Friday, March 15, 2019

Students were enthralled by the scene of massive waves crashing against the Grottoes in Rosh Hanikra. Rather than avoiding the waves, many positioned themselves in the places where the waves were crashing while everyone else ran through the splash zone.

Video: Grottoes in Rosh Hanikra

Shabbat Shalom last week from the Golan Heights! We distributed gifts to soldiers: like food, clean underwear and socks. It was amazing to learn about the soldiers very diverse and unique backgrounds: two from America, one Russian, one from Tunisia, one from Morocco, and one whose family has been in Israel for nearly 500 years and is a descendant of the Safed Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) who migrated to Israel in the 1500's.

Video: Shabbat Shalom IDF Base Golan Heights 2019

Sunday, March 17, 2019

In the beautiful mountain city of Tzfat, we visited a unique candle factory with colorful and beautiful Shabbat and Havdalah candles.

Next, we went to the Sachne Springs. Sachne Springs is a series of turquoise pools that maintain a consistent warm temperature. Each has its own unique features, such as waterfalls and tunnels.

Monday, March 18, 2019

After an evening in the Bedouin and learning about their culture, we woke early to hike up the Roman ramp of Masada to see the sunrise. Next, we went to pray in one of the oldest synagogues in Israel dating back to the time of the Second Temple.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

The whole group went to a local synagogue in Alon Shvut in the morning. The rooms and views were beautiful.

Megilla reading at Yeshivat Har Etzion in the evening.

Thursday, March 21, 2019

We went zip-lining in the afternoon and climbed in a fun ropes course. The zip-line was very long and over a pretty long forested valley. After zip-lining, we went on an off-road jeep path that was muddy and fun.

In the evening, we entered Jerusalem for the 1st time on the trip and got to see the Old City from a scenic overlook. We drank grape juice and said shehecheyanu in honor of it being the 1st chance for many of us to see the old city and the Temple Mount. Our tour guide spoke about how special Jerusalem has been and is for the Jewish people as our eternal spiritual and political capital.

Friday, March 22, 2019

This afternoon, we toured the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. Students learned about the many civilizations that have existed here and how often things were built on top of the earlier buildings. We ended the tour of the Jewish Quarter with shopping in the historic area called the Cardo where shops existed in Second Temple times and Roman times.