Birthright-Mayanot, Bus 357

Throughout our time in Israel, I kept listening to one song over and over again.  It was an obscure Jason Mraz song, deep in his library, entitled "Dream Life of Rand McNally."  It wasn't for any reason in particular except that I really enjoy the song.  It didn't carry any special meaning, and I'm still not quite sure what he's singing about.  In fact, I'm a huge fan of Jason Mraz and I couldn't tell you what a single lyric to any one of his songs mean.  But now, listening to it again in my state of decompression, one of the lines is sticking with me, something I can really relate to my experience in Israel:

"But one more thing before I go//There's never been any place quite like this home//For once in a lifetime baby, I'd be foolish not to stay"

It's hard to encapsulate all my feelings about Israel and our trip into one blog post, so I'm going to let that lyric do most of my talking, but I'll give some more analysis a shot.  Throughout the trip, Rabbi Levi kept reiterating to us a lesson that taught that everybody has a deeper side to them, an inner crust that you rarely see.  It was a lesson that stuck with me throughout the entire trip, and led me to fully appreciate Israel and the heart of our birthright experience.

 I've long lived according to the philosophy that it's not about what you're doing, but who you do it with.  A place, however beautiful it is, is only so much so as the people you travel with, and who you share these experiences with. I came into this trip with trepidation.  Did I want to be with so many people from Binghamton?  I was kind of looking for a more diverse crowd.  Would this be okay?  It didn't take long for me to realize that yes, it would be okay.  In fact, it would be better than any other crop of kids and staff on any other birthright trip.  Israel was made by the people I traveled with and every single student, soldier, and staff member gave me something to remember and take back with me from Israel.  

Would rafting on the Jordan River have been fun if Allie didn't narrate the experience in a British accent?  Would our bus rides have been as entertaining if Jason wasn't taunting our Israeli staff on the microphone?  Would Yad Vashem have been as meaningful if Rachel and Greg didn't share stories of survival from their own families?  Would our night out in Tel Aviv and day in the Kotel  been as fun if it wasn't Alexa's and Kat's birthdays?  Would we have learned as much if Jeff wasn't constantly contesting everything we were taught?

You could answer yes to all of these questions, but if you did, then you didn't have the experience I had.  All 39 students, eight soldiers, Robbie, Shir, Ruth, Rabbi Levi, Shira, and Ronen added something special to this trip.  I can't explain how fortunate I feel to have traveled with such an amazing cast of characters.  

So here I sit in my living room, just me and my dog Scrappy, still decompressing from our 11-hour flight.  With a whole lot of new friends, a changed perspective, and an amazing 10-day experience under my belt, I sit tired (surprised?), but satisfied.  I hope too much time doesn't go by before I get to sit under the Mediterranean sun in our homeland again.

Shabbat on birthright is a wonderful, wonderful thing. I think most of us agree that we have never just been doing so much in so little time, so when we got the 7th day to rest-and sleep in until 11:30-we couldn’t have been more grateful. Still, it didn’t stop us from being a bunch of sluggish sleepyheads, but it was okay. The day consisted of several relaxing activities.

The first activity involved us coming to terms with, and discussing, our Jewish identities. In groups, we decided what to prioritize as a Jew, and the most important things to do in order to further our Jewish identities. A lot insightful conversation ensued, including Shira getting pretty worked up about none of us offering a solution as to how we would “work to unite the Jewish people” even though the majority of us ranked it #1.

Our second activity, entitled “Stump the Rabbi”-or, “Stomp the Rabbi” for the hearing impaired-was an open Q & A between us and Rabbi Levi, where we got to ask him anything that was on our mind about Judaism and life, and what the Torah dictated about it. Like I said before, we were all pretty tired-and after all Saturday is the day of rest-so Stump the Rabbi came and went, and we napped up, took a walking tour to Israel’s parliament buildings, had another Shabbat dinner, a Havdalah service in the lobby (where we were accompanied by Shira’s family) and made our way to a club in Jerusalem.

The club was an awesome time, and saw the entire bus come together for some (responsible) drinking and dancing. Everyone was rocking out hard, leaving it all on the dance floor (including Ronen, who definitely had his hot pants on.) We left around 12:45, and went back to the hotel. There was a lot of hanging out in hallways-I’ll leave it up to your imagination as to why people didn’t go into their rooms-and a few of us made our way out to the patio again, staying up and chatting ‘til the wee hours of the morning.

This morning, we woke up at 8:30 and after breakfast, gathered in a room at the hotel and went around in a circle talking about our expectations for the trip, what we’ll take back home with us, and what our favorite experiences were. Pretty much everything I’ve mentioned throughout the trip was mentioned; I opted to think outside the box and talk about the country’s beautiful scenery and beautiful people (not physically, but I guess you can interpret it that way if you want.)

Ronen proceeded to take us to the edge of the West Bank, where we overlooked and learned about the state of Palestinians in Israel. We also learned that Ronen and his family are 4 of 400,000 Jews that live in Israel’s West Bank, and although he usually takes his private tour groups to his home, Taglit deems it un-Kosher, so all we did was look.

Our last activity of the trip brought us to Jerusalem’s famous Ben Yehudah Street, where we had an hour or two to walk around, shop, and enjoy the cuisine of Israel one last time. I enjoyed a shwarma that was just as good, if not better, than any else I had on the trip. I don’t know, maybe it was because it was the last meal, maybe it was because it was legitimately better, but I savored every last bite. I walked around and made my final shopping rounds, getting a gift here and there, and even getting a little self indulgent. (It was a Mets mezuzah that’ll definitely look nice on my doorway at 160 Oak next semester). Probably the best part of the afternoon was happening upon a few Binghamton Bearcats yarmulkes on sale. I know there are a lot of Jews at Binghamton, but really? Really? (This has been “Really?” with Seth Meyers—err---Jordan Rabinowitz).

Jokes and obscure references aside, it was a great way to spend our last afternoon in Israel. Afterwards, we drove to the airport, said goodbye to those extending their trips and our awesome   Currently, we’re just hanging out at the gate in Ben-Gurion Airport, anxiously awaiting our terribly long flight back to JFK. We’re tired, antsy, giddy, but most of all, upset that our awesome 10-day trip is coming to an end. We still have half a day together though, and we’re sure to make the most of it. I scored an aisle seat, so I definitely won’t have any problems.

I’ll give you a full recap and reflection of our amazing trip once I get back to the states. Lyla Tov! Shalom Israel! YOU WERE AMAZING!

It seemed that whenever we go somewhere or do something special, that it is always topped by the next day’s activity. Yeah, going to the wall was cool, but then we went to the Bedouin tents. Those were pretty sweet, but the next day we climbed Masada and relaxed in the Dead Sea. Like, come on now, what’s next? What’s going to top everything we’ve done so far. If you guessed “going to the holiest place in the world on the holiest day of the week,” then you were right. If you didn’t guess that, then, well, sorry. Better luck next birthright!

Rabbi Z of Mayanot 358 told us at Shabbat services last week that if our trip was a plane ride, then at that point we were just taking off; the wheels weren’t even up yet. Now, a week later, our plane begins its descent. The flight attendants sat down, the fasten seatbelt sign went on, and our descent started with Shabbat at the Kotel. As we walked about the old city on our way down to the wall, the girls lit the Shabbat candles and Rabbi Levi informed us that this was going to be a night we would never forget.

Have you ever been to New Years Eve in Times Square? I haven’t, but I’m convinced it wasn’t as crowded as the wall on a Friday night. No way. It was incredible. All sorts of Jews, from all different places, hailing from different walks of life, coming together to celebrate Shabbat. We held our service right at the divider so the men and women could all be more or less together, and Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Z led it with passion and vigor. We were praying, singing, dancing, and simply taking it all in and realizing where we were and what we were doing. On our way back up we got a bird’s eye view of the entire scene at the wall, and of all the beautiful views and natural beauty we’ve seen, this might have topped them all.

We had a nice walk back through a quiet Jerusalem and enjoyed a Shabbat dinner. Afterwards, we exchanged the gifts we purchased for each other earlier in the day. I was personally thrilled with my gift-a beanie with payot attached from Tara-and the gift I purchased for Jess-a white scarf-seemed to go over well. Afterwards, we spent the rest of the night mulling about the hotel, relaxing out on the patio, and enjoying each other’s company as the final weekend of our trip commenced.

Full report on Shabbat and the last day in Israel to come, for now, several pictures of our last night in Israel: 

 
Parting with Shabbat at the Havdalah Ceremony 

 
Last night in Israel.... 

I got eight hours of sleep last night. No joke. Just thought I’d let you know. On to today!

After some hesitation at the day’s starting point-let’s just say Jen Goldstein took some liberties with the wake up time-we made our first stop at Zichron Menachem, a center for children with cancer. Shira spent a year of her civil service volunteering at the center, so the place was especially meaningful for her. It’s pretty amazing how one day, we can do all the cliché, “touristy” Israel things-like Masada and the Dead Sea-and then get to go to places that are diamonds in the rough, special to only a few people-like Zichron Menachem was for Shira-and get just as much meaning out of it. There’s been a great blend of the grand and the personal.

 While there, we made cupcakes for the children and toured the facility. Shira informed us that they don’t receive any funding from the government, and only six people who work there make any money; the rest are volunteers. It was a pretty special place.

Afterwards, we made a stop to plant trees and took a minute or two to go bird watching, learning a little bit about the ornithology of Jerusalem.

Our last tour of the work week took us to a marketplace in Jerusalem where we there was shopping and eating galore, and then some more shopping and eating. My lunch here was the best falafel I’ve had in Israel so far. Robbie, Andrew, Ethan, and I were coerced by our new friend Yoni-an employee of the grill we went to-to get some of their falafel. We ate, but of course, it wouldn’t be Israel if it wasn’t accompanied by a little Pre-Shabbos song and dance, which the four of us and Yoni partook in right in the middle of town. Israel, huh?

We carried on for an hour or so in the marketplace, dabbling in hummus, rugulach, nuts of all shapes and sizes, iced coffees, fresh fruits, all the while perusing through the shops and buying some souvenirs and keepsakes. We weren’t only shopping for ourselves and families, but for each other, as we each secretly received a person on the bus to buy a small gift for. All I have to say about that, still need to keep mum on it. Though, I did buy myself a blue Omri Casspi jersey and some fresh spices to bring back home.

Before I head out and freshen up for our night of Shabbat in the old city, I thought I’d take a moment to thank everyone who’s been keeping up with this blog. Rabbi Levi informed me that it’s getting a lot of positive feedback, and as long as you keep enjoying reading it, I’ll keep enjoying writing it. Only a few posts left, so keep checking back! I’m sure tonight’s trip to the wall is going to be a gem.

Shabbat Shalom!  

 
At Zichron Menachem 

Today was a pretty big day. I know I’m hyperbolizing every day we’ve had so far, but today was seriously a pretty big day. But in order to understand today, let me take you back to last night. I’m pretty amazed that I still have a concept of what “today” and “last night” are, since the days and nights have all started to blend together, but I’m gonna try to hold it together for two more days.

Last night was our night in the desert, living in the Bedouin tents. I didn’t really know what to expect, except that I heard the food was good. That was a rumor was confirmed. The food was really good. Hummus, tahini, salads, pita, and chicken aplenty lined the rows of students in the tent. It’s worth noting that there were plenty of other buses there with us, including our friends from Mayanot 358 with whom we listened to a short speech from a Bedouin man. Afterwards, we got a little lesson in IDF training from our soldiers, partook in a program they had planned for us in which we shared more experiences from the trip, and spent the rest of the night circled outside around a bonfire. We sang songs, smoked a little hookah (when in Rome, right?), roasted some marshmallows, and with the way we powered through the wee hours of the morning, it would’ve been hard for you to tell that we had to climb a mountain the next day.

But indeed we did, and after some joke telling and shenanigans in the tent from Raz, Idan, and Yuval, we woke up at 6:00 (no, really), had a big breakfast and headed to our first activity of the day, a camel ride. I’ve ridden a horse or two in my day, and in some pretty diverse locales: in the snow, on the beach, in the ocean, through the rainforest, etc., but this was just a tad different, to say the least. We split up into pairs and took to our humped creatures for a quick ride up some dunes to catch nice views of the end of the sun’s rise over the Negev.

After the camel ride, we got on the bus, said goodbye to the Bedouin tent complex, and headed for Masada. The sun was strong, it was pretty hot, and my t-shirt wasn’t going to cut it. I took a lesson from the Paul Spero book of fashion, and under his advisory, had him cut the sleeves off my Plainview PAL basketball shirt. While the sun’s strength may have made me pay for my decision, the extra ventilation was probably worth it.

The hike itself up Masada wasn’t too rigorous. When we got the top, Ronen showed us around a few of the historical sites, explained to us how life was sustained for dwellers atop the mountain, experimented with some cool echo trick, and we got the chance to receive our very own Hebrew letter from a sofer in the synagogue atop the mountain. Very cool.

The hike down the mountain took a little longer. The time was passed with all sorts of banter-college sports, Spike TV shows, and relationships became the talk of the mountain. We all made it down eventually, shaky legs or not. We needed to cool off from the hike, and while the Dead Sea was on our schedule, it wasn’t going to give us the relief we needed. Instead, we headed to En Geti to a natural spring, where we got to wade and cool off in a pool of natural water. The oasis was some much needed relaxation for all of us, and it was an awesome time.

So now we’re going to the Dead Sea, right? Well, not so fast. In order to avoid retail prices, we went to the Ahava factory to check out some Dead Sea lotions, salts, and other things of the sort all at wholesale pricing. I didn’t buy anything, but I was reprimanded by an employee when she saw me rubbing a cream on my foot. I know Israelis are stubborn, and usually right, but the bottle said “TESTER” right on it, not to mention, it was a foot cream. I think she was just freaked out by the sight of some guy just rubbing his bare feet in the middle of the shop, but I was equally freaked out, so I stopped after finishing only one foot. I walked with a limp the rest of the day. Just kidding. Kind of.

Alright, now we can get to the Dead Sea. The saltwater phenomenon-the lowest point on Earth-awaited us and we embraced it with open wounds---I mean, arms. Open arms. So we decked ourselves out in mud and floated on. Again, this is just one of those things about Israel that you can’t really grasp until you try it out. This whole trip has been filled with incredible first-time experiences, but this one ranks near the top. There’s not much more to say about it-after all, we were just kind of floating in water-but you’ve gotta do it for yourself. You just do.

We spent a few hours there, and finally headed back towards Jerusalem, where we got to take some long-awaited showers and naps.  But before that, we said some parting words and had our goodbyes with our eight Israeli soldiers who departed the group this afternoon. All the soldiers and a bunch of us had a few words to say on the bus ride back, and for me, it’s just so incredible to realize that there are these soldiers, no younger or older than me, who have had such amazing life experiences protecting and fighting for Israel. Not that my life hasn’t been filled with great experiences, but it was so cool to get to know these soldiers and hang out with them and learn what life is like for them. Let’s just hope it was a “so long,” not a “goodbye.”

 We just finished up an activity with Shia, an Israeli filmmaker who showed us two short films-one of his and one of a friend’s-and had a short, open discussion about them. He let us know he’ll be receiving an Oscar at the 2018 Academy Awards, so stay alert.

So tomorrow is another full day, culminating in Shabbat at the Wall. Shira gave us a wake up time of 8:15, so naturally, we’ll just stay up a little bit later. Speaking of which, I’m going to go see what everyone else is up to. Keep checking the blog as our trip hits the home stretch! Wow, it’s already been 8 days here. I’m not sure where the time goes.

Though, I’m definitely sure it doesn’t go towards sleeping.

Enjoying the Chaflah at the Bedouin tent 

 
Bedouin hospitality  

Activity with the soldiers 

 
Camel riding in the desert  

 
Atop Masada 

 
Letter in the Torah Scroll atop Masada

 
at Ein Gedi  

We’ve been having a lot of fun on this trip so far. That’s a huge understatement, but I’m far too burnt out to think of anything cleverer right now. But anyway, we’ve been having tons of fun, which made today that much more of an interesting change of pace.

I’ve been to a few Holocaust museums and memorials before-Washington D.C., an annual Warsaw Ghetto memorial at my sleep away camp, and a Holocaust remembrance center in my high school library, just to name a few. Each one focused on the same thing, though the scale and mood of each have been completely different, and I had been deeply interested in knowing what made Yad Vashem different, and how its Jerusalem setting would set the mood.

We were led throughout the new exhibit (built six years ago) by a tour guide, Mordecai, who gave us insight, enlightenment, and personal stories as we went in and out of each room. Perhaps the biggest thing I was able to gather from a Holocaust museum in Israel, was Israel’s role in being a refuge for Holocaust survivors. It hadn’t even struck me before Mordecai iterated it today that Israel is home to the largest number of Holocaust survivors. Israel declared its independence only three years after the camps were liberated, and it should have come as no surprise that Israel was an oasis for many of the Jews that emerged from the Holocaust alive.

After our tour, we had a small memorial service in which a few people said words about relatives who lived through and survived the Holocaust, and talked a bit about their stories. Following that, we listened to the first hand accounts of Eliezer, a Polish Jew who endured the Holocaust during his teenage years, survived five work camps, and eventually moved to Israel. Not to mention, he fought with the IDF during Israel’s War of Independence. We were all a little tired (are you starting to see a theme of this trip?), but altogether interested in what he had to say. If I had to come up with one big theme on our time at Yad Vashem, I would say it was “gaining perspective.”

We made our way across Mount Herzl to Israel’s national and military cemetery. I’ve been to Arlington before, the site of the US National Cemetery, and Israel’s version was quite similar, specifically the gravesites of Herzl and John F. Kennedy.

Ronen guided us down to an area of the cemetery in which names of civilians who were killed in terror attacks-just because they were Jews-were inscribed on a wall. He and Shira both told stories of friends and people they knew whose names were inscribed on the wall, and while Ronen played a song for us written by the family of one of the victims-a song played at his funeral-it all got very heavy, very personal, and very intimate.  We were led further to the gravesites of soldiers, soldiers of 19, 20, 21 years old. Ronen told us a story of two of his younger brother’s closest friends who were killed, and revealed to us that we were standing right next to their graves. Seeing the graves of these men and women-the same age as most of us-as we stood side by side with our own Israeli soldiers (who have most certainly now become our friends) was an incredible, incredible moment. What they give, have given, and will give so that Jews can have a homeland and that the state of Israel can continue to exist and prosper, had never been more apparent to me than it was at that very moment.

We were all feeling pretty somber upon returning to the bus, so a nap for most of us is most definitely in order as we get ready for a night sure to be a great time. We’re heading south into the desert to stay in Bedouin tents for the night, and we wake up early tomorrow to hike Masada, ride a camel or two, and swim in the Dead Sea. I hope you’re all enjoying the posts and the pictures, and that you’re getting a real idea of how amazing this trip has been. Until next time, laila tov! 

 
Listening to a survivor at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum 

At the Mt. Herzel Army Cemetery 

Last night, we got a sweet opportunity to attend Taglit Birthright’s Mega Event in Ra’anana. The event took place at a huge outdoor amphitheater, with a lawn and walking area behind it. Over 5,000 birthright participants from all over the world-Canada, Brazil, India, and the U.S. among others-gathered for the event.

The first hour consisted of getting dinner at some heavily, heavily crowded food stations in the back (I mean, you gather 5,000 hungry Jews and have only three people serving them falafel, it’s going to get a little crazy), socializing and mingling with other birthright groups, and getting situated for the event. After a while, the PA speaker kept urging the crowd to leave the lawn area and go down to the seats so they could start the program, but again: 5,000 people, three servers.

After a late start, the program was underway. It consisted of speakers, including Israel’s minister of education and the organizer of Taglit and musical performances (none of the ones I mentioned in the last post, go figure. Though, there was a Drake fakeout.) The spirit and energy all across the theater was high, and stayed that way. We got off to a slow start in our section, as it wasn’t exactly what we thought it was going to be, but once the music got going, so did we.

And in fact, our guard Shir became one of the night’s celebrities, as the emcee of the event came up to her and in front of the whole audience asked her who she was and where she was from, as he did with only two or three others. I was up on the grass with a friend from another group, so my cheers for her fell on deaf ears, but I was showing spirit any way I could.

­The program’s live music continued for a while, and when the official program ended, a DJ took to the stage and the groups that stuck around had one big dance party in front of the stage. Mayanot stuck it out and was rocking out ‘til the very end, dancing the night away with each other (and still celebrating Kat’s birthday!) 

It was an outrageous event. To borrow a phrase from the previous post, it was grandiose. I got to see a few close friend in other groups, got reacquainted with those I haven’t seen in a long time, and of course, got some quality bonding on with everyone else from 357.

There’s an episode Friends that takes place in real time, in which the crew is desperately struggling to get ready in time for a Paleontology dinner in which Ross is getting honored. At one point, Phoebe is noshing on some hummus, where she spills a glob of it on her dress. As she put it, “I got the hummus! I got the hummus!” Well folks, today, I got the hummus. More on that later.

So anyway, here we are. Jerusalem. After 20 years, 10 months, and four weeks, I finally made it. The heart of Israel, the heart of Judaism, the holiest place in the world. If my language seems all too grandiose to you, then I’m doing my job. “Grandiose” seemed to be the theme of the day, and it started right from the top. About five minutes before our first destination, bandanas we had been carrying, whose purposes were shrouded in mystery, made their debut, and were used to blindfold us. With some careful help from our advisors and soldiers, we were led out from the bus, on a 2 minute-walk, and after a few words about the city of Jerusalem, Ronen told us to remove our blindfolds. And there it was. Standing on a hill just south of the city, we got a panoramic view of the entire city, the same view Abraham saw, just before taking his son Isaac up to be sacrificed. All he saw was mountains and desert, but we got something a little different. It was a picturesque moment that none of us are soon to forget.

After soaking in the view for a little bit, we made our way to the Old City. We trekked through its alleyways, and in a day full of grandiose moments, we emerged at the Western Wall. As per custom, men and women separated, and we made our way up. You’ll get some different perspectives from both sides of the wall from guest columnists soon, but for now, all you have is me.

This was a special, special experience. All the men donned tzfillin-the first time I had done so in my life; it couldn’t have been more appropriate-wrote our prayers down, recited the sh’ma, various psalms, and each went about our own unique way of placing our prayers in the wall.  I don’t think I’m going to return from this trip with a religious revelation, completely changing the way I practice my religion, but there’s no denying that this was a special, holy experience.

After taking it all in, we got some photo opportunities, reunited with the ladies on the plaza, and celebrated the B’nai Mitzvah of Dan, Paul, Jamie, and Jessica, as well as the giving of Hebrew names to Kat, Sam, Izzy, and Jordana. It was an awesome moment for them, and for the rest of us. We got to celebrate with song and dance right outside the wall. Some bystanding Israeli soldiers even joined us, which was a bunch of fun. Hopefully we can get one of the new Bar or Bat Mitzvah to write a guest post to give you some better insight.

We toured a little bit more throughout the Old City, checked out the ruins of the southwest end of the temple, and got some time to stroll about the Old City for lunch and shopping.

Oh, right, about that intro from before. So me, Ethan, Andrew, Chicago Rachel, Jen Goldstein, Alecia, Shir, and Rabbi Levi went for lunch. It was all fun and games, until I learned the hard way that the laffa surrounding my shwarma madness wasn’t wrapped as tight as I thought. As soon as I bit into the delectable goodness, a stream of creamy hummus made its way onto my white khaki shorts. There was no club soda or Tide To Go in sight. I thought back to the plight of Phoebe Buffay. She opted to cover the stain up with a Christmas ornament. I don’t know many things, but I can be fairly certain that wasn’t an option for me.

I sucked it up, finished my meal, and made my way about the shops. Mom and dad, rest easy, I got little ditties for each of you. Alex, stand by. Yours is coming soon, I promise.

We finished up in the Old City, headed back to the hotel for a Taste of Jewish Learning with Rabbi Braun, where we dabbled in a little lesson in companionship, and made our way to where we are now, on the bus to the Taglit Mega Event. I’m from Plainview, NY, and I go to Binghamton University, so when I was told this is going to be the biggest gathering of Jews I attend in my life, I wanted to retort. I’d probably lose, though. All things aside, we’re all pretty excited for the event. Rumors of Matisyahu, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Lou Bega, and Los Del Rio performing at the event have all been circulating, but they all seem to be as true as, well, something that isn’t true at all. (I tried to think of something to complete the simile, but nothing came to mind. Sorry).

Alright, we’re parking, so I’ve gotta go. Laila Tov! 

 
at Haz Promenande 

 
Bar / Bat Mitzvah at the Kotel

 
The Shawarma in the Lafa 

Taste of Jewish Learning  

 
The Mega Event

When we last spoke, Mayanot 357 was fresh off of a night out on the town in Tel Aviv. After a long night of dance and drink, the only viable solution was to spend a cool hour in the morning on the beach. The beaches of Israel’s Mediterranean coast are a far cry from my stomping grounds, Tobay Beach. I mean, they both contain mostly Jews, but that’s about as far as the similarities go. The water was a deep, deep blue, and the waves crashed with a consistent calmness. Some were swimming, tanning, chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool, and taking it easy at the Mediterranean Sea. As this trip goes though, we had to rush out from the beach, check out of the hotel, and make our way into Tel Aviv.

Our first destination in Israel’s bustling metropolis was Independence Hall, the site of the conference that declared independence for the state of Israel on May 14, 1948 (as if I needed to make it clearer as to why it’s called Independence Hall. Get a grip readers! I don’t need to spell it out for you!)

We sat in the very same room-a converted art gallery-that independence was declared, listened to an audio clip of an uber-emotional David ben-Gurion, and sung along with the meeting’s rendition of Hatikvah. I know it was Memorial Day back in the U.S., but in our temporary home, it was all about Israel, though when it finally hit our still jet-lagged heads that it was Memorial Day back in the states, we broke out into a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner on the bus.

After Independence Hall, we made our way to a marketplace in Tel Aviv where we got to eat and shop for a few hours. Today for lunch, I went with schnitzel. I almost opted out and fell back on some falafel, but the cashier advised me to stick with the schnitzel. I think I made a good choice. Afterwards, I made my way about the marketplace, looking for gifts for my family. Ben, if you’re reading this, then congrats! You were the first one to get a souvenir from me. Wear it proud at Fredonia next year. You’ll be a baller. Mom, dad, and Alex: stay posted.

Rabin Square and Yaffo rounded out our afternoon in Tel Aviv. We learned all about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, a little bit about the political system of Israel, and caught some incredible panoramic views of Tel Aviv, Yaffo, and the Mediterranean Sea. I have this weird fascination of seeing the conglomeration of ancient and modern architecture, and sitting atop a hill in Yaffo, taking in the view of ancient and brand new cities alike was like eating a satisfying meal.

And finally, after we couldn’t stay awake any longer, we hopped on the bus and headed eastward for Jerusalem. Our hotel is on the outskirts of town (I think) and the digs are, well, interesting to say the least. I’m in no place to complain about the hotels on a free trip, so I’ll wrap this part up now. The hotel had wi-fi. Let’s focus on that.

The night consisted of two activities with our friends from Lehigh and U of Colorado on Mayanot 358. We first had a small information session about signing up to become bone marrow donors through the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation. We even got an opportunity to register if we so choose, which I did. I’m a frequent flyer at the NY/Penn Blood Services, so if I’m giving blood, why not give a little more, right?

The second activity of the night was a talk with Neil Lazarus about the current state of politics and goings-on in the Middle East. Revolutions, Iran’s nuclear capabilities, and Israeli/Palestinian conflict were the talk of the night. Lazarus, a British-born Israel citizen, was a charismatic, funny, informed guy who definitely enlightened a whole bunch of us, however tired we may have been. The night rounded out on the hotel’s patio, where we mingled with some students with another Mayanot group, most of whom were from Washington University in St. Louis.

Depending on when this gets posted and how the time difference works out, today (May 31st) is Kat’s 22nd birthday! Happy Birthday to Kat! I know I said for Alexa’s birthday, that there was no better way to spend it than a night out in Tel Aviv, but a trip to Jerusalem’s Old City and the Western Wall might put up a pretty good fight.

Next time, in Jerusalem! 

at Hall of Independence

at Jaffa

at Kikar Rabin Square

Well, we had a real cushy gig at the King Solomon Hotel in Tiberias: big rooms, outdoor patio, grassy knolls, bountiful food, and a panoramic view of the Kinneret. It was fun while it lasted, but the show must go on, and the trip must proceed. So yesterday morning, we packed our bags and said goodbye to Tiberias as we shipped up north for a day that was incredibly fast-paced, and certainly kept us on our toes.                                         Click on Images to enlarge 

I know I said previously that lunch was the most anticipated part of our trip. That might have been a fabrication, so I apologize. But what actually might have been the most anticipated part of our trip happened yesterday morning, when we were finally accompanied by our eight Israeli soldiers. Esti, Bar, Shir, Sara, Idan, Raz, Hagar, and Yuval, soldiers from all branches of the Israeli military, from all across Israel, joined our crew with just as much excitement to meet us as we did to meet them.

We headed up towards the Golan Heights near the Syrian border for an ice breaker with our new friends, and had a short hike to get all of us sleepyheads going for the day. And not that I’m envious of the plight of the characters from my beloved TV show Lost, but all these hikes through valleys, up mountains, and across creeks makes me feel right at home with Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and the rest of the gang. But no smoke monster for us.  This Israel, not “the island.”

After the hike, we made our way to a kibbutz on the Lebanese border and listened to Arie-an American-born Israeli citizen of 50 years-talk about his experiences in the Israeli army, on the kibbutz, and his feelings on the many political and religious conflicts Israel has endured-and is still enduring. Arie was nothing if not incredibly passionate and earnest in his beliefs. I would be lying though if I said his speech wasn’t divisive. After having chatted with one of our soldiers, Shir-someone who has certainly been closer to the action, and has a deeper understanding of it than me-described Arie as a “radical,” though she undoubtedly agreed with many of the basic Zionist ideals Arie conveyed, as did the rest of us.

We also received a treat from Ronen, as he shared with us two stories from his 12-day mission into Lebanon during the Second Lebanese War in 2006. We knew of “Ronen the Tour Guide,” but here we got insight into “Ronen the Soldier,” and “Ronen the Family Man.” He stressed how different it is to be a soldier returning to a family, rather than to a solitary life. And after his 12-day tour in 2006, he returned home to his wife and newborn daughter.

Coming down from the mountaintop kibbutz, we stopped for lunch in a mall. I figured to keep an alternating schedule of shwarma and falafel, so I opted for falafel at this meal. Probably not the best falafel I’ve had, as some of the soldiers were describing it as “mall food.” It seemed to make sense. It was the Panda Express of falafel, I suppose. However, I heeded my parents’ suggestion and had my first dabbling in Aroma via an iced cappuccino, which was a cool, soothing pick me up to carry me over through the rest of the day.

We travelled a few more minutes after lunch to the Jordan River for a late afternoon raft ride. We sailed down the river amongst each other, some locals, and another birthright group from the University of Maryland. It was more of a lazy river than a rapids ride, but fun all the same. We also got a little tongue tied when we had some Jordans pushing Jordans into the Jordan, but I’m pretty sure we got it all
ironed out.

Though, the three hour bus ride to Tel Aviv in a damp t-shirt and air conditioning wasn’t the most pleasant trip in the world.

Upon arriving in Tel Aviv-or a few minutes outside of Tel Aviv, rather-we quickly had dinner, put our hot pants on, and the whole group headed to a bar/club in Tel Aviv to drink a little drink, dance a little dance, and have a good night out. It was a fun time, but the highlight for me didn’t come until the trip back to the hotel, where we saw Ethan fall victim to some false idol worship, anointing Rabbi Levi the messiah. Belligerent? Maybe. Loyal? Undoubtedly.

The writing of this post was scattered throughout today (Monday), as I’ve been writing these on the bus and our rides today have only been short trips throughout Tel Aviv. A full recap of today should be up eventually, but you’ve gotta give me time to enjoy my time in Israel before I write about it (not that I’m bitter or anything).

The heart of the trip is just around the corner. We head to Jerusalem tonight, and while our crew of lazybones and sleepyheads are itching for the pace of this trip to slow down, I’m not counting on it.

Hike at the Banias river 

 
At Kibutz Misgav Am

 
On the way to the Night Out!

 
Night out in Tel Aviv!  

 Boker Tov! Day 4 is underway, and don’t for a second think that I was going to rob you of our first Shabbat experience in Israel. We’ve been busy since havdalah, so I haven’t been able to sit down with a computer, but here I am, ready to give you a full report.

Imagine a Shabbat like any other Shabbat. Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Z from Mayanot 358 led a short service in prayer, song, and dance. Pretty standard, right? Now, make the backdrop a sunset over the Galilee, and a glistening Kinneret. It was pretty awesome, and although we were all pretty hungry, I think we were all able to really appreciate it. They don’t do Shabbat like that in the States. Maybe they’ll start. Who knows?

Services finished up, we had a festive Shabbat dinner, partook in some more ice breaker activities, and enjoyed a cool Shabbat evening out on the patio of our hotel. Fortunately for us, we got to sleep in, hoping to rid ourselves of the jet-lag that’s been plaguing us since our arrival. That still remains to be seen, but since we’re about to go on another hike, we’ll find out soon enough.

Most of Saturday was spent relaxing out on the hotel patio, tanning, reading, talking joking, and a bunch more “ing” words that I can’t think of right this moment. In the early evening, Ronen led us on a walking tour of the city of Tiberias, whereupon we learned about Israel’s four holy cities (Jerusalem, Tzfat, Chevron, and Tiberias), and even met some locals.

Note: Talking to some 12-year-old Israeli boys and girls across a language barrier is pretty difficult, but just as fun as you think it’d be.

So we returned to the hotel, freshened up, had a small Havdalah service to commemorate the end of Shabbat, and made our way to “downtown” Tiberias for a dinner of salad, pasta, and pizza. The area of Tiberias we went to was a boardwalk-style pier on the Kinneret, full of eateries, shops, bars, clubs, and things of the sort. The street was lined with hustling magicians-Jordan Waldman thought he knew how to play the game well, but a local advised him against it; he still holds to it that he wouldn’t have lost any money-and freelance guitarists. Some of us got some fro-yo (raspberry for me), and mingled with some other birthright groups. A fun night overall.

After a good night’s sleep (for very few of us), we’re back on the road with our brand new guests, Israeli soldiers. Today looks to be an eventful day of hiking, rafting, a visit to a Kibbutz, and night out on the town in Tel Aviv. Keep checking back for updates, as the trip is sure to pick up.

And one more note, it’s Alexa’s 20th birthday! I can’t really think of a better way to celebrate your birthday than a night out in Tel Aviv, so it’s sure to be a fun day for her and the rest of us. Until next time, Shalom!

Full report of the past day and a half to come, for now-several photos of tonight's outing:

 Click on images to enlarge

Enjoying dinner at the Dairy restaurant at the lake Kineret Boardwalk

Spontaneous Binghamton meet up!