Our Final Day

Our last day in Jerusalem (and last day of our trip!) was definitely a high-point for many. We began with our Bar and Bat Mitzvah Ceremony overlooking the old city of Jerusalem. From there, we entered the old city through the Jaffa Gate and had a 2 hour tour that ended at the Western Wall.

We then stopped at Machane Yehuda, the market, before going to a park near the Knesset for our group closing.

It was truly a wonderful trip!

A Day to Reflect

Each day on this Birthright trip has been unique in its own way. I have connected to my identity as a proud, Jewish American and I couldn't be happier than I am now. Today will forever stand out as a highlight of this trip to me personally. From last night I knew along with the rest of the group that our trip to Yad Vashem and Mount Herzl would be unlike anything we've experienced so far.

The Holocaust is a scar that cuts deep in every Jewish citizen around the world. I have learned about it for as long as I can remember. No Matter who it is the Holocaust always elicits some sort of response of emotion whether it's anger or sadness, frustration or fear. To have it not do so would be inhumane. One of the biggest facts that people teach about it is the fact that through that period in time, six million Jews lost their lives in the most unimaginable ways. I have known about that number since early Hebrew School, but until today there was just no way to put that number into perspective.

At the beginning of the tour, our guide asked us to visualize an apple. Then 10 apples, and the number kept getting greater and greater. We were told to stop her after the number became too got to visualize. We only got to 200!

The point of the visualization was to show that it is near impossible to comprehend just how much six million really is, and that that number is completely overwhelming. When trying to put it in perspective, I've always been in awe with that number but I have never really felt the true immensity of it until the end of the tour in the hall of names.

Walking into that room I immediately was floored by the gigantic circle of books containing the names of everyone who lost their lives. It is a breathtaking sight to be there and look up at the dome of hundreds of thousands of peoples' faces. For twenty years I have never come close to felling the overall immensity of the number of people who lost their lives. Except for this room, the hall of names puts the 6,000,000 lost into complete perspective and that's why it struck such a chord with me.

Etan Lubin

Pictures

Here are some more pictures!

In the Negev

We had a really fun (but exhausting) last 2 days. We arrived at our Bedouin tent on Sunday night and went camel riding. From there, we met with some Bedouins, learned about their culture, and had a delicious meal. Following dinner we had a short night walk in the desert.

The next day, after getting up at 4am(!) we hiked Masada so we could see the sun rise from the top. After spending about 2 hours learning about Masada and taking the long snake path down, we headed to Ein Gedi, a natural oasis in the Judean desert. From there, we floated in the Dead Sea (for many, it was their first time)... And we did all of this by 2pm!

Then we headed to Jerusalem and said the Schecheyanu as a group as we entered Jerusalem for the first time.

Shabbat

After a packed and fun-filled day around Tel Aviv, we arrived in Kibbutz Urim for Shabbat. After quickly finding out rooms and getting ready, we met for Kabbalat Shabbat services. We joined together as a community to celebrate Shabbat together. It was so beautiful to be able to do this in the Land of Israel, and as our voices joined together, I think we all knew how special these moments together were.

-- Alyssa Blumenthal

Tel Aviv!

We had a really great day in Tel Aviv today. We began our visit at Rabin Square, where we met our 8 new Israeli friends (who will be joining us for the next 5 days) and learned about Yitzak Rabin From there, we went to Independence Hall and heard the story about Israel's declaration of Independence. We enjoyed some time strolling through Nachalat Binyamin (an artist market) and the shuk (marketplace) around lunchtime followed by a dip in the Mediterranean Sea!

We are now on our way to Kibbutz Urim for a meaningful and restful Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom from Israel!

I Dream Jaffa

Historic sites we saw,
They inspired us with awe.
Through the markets we walked
The vendors - they stalked!
In the end, we bought half-priced tchotchkes.
And then took them to the sea,
Nicer than the keys.
We're glad we found Jaffa,
Unlike our luck with the mensch Jimmy Hoffa.
Though we are going away,
We will remember that today in Jaffa was really cray...
We were smiling through the miles,
Knowing that Jaffa was only a plane away.

JoshMattSam

Tzfat

We just spent a few hours in the mystical city of Tzfat (home of Kabbalah). We toured many synagogues and discussed the importance of the Torah, the Hebrew language, and what makes things 'holy'.

Our medic/guard Itzik brought us to his family friend's shwarma/falafel restaurant that was delicious! Then we finished the city visit with shopping where many Hamsas and Stars of David were purchased!

Great Day up North!

We had a wonderful day (thus far!) up north. We had a nice 2 hour hike in the Golan Heights this morning, followed by a stop at Mount Bental, which overlooks Syria. From there we stopped in Kiryat Shemona for lunch and then rafted our way down the Jordan river. Now we're headed back to the Kibbutz for dinner and an evening activity.

We're in Israel!

We landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport and met our Tour Guide Amir, Medic/Guard Itzik, and Bus Driver Rafi. We are heading up north to settle into our hotel, have our orientation, and try to stay up to kick the jet lag!

June Birthright Trip Departs Today!

We're about to board our flight to Vienna (our first leg of our trip to Israel). More to come soon!