Mayanot 880

Shabbat has ended and now it’s time to catch everyone up on what we have been doing. Friday morning we drove to Jerusalem, excited for what was to come in the holiest city of all. We first went to Mount Herzl, the grave site for all of Israel’s fallen soldiers. It was a super important and emotional experience for all of us, especially with our new soldier friends in uniform walking and guiding us through. After that, we headed to the Jerusalem Mall for some food, shopping, and aroma coffee! We then checked into the hotel and checked out of our phones because the shabbas was starting. We got the super special opportunity to do shabbat services at the wall. While there, we were surrounded by so many Jews and other birthright groups singing, cheering, dancing, and appreciating the moment as much as they could. To wrap up the night we had a very nice shabbat dinner where we made some L’chaims and again, sang lots of songs. We walked back to the hotel and got some sleep to get ready for Saturday. 

We had a nice late wake up on Saturday, a great start to our day of rest. Throughout the day, we participated in different programs including a “stump the rabbi” where we could ask any questions about Judaism we wanted to. We also had a chance to go to a local park, play some games and do a “secret Moses” game where everyone bought a 10 shekel present for their person they picked out of a hat. To close the shabbat, we had our havdallah ceremony and then celebrated on Ben Yehuda Street through the night. There were stores, clubs, bars, restaurants and more and it really was such a fun night. We are getting closer with each other and the soldiers on the trip as each day goes by. Tomorrow, we have a very full and fun day including seven bat mitzvahs! Til next time! 

Day three just ended and was such a fun day for all of us here in Israel! We are all pretty adjusted to the time difference now and keep enjoying the trip more and more with each experience we have. The best part of the day was getting to meet our 8 soldiers that we have with us for the next five days of our trip. They are all so kind, cool, and we are so excited to hang out with them. The first activity of the day was going jeeping, or “ATVing”, in Golan Heights. As we rode under the sunshine with the wind blowing, we got to experience the nature of Israel, even if we got a little (or a lot) of dirt on us along the way. Our next stop was Mount Bental Observation Point where we got to see the intersection of Israel, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. While looking out at the view, some of the soldiers shared interesting personal stories of their time in the army. After that, we got to go rafting in the Jordan River, a necessity to cool off for a little during a hot day. The rafts were so fun and while there wasn’t a ton of rapids, there were a lot of times we had to navigate our way and work together to reach the end while also relaxing and enjoying the scenery. At the end of the path, we all jumped in the water and splashed around, really enjoying the moment. After a long day of fun activities, we ended at the hotel for a nice dinner, debrief activity as a group, and then some free time to hang out in the rooms, lobby or hotel bar. It was an adventurous and amazing day and we are so grateful for what we have done so far, along with excited for what tomorrow in Jerusalem will bring!

Day two has just wrapped up for Mayanot Bus 880 and we are having the best time! We started the day at the stunning city of Tzfat. We learned how mystical and spiritual the city could be and had the chance to walk around, take pictures and of course, eat good food. Our first activity was going to the mikva where the boys and girls each had different experiences to connect. The girls had an empowering discussion about sexuality and self worth and the guys actually got a chance to refresh themselves by going into the mikva waters. We then strolled through Tzfat and ventured to a kabbalistic artist.  There, we heard him talk about the ideas of Kabbalah and how he shifted his whole life because of it. Some people bought artwork and others admired the beautiful pieces on the wall. After that, we went back to the hotel to get ready for the rest of the night and then drove over to a barbecue for dinner. There was a ton of yummy food and we had the chance to walk around, meet other birthright groups and even some locals. Finishing off, we had our night out in Tiberias where we walked along the water, ate some food and danced the night away. We all had a great day and night and are so excited for day 3! 

 It has been quite a long day, or should I say two days, for us here on Mayanot Bus 880! After 10 hours in the sky, we landed in our beautiful homeland around 6:30 where we were greeted by Mayanot staff and given a delicious breakfast to get the day started even though we were all a little confused as to what day it was! Our day started by traveling to Caesarea, an ancient city, and walking along the beach under bright blue sky’s and sun unlike one we would ever see in Binghamton! As we walked, we learned about the rich history that surrounded the place, including walls and theaters that were built over a thousand years ago. After getting back on the bus, we went to Zikhron Ya’akov to get some traditional Israeli lunch and walk around. From shawarma to falafel, everyone was eating up and getting their first real taste of Israeli food. Our final adventure for the day included the Nahal HaShofet Hike, where we strolled down a shady trail seeing magnificent trees, streams and even saw a cow along the way! Rapping up our day, we checked in at King Solomon Hotel Tiberias, ate some dinner and did some debriefing and bonding as a group. It was a truly incredible start to an incredible journey and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip brings!