each room has its own bathroom and we’re getting air conditioners soon. (I’m thinking about telling these chasids about the internet, but one step at a time, right?)

The following poem was written to Danyelle Shapiro and read to her at her Bat Mitzvah celebration at the Kotel (Western Wall) by her friends on bus 96

It was only a few days ago,
that we arrived at JFK
and here we are in Jerusalem,
on your very special day 

We couldnt be more proud of you, Dalya,
you are sababa, beautiful and more
we hope that this say is one you remember
as you pass through life's each and every door

Mazel Tov! you are a Jewish woman!
at the ripe old age of 22
its never too late to embark on a journey
especially one that is precious and new

We are excited for your after party
and ready to dance with socks on our feet
The fiesta will be definitely be a blast
your presence alone is truly a treat

This trip already has been amazing
Bus 96 has grown so tight
If anyone were to mess with you 
we would def back you up in a fight

We wish we has more time to get you a gift
But this trip has been short on time
So we decided to write you a lil something
and we hope you are happy with this rhyme

Felicitaciones, Congratsm Mazel!
We have watched our little girl grow before our eyes
We all love you so much Danyelle,
We wish that you remain happy, healthy and wise

After conducting our closing session yesterday evening, one defining point kept coming back to me. Repeatedly, the friends I've made on this trip discussed their newfound loyalty to and passion for Israel. They discussed how moved they felt when Israelis welcomed them "home", of course referring to Israel not as a land just for Israelis but instead for all Jewish people.

In making these comments, my friends proved the effectiveness of the intended Birthright experience. In coordination with the incredible generosity of certain Jewish philanthropic efforts, the Israeli government provides supplemental funding to enable as many Jews as possible to experience a visit to Israel. In return, it hopes these Jewish young adults increase their awareness of relevant issues and become more willing to educate friends and family who may not have access to the same information. My friends' comments are the best evidence I've seen for the program's effectiveness.

Throughout the trip, I repeatedly heard accusations of a strong media bias against Israel. Anti-Israel news sells, people said, and the liberal media thrives on printing/broadcasting news portraying Israel in a bad light. But because of its limited public relations budget, these same people claimed, Israel is unable to adequately defend itself to the international community.

This combination presents an unsolvable problem. How does Israel enable people to see the entire, unbiased picture without having the financial resources to counteract the influential and widely seen reporting of heavyweights including the New York Times and CNN? According to the Israeli government, the answer lies in Birthright.

If it can bring intelligent but relatively uninformed Jewish young adults to Israel and allow them to experience and observe first hand the culture, economy, and issues facing Israel, the Israeli government feels as if its effectiveness at generating positive publicity will increase dramatically. These Jews will receive an unbiased portrayal of the issues and will return home more passionate about them and more able to discuss media errors/inconsistencies with those interested. I believe Birthright itself and the speakers with whom we met were careful to draw the line between fact and personal opinion. They sought to enable us to make our own decisions using the facts provided rather than to try and influence us directly by providing a personal opinion. In turn, my friends' newfound beliefs were formed on their own rather than through others' propaganda.

I truly hope that my friends' comments were genuine and that they follow through with their commitments to aid Israel. As we heard repeatedly, the fate of Israel ultimately lies with its people--not just its citizens but all Jews. The Israelis join the army and must physically defend themselves from enemy threats. However, they cannot do it alone. Birthright has taken the fundamental step of introducing us to Israel and its issues, but it is ultimately up to us to take the next step to further ensure Israel's continued safety and success.

Below are pictures of some of the activities and programs we have done over the past two days, more pictures and a blog report to follow Check back soon... To enlarge, click on image.

At Mt. Herzel, grave site of the fallen soldiers

Presentation to soldiers before they leave, on behalf of the entire group

Soldiers final remarks to group

  
Group picture with soldiers before they depart

At Rabin square in Tel Aviv


Volunteering at Center for the Blind in Ramat Aviv

Group shot at Sdeh Boker - Ben Gurion Tomb overlook

 
Camel back riding in the Negev

Enjoying the "Chaflah" in the Bedouin tent

Bedouin hospitality

 
Climbing Massada

 
At the top of Massada

Photos coming soon... For now, here is a report of today's activities:

Today's events were nothing less than heavy.  We started our last day in Jerusalem at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum.  After we walked through the museum and got two hours of testimonials, pictures, and insights, Rabbi Slonim held a memorial service for those who passed away in the museum's shul.  Josh Lowenstein told us the miraculous story of his grandmother's holocaust survival.  We ended the service with "Am Yisroel Chai" (Israel still lives); although many of our loved ones may not be with us today, the Jewish nation - and their memories and impact - does live on.

After the tear-shed and reflection, we took a 37 second bus ride to the property next-door to the museum, Mount Hertzl - a cemetery for soldiers and prominent Israelis.  We walked around, and Beni told us stories of several fallen soldiers throughout the history of Israel.  Unfortunately, some of our IDF friends have lost their own friends and comrades in recent years.  Those stories were just as chilling as seeing the many very young ages on gravestones at the soldier's cemetery.

Once we walked through the cemetery, we had to say goodbye to our new friends; the soldiers' time with us was over.  After a Jewish goodbye (it took a while), we finally did say "see you later"... we did get the chance to see them one last time at a bar in  Tel Aviv (our next stop, for one night).  One last hurrah with our new friends was just what we needed after a long, busy week of running from activity to activity in Israel, and a day FULL of heavy emotions. 

Coming soon: Mayanot 96 gives back to the community, visits Independence Hall, and rides camels!

Greetings from one of the four sets of twins in mayanot 96! Today was a very special day as we revisited the kotel. Luckily for us, we did not have to make the 6 mile trek back to ho(s)tel.  Not only was this exciting, but also we had the opportunity to celebrate Danyelle "Dalya" Shapiro's Bat Mitzvah! After the prayers and heartfelt speech, we danced around and lifted her up in the chair, giving Danyelle a proper entrance into womanhood. Further, a poem was read by her fellow birthrighters, wishing her to live up to her Hebrew name, by getting the most from all experiences yet to come. Tomorrow we will be heading to Tel Aviv for some more celebrating as it is the official Bat Mitzvah party and our last night out.

 
At the entrance to the Kotel

Praying at the Kotel

Donning Tefilin at the Kotel

Placing notes in the wall

 
Group Picture

Danyelle's Bat Mitzvah

 
Danyelle Shapiro giving her Bat Mitzvah speech


Danyelle receives a special Bat Mitzvah certificate from the Kotel

The celebration

Friends of Danyelle read a special poem to her

At southern wall excavations

In the cardo

Shalom,

It has been a long and exciting two days! Yesterday feels like a week ago because of our packed days. We left Tiberias early to get to Jerusalem and I think everyone was so excited to get here. We have heard so much about it and its about time we made it here.

"Jerusalem, if I forget you...." - excitement on the bus as we enter Jerusalem.

When we drove through the tunnel and saw the "aizenof" (beautiful view - shout out to Yonit for the word of the day) everyone whipped out their cameras to take a bunch of pictures. The day only got better after that. We went to an Observation point to look out over Jerusalem and the view was incredible.

 
At the lookout to the Temple Mount

Following this, we went to Ammunition hill, where we learned about the Battle that took place there. Part of the museum there included real army tanks and there were these trenches that everyone was so interested in and we were able to walk through them.
 

  
At the trenches at Ammunition Hill

From there we went to the Schuck, which gave us a great opportunity to wander by ourselves and check out the culture. It was swarmed with people buying all sorts of things. There we got our first official Falafel, some Challah and got to experience the busy marketplace right before Shabbat.

At the Shuk, enjoying our Falafel

While in the Schuck we were sent to pick out a gift for our "Shabbat-o-grams." Secret Santa for bus 96, basically. Mine got a few fresh pastries and I got a key chain.
After our hectic morning, we went back to the hotel and got ready for the Kotel.

When we got there it was such a powerful experience that I didn't expect to have. I really expected it just to look like a wall, and never thought I'd find myself dancing with strangers and screaming israeli songs in a circle. But that's exactly what we did, and everyone really enjoyed it...not what followed after, though. We walked two hours back to the hotel so we could really experience what Shabbat is. That, or our staff just really wanted us to lose feeling in our feet, thighs, and tuches'. We finally made it back and had Shabbat dinner.

We all woke up refreshed, and totally feeling Shabbat. We got a late start to the day, and had a tie in session to discuss the highs and lows of the trip so far. We then had a couple hours to ourselves where a majority of our bus was having a beach party on the balcony of one of the rooms, enjoying the sun and the view. Afterwards, we had a meeting about Jewish identity where we played games and discussed different subjects. Immediately following was a Stump the Rabbi session where we asked Rabbi Slonim about everything and anything. We then had dinner and Havdalah to celebrate the end of Shabbat and went off shopping! Ben Yehuda street was filled with all sorts of Chatchkas, and a lot of haggling. After spending a few - maybe more (Hi Mom) Sheckles, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for tomorrow!

All in all, its been a very eventful and exhilarating two days! And the best part is, we're only halfway done.

Lila Tov.

We began our day picking up our soldiers at the Golani Junction.  We held our breath with anticipation as we watched them walk off their bus.  We were delighted to find eight soldiers joining our trip and welcomed them with admiration and friendship.

Then we headed to a short hike up Mt. Arbel to find a breathtaking view at the top of cliff dropping thousands of feet into the valley below. It was a perfect time for pictures.

 
At Mt. Arbel

 Next was the ancient city of Tzfat, known for its pure air. We walked through the old Jewish quarters, into an ancient temple and had a delicious lunch of shwarma and falafel. We went to an art gallery where the artist, Sheva Chaya, told us how she came to where she is. I identified with her upbringing, an American who attended Princeton and found herself at home in Israel where she began her art. She did a demonstration of glassblowing and explained the meaning behind her colorful watercolor paintings. You can find her art at www.thejewishwoman.org. 
 

Posing in the "Old City" part of Tzfat

 

A much needed water activity was next as we kayaked and rafted through the Jordan River. I loved the relaxing scenic route along with the unofficial splashing war. 

Dinner at the hotel was followed by a look at Israeli cinema and an activity coordinated by the Israeli soldiers. They took us through a simulation training session, complete with stern looks and rigorous pushups, to give us an idea of what they have been through. To cap up the night we watched a video of one of the soldier's division showing the operations to capture terrorists. 

So I'm exhausted, but happy J

Wednesday: We started out the day early and were on the bus by 7:45 a.m. We hiked the Banias trails and to the falls. We got to see the biggest springs in Israel.  The water was crystal clear from 200 years of purification through the bedrock.  The landscape and sights were beautiful and the hike was a lot of fun.  After a quick lunch, we went off road jeeping. The jeeps went through huge puddles and rocky hills and seemingly impassable trails.  We made it to the top of a hill in the Golan Heights and got to see where the Syrians used to be before 1967.  The spot where we stood had trenches and firing positions on the Israeli settlements below that Syria used to attack before the Six-day war in 1967. The overlook was breathtaking and informative. We made the trek to a Kibbutz on the northern most border near Matula. The border had Lebanon in the North and West and Syria to the East. We listened to a 70-year old Israeli who talked about his experience in the army and the four different wars he served. He talked about life on the border and what was particularly amazing to listen to was his description of the 2006 Hezbollah rocket attacks that his settlement dealt with for 34 days. They evacuated their families and defended their homes; putting out fires and attacking any enemy forces. It was truly intriguing to hear someone's perspective on the border and was the highlight of the day. We finished the day with a night out in Tiberias celebrating two of our group's birthdays.

 
Discussion at Kibbutz Misgav Am