Sunday Scenes

Can't believe it's the last day . . . !

Overlooking Bahai Gardens in Haifa

Tel Aviv port

Independence Hall in Tel Aviv

 

Start-up Nation tour in Tel Aviv

Enjoying Druze hospitality (and snacks!)

Holon and Hanaton

Shavua tov! Havdalah at Kibbutz Hanaton

Reflections from Ronny and Eli: 
On Friday morning, when we went on our bus, we found that there were notes all over the bus from the Ezra students. Jerome's note made all of us tear up. We miss them already.
Then we went to the port in Tel Aviv where we went for a walk and hung out for a bit on a playground. After that we went to the Children's Museum in Holon, where there is a special exhibit called "Dialogue in the Dark."  Basically, you go on a "tour" through the exhibit in completely dark rooms, and experience everyday things just as a blind person would.  The exhibit teaches you to be more sensitive about disabilities, but also makes you realize how much people can do even if they have an impairment. Amazingly, our tour guide was actually blind.  We, on the other hand, were not used to the dark environment - at the end of the the exhibit there was this restaurant which was completely dark, and Bella's soda ended up spilling all over.  Overall it was an amazing and worthwhile experience.
After a delicious shawarma lunch at the market in Tel Aviv (where we also stocked up on snacks for Shabbat), we got to relax for  while on the ride up north, and arrived a couple hours later at Kibbutz Hanaton in the Lower Galil.  Hanaton is one of the only kibbutzim connected to Masorti/Conservative Judaism.  The guest house rooms were really big! We met other eighth graders as well as a group of 19 year old students staying at the kibbutz who were doing a gap year before enlisting in the army. We had a tour of the kibbutz and learned about its history.  Shabbat shalom!

Enjoying dancing and a concert after Shabbat on Hanaton 

Beach Before Byes

Jenna:
For me personally, today was a great but at the same time kind of a serious/sad day. It was fun, but at the same time laid back. We started off the day by going to the Tel Aviv beach. It was so much fun! We played in the ocean, got ice cream and just had an amazing time together! After the beach we went to the Palmach Museum where we learned about the fight for the state of Israel and about all the people who sacrificed their lives so that we could have the Jewish state that we have today. It was the coolest museum, because of how realistic it was and how it made you feel like you were really going back in time. It was very interesting but at the same time very inspirational, because if it hadn't been for all of the soldiers that sacrificed their lives we might not have Israel today.

After the museum we all went to a very nice restaurant for dinner and tried to make it last as long as possible, because after dinner the Ezra Academy kids went to the airport to go back to America. It was beyond sad for all of us to have to say goodbye to all of the Ezra kids. These past 2 weeks with them we all formed such close bonds. I know that I can speak for everyone when I say that we will miss them like crazy. It was a hard time for everyone when we watched them leave because we formed unforgettable memories with them (such as the sushi squad, the Boker Tov song and activities that we did with each other such as climbing Masada). There might have even been some tears when they left. It is sad to think that the Ezra kids just left and that we are will also be leaving in just 3 days.

This trip has been an experience that will be impossible to forget! We will obviously all be sad to leave, but as our tour guide Ariel told us today, we shouldn't be sad because it's over, we should be happy because it happened!

Final Dinner With Ezra - We'll Miss You!

We visited Morah Chanah! 

Salad and Sculptures

Jeremy:

We went to see an artist who was in a small village [Moshav Yated] near the border of Egypt and Gaza.  He told us about all the different missiles that are shot toward them and how the alarm is only 10-15 seconds before the missile hits. He told us how he got inspired by the metal fragments of the missiles to become a blacksmith and now he makes beautiful metal sculptures.  He explained that becoming a blacksmith and creating art in this way was a type of peaceful "revenge" against those who had fired the missiles, by turning them from something violent into something beautiful.  He has made them for many audiences, even the White House, and continues to make the sculptures in the hope that eventually the bombings will stop. 

Josh:
Today we went to a farm called The Salad Trail. It was located about 7 kilometers away from the Egyptian border, not far from the area where Gaza is located.  On the trail, we started off by having a friendly competition between the boys and the girls to see who could navigate through a maze the fastest. Unfortunately, the boys lost, but it was ok because after that we went into the greenhouse where all of the tomatoes were being grown. We learned that Israel invented the cherry tomato and we also learned about various types of tomatoes like the chocolate tomato, zebra tomato, and blonde tomato. Then, we were given the freedom to walk around the greenhouse, pick the tomatoes of our choice, and eat them right there and then. The reason we were able to do that is because Israel doesn't use pesticides on their crops. Then, we went into the strawberry greenhouse and saw that they hang their strawberries from baskets instead of planting them directly into the ground. Finally, the farmer told us about homing pigeons, and gave 10 people a pigeon to hold and eventually set free. It was very interesting to see how different Israel is from America and I would definitely recommend going there when you get the chance.

At Ein Avdat 

Fun in the Sun

Friends in the Negev

Morning on Masada and Floating with Friends

Morning Minyan on Masada 

Debbie:
Hi everyone! Today was a day we were all looking forward to, we climbed Masada. The day started very early, and by early I mean 4:30. Wake up wasn't our favorite part of the day, and neither was the weather, but it was definitely worth it. We had a little snack and then left the tents that we slept in. We got to Masada and then hiked up the short way. We prayed at the top which was amazing because of the view and the inspiring history of the place. After we prayed and walked around the top of Masada. We went down the long way which had a beautiful view. When we got to the bottom we all had breakfast together which was also very fun. I'm very excited for tomorrow's hike.  

Emma: 

Hello!!! So today we had to wake up at 4:30 AM to hike Masada while the weather was still reasonable. We hiked up a short path and at the top we prayed and saw the history of Masada. We hiked down the snake path and I have honestly never sweat harder in my entire life. I got sun burned but I can deal with it. We then had breakfast when we got to the bottom because by that time it was 9:30 AM!! We had a short drive to the Dead Sea which smelled absolutely horrible and we were all expecting the water to be hot and brown but it was refreshing and crystal clear. It was so much fun. We covered ourselves in mud and walked as far out in the Dead Sea as we could until we couldn't stand so our feet would float. We had the best time besides the burning from the salt. We then went to the pool at the Dead Sea to refresh ourselves. We had lunch at the Ein Gedi spa and it was really good. 

After lunch we got on the bus and began our 2 hour ride to the next Kibbutz we are staying in for 2 nights. We began our journey in Israel in the north and now we are all the way in the south. We had a lot of free time and the kibbutz we are staying in has a little super market. So a group of us decided to go and on the way we made so many friends with kids who live on the kibbutz. They are so nice, funny, and down to earth. We are hanging out with them tomorrow night also. So fun. We then had an activity after dinner and now we are all sitting on our porch talking - like all 24 kids. We got really close. Miss you guys a lot but I'm nowhere ready to come home... Xo

Bella:

As we first arrived to the Dead Sea, everyone was excited to escape the strong heat and get into the water. We took steady steps as we entered the water. The water felt very thick and it was also a little warm and we kept walking until the water was at our waists. We leaned back and let the water carry us, we felt as though we were flying. The water stung anyone with cuts, but we stayed in and loved every minute of it.  After we got out of the water, we continued the fun by covering ourselves in mud. We then went back into the water and let the mud wash off off of us, we all loved it. We concluded our Dead Sea experience by playing around in the pool. Although by the end of this we were all exhausted, we will never forget this amazing and once in a life time experience of going to the Dead Sea with all of our new and old friends.

Dead Sea Mud

Misc. Friends Snapshots . . .! 

From the Kotel to Kfar Nokdim

Sophie:

Hey Gang!

With an early wake-up we packed our bags for our next destination. Excited but very hot from this weather we got on the bus and went to the Old City. We davened at the egalitarian part of the Wall where people read Torah, had Aliyot and prayed. Afterwards, we saw a computerized presentation of what the Old City looks like now and what the area looked like 2,000 years ago. It was very detailed. When I watched it I felt like I was in a video game!  Later, we went to the Jewish quarter where there was very good shopping (sorry Mom, none for you ;) but don't worry I got great stuff!) Our teachers and chaperons bought us lemon ice cream pops (thanks!)

My favorite part of the day was when we finally reached the Kotel. You can not imagine how hard it is to squeeze your notes into the wall. 50% of the notes lay on the ground as others fight to find a space. I felt honored to touch the rocky textured wall for the very first time. As I stood and leaned my head against the wall I got a little emotional. The feeling that rushed before me I have never felt before. It was a connection. I encourage everyone, if you have gone, or not, to come to Israel and visit the Kotel.

 

Harris:

Once we all got to experience the Kotel, we went through the tunnels under the Kotel to see the rest of the Western Wall (from below!).  We then got a surprise from our chaperons and went to Ben- Yehuda Street for lunch, where we all got delicious food and shopped some more.

Finally, after a while, we made it to the Bedouin Campsite (Kfar Nokdim). Right away, we had an opportunity to ride camels for a few minutes... When our ride ended, we got an introduction to the Bedouin tents with some tea. We then got situated in our tent and played games before dinner. After dinner, we all got to hang out with each other. At night, we all had a bonfire and played games and roasted marshmallows. Shalom! 

Dig for a Day, Tunnels and Tanks

Debbie:

Hey guys! Today was a great day. We started the day by going to Yad Lakashish, a non-profit organization that providers seniors with a place to spend their time while making art and

getting paid. At first, we didn't expect much, because we didn't think that seniors could make

such amazing detailed artwork, but we were wrong.  Everything there was beautiful and we were all impressed. We also got to talk to a few of the artists who were very nice, which was very interesting. At the end of our visit we went to the gift shop, which is where all their work is being sold. Every single one of us walked out of there with a lot of beautiful things, a lot less money, and a lot of happiness.

From there we went on to a cave in Beit Guvrin, where they have an archaeological excavation site. We looked for pottery, bones, coins, and anything else really. It was pretty cool seeing how much we could find and I had a lot of fun. We tried to stay out of the sum because it was over 100 degrees outside, but every single moment was worth it.

Then we went to a military museum at Latrun that focuses on tanks, where we could see a wall full of names of soldiers who died while fighting for our country, specifically in tanks. After we rested we went to a mall in Jerusalem, where some of our families met us. I was very happy to see my cousins because I haven't seen them in a very long time. We were also able to buy a lot of things which was very exciting. Although I'm sad that half of the trip is already over, I'm am very excited for a great week to come!