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