Update from Israel #Bus254
For many of us, this has already been the best trip of our lives. Our group has gotten very close, as we’ve explored new terrain, topics, and become closer as friends. We have done a lot since the last update, and we’ve had programming just about every minute of the day, but I’ll try to capture some of the main points of reference.
Our tour guide at Yad Vashem was absolutely incredible — his parents were survivors, and we all connected deeply with the museum in those 2-3 hours. We then had a late lunch at the Jerusalem marketplace, and some of our trip members even danced with store-keepers on the street. We ended the night with a 1-hour political seminar from expert Iftah Burman, and then took part in a service project through Gift of Life. The next day, we went to Har Herzl, the national cemetery, and visited the Western Wall and Old City of Jerusalem. We ended the night with an activity with our Israeli peers.
Tuesday, we hiked Mount Masada and learned about its ancient history. We immediately left Masada for a beach outing at the Dead Sea, where everyone floated on its salty waters. We then had an emotional good-bye with our Israeli peers, and departed for a night staying in a Bedouin tent.
Yesterday, we had breakfast on the tent grounds, visited Ben Gurion’s memorial site, walked through a pristine trail of the Negev Desert, and returned to the Bedouin tent to ride camels (on Hump Day, of course). We then went to a farm in the desert with Israel’s innovative water-saving agricultural practices. Just picture tomatoes, lemons, carrots, herbs, and small oranges growing above a sea of sandy earth. Then, we drove to Tel Aviv, checked into our hotel on the beach, and went to bed.
The next day, we explored Tel Aviv. We went to Rabin Square, Independence Hall, the market for lunch and bargaining, the beach, the ancient seaport of Jaffa, and then a night out. When we got to the bar, our Israeli peers surprised us and were there waiting. This morning, we left early from Tel Aviv, stopped by an inspirational memorial started by a woman our tour guide knows well. We ate lunch and then took a 1.5 hour bus ride to the outskirts of the Sea of Galilee where we’re staying. Tonight and tomorrow, we’ll have some downtime and slower paced scheduling for Shabbat, and in our last days we’ll head to Mount Bental, Tzfat, and wrap up our amazing journey here in Israel. Our group is divided into committees and each trip member is involved in leading their specific project (Shabbat, video making, etc.).
With love,
Zach