Akko

Today we visited the ancient city and port of Akko, a beautiful peninsula located in the North of Israel. We walked around its beautiful alley ways, tasted delicious foods sold at the local "shuk" or open market, and got to witness a beautiful sunset (with Haifa in the backround)

Druze Village (Usfyia), by Ryan

After the army base we headed north to a town called Usfyia, where the town's population is Druze.  In the Druze village we got to experience Druze hospitality and we were welcomed with the smell of home made lafa, a delicious flat bread. We met a young Druze woman who told us about the Druze religion, people, and their customs.  We ate a delicious lunch that included meat kabob, hummus, lafa bread, salad, and much more!

Army base, by Alex

Today we visited an army base.  It was really interesting to learn about the history of this particular base, especially that it exists since before Israel became the Jewish State.  This particular base specialized in training High School students who are about to enter the army. We met two young female commanders and they shared how much they enjoy working at the base and training soon-to-be soldiers.

Scavenger hunt through Tel Aviv

Today the students had a scavenger hunt through the streets of Tel Aviv called "Barechovot Shalnu" or in our streets. Students were divided into teams and had to complete different missions while interacting with people on the streets, taking pictures, and decoding secret messages to get to the next clue.  The hunt culminated with the announcement of a winning team and a walk through the famous Nachalat Binyamin street artist fair.  Later on in the evening, the delegation attended a beautiful service at a place called Beit T'filah, in the center of the city.  Our students and their Israeli hosts had an opportunity to experience a reform Shabbat service where they got to pray, dance, and sing together to welcome Shabbat.  Tomorrow is a family day, so there will be no posts until Sunday.  Make sure to check in with your children to hear about their Saturday adventures. Shabbat Shalom from Tel Aviv!

And here is the winning team!

Jerusalem, by Hunter

Yad Vashem is a special memorial to the Holocaust. The unique, symbolic architecture was truly intriguing. The triangle shaped dome expresses the ups and downs of the timeline of the Holocaust. Chronologically, the dimensions of the pathway would distort accordingly the sorrows of the story. Everything in the museum had symbolic value that captured the hearts of all its visitors, such as the beginning there was a movie that made us appreciate the green and beautiful world of Europe where millions of Jews lived.  The end of the tour brought us back to that same beauty, saying despite of all the horror, Jews survived and thrived and that it is never to be forgotten.

Machne Yehuda- famous open market in Jerusalem

 The old city of Jerusalem was quite a spectacular experience.  Unlike any other city in the world, it
co -exists with three religions in one city: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.  This integration is evident in the markets, where these cultures are divided into quarters, including an Armenian quarter.  Tall walls protected the ancient city with a large iron gate.  Believe it or not, this city is built on top of other ancient cities.  The old city of Jerusalem was truly a wondrous experience for the American students.  

Rabbi Goor invited us to a delicious dinner at a restaurant called Foccacia...delicious!

Visiting wall is one of the coolest Jewish events of my life, aside from my Bar Mitzvah.  It combined a historical structure with a meaningful moment.  We each slipped a piece of paper into the wall and said a prayer.  I was told that my grandma, whom I’ve never met, had been there.  Israel is so cool so far!

Masada, by Tyler

Today we traversed over what was for some a rigorous tiring journey. It not only is the largest mountain in Israel but containes a bit of history as well. Magnificent Masada was basically a home of suicide. The Jews were all trapped in the tower while the brutal Romans attempted to barge into the bastion. When captured, they planned to make them slaves, but the Jews claimed that they would rather die than be their slaves. Although it is against the Jewish religion to commit suicide, this sect of Jews preferred to die free than to live a live of slavery.  After walking around the mountain, we hiked down on the snake path, a very long set of stairs that takes you to the bottom.