Majestic Masada

Evan Kaster is our Guest Blogger for Wednesday! It was a very, very long day…so we thank Evan for taking on the responsibility!

We woke up at 4 a.m. in the Bedouin tent on Wednesday morning. We got almost no sleep the night before in the tent!  After having some hot tea at about 4:30 a.m., we got on the bus and took a 15 minute bus ride to the bottom of Masada. Along the way we saw a 250-member male infantry unit from the IDF doing an exercise that was very important, and part of what every unit does at the end of their basic training. They call it a "raid." We learned that it started at 5:00 p.m. the day before.  This raid had them walking 70 kilometers and completing the raid at Masada! Altogether, it was a 14 hour walk through the desert! When we saw them, they were on their last few kilometers. We learned that if there were to be a war, this unit would be permitted to fight because they finished the most difficult raid. They had face paint on (just like we did the night before!) to camouflage themselves in the dark and carried their guns and equipment with them for the 14 hour walk.  Their equipment included tents, water, and stretchers.

Our own climb up Masada took less than 7 minutes. Our guides said we were really, really fast! We went up what is known as the Roman Ramp. When we got to the top, it was still dark.  We proceeded to the highest point on Masada, an ancient watchtower, to wait for the sun to rise. It was kind of chilly and a little windy, but the sky was clear and we looked down at the Dead Sea below us. Soon, the sky was a red-orange-pink color and the sun came up slowly over the Dead Sea. On Masada, we had a little ceremony and we each got a puzzle Israel shirt from Nir, Guy and Shachar. We then toured all over the mountain top. By this time, it was about 7:00 a.m.  Some of the sites we took in were: possibly the oldest synagogue in the world, the Roman bath house, Herod's palace and the Roman food storehouses. The IDF soldiers that we had seen on the road were just making their final steps to the top of Masada at the end of their challenge raid.  They were greeted by their families, friends, and members of the IDF for a little ceremony and celebration. They looked tired but were happy and looked as if they had a real feeling of accomplishment. They talked to us and told us about their long trip. We met a few non-Israeli soldiers (from Canada and South Africa) who are "lone soldiers" which means that they came without their families to serve in the IDF. I have been to Masada a couple of times before, but seeing the IDF ceremony was really amazing and made me think about life in Israel.  It helped to connect me in a much different way.

We took the cable car down Masada to a lower level and had breakfast. Then we went to Nahal David which is in the Ein Geri reserve. It was really hot (it felt like 2000 degrees!!!). We enjoyed a nice walk with a waterfall in the middle of the desert. There were little animals there that we learned are related to elephants. Nir, Guy and Shachar told us stories next to the waterfall and we came back to the bus. Then, we went to the Dead Sea for some relaxation. We went down to the water and put mud on ourselves. We swam in the Dead Sea. It was soooo salty. We floated in the water which felt really thick and heavy. We couldn't stand up in the water at all. We had lunch there, and stopped to ride camels, and then continued toward Jerusalem.

We arrived at our hotel in Jerusalem which is really in the middle of the city! After much needed showers and a little rest, we met for a great dinner in Jerusalem. We then took a 30 minute walk all the way to Mamilla for a little shopping and we took a peek at the Old City walls. Before leaving Mamilla, we had some ice cream to finish off the long day. We were so tired!! We were looking forward to a good night's sleep!

Goodbye Haifa, Hello Tel Aviv!

Written by Guest Bloggers:  Carly Eiduson and Evan Kaster

We woke up and packed our luggage and went to the school to say goodbye to our Israeli friends. With all the close connections that we made, it was hard to say goodbye knowing that we might not see each other for a while, but we will be sure to keep in touch. After a tough goodbye, we got on the bus and totally passed out into a deep sleep on our way to Tel Aviv.

After arriving in Tel Aviv, we stopped at the Palmach Museum.  The museum was very interesting because it was an interactive exhibit that showed us how the Palmach started with a few people and lack of weapons.  The Palmach eventually became the Israel Defense Forces. Following the tour of this wonderful exhibit, we had a group discussion about what we learned at the museum. Next we were off to Tel Aviv University where we ate lunch. It is a gorgeous campus with lots of people. Then we drove south to Sde Boker, where we participated in a desert biking competition with two teams using a map to find different spots in the desert. The group that earned the most points would win. To earn points for your team, you must bike around the beautiful and peaceful desert using a map to find certain signs.  When you find each sign you must take a picture of it as proof…kind of like a scavenger hunt.  While racing around the desert in amazing weather we also learned how to navigate using a map.  Although our team did not win, we had heaps of fun biking in the desert and spending time together.

After our competition ended we learned David Ben Guiron, the former Prime Minister, was buried right across the street overlooking the beautiful Judean Desert.  Our brilliant guide, Shachar, led a brief talk about why Ben Gurion was buried in Sde Boker. After our educational talk, we boarded the bus and headed to the middle of nowhere…or so it seemed! When we arrived at the right spot, we were greeted by a former IDF fighter named Omer. From what he told us about the evening's plans, we knew it was going to be the best night yet. We were going to go on a night hike that would teach us about the different techniques IDF soldiers use to navigate the mountainous desert at night -- in pitch black. After two hours of hiking through the desert mountains, and learning about what the IDF soldiers are expected to do when they are at war, we were surprised at the end of the walk when were were raided by our guides!!!! After the "raid," we went back to the bus and enjoyed an hour-long ride to the Bedouin tents located in the Negev. When we arrived at the tents, we were astonished by how large the tents were. Later, we feasted on a dinner made by our phenomenal guides/chefs Nir and Shachar. Following dinner we hung out around the campfire and enjoyed a delicious dessert of chocolate covered strawberries. We quickly went to sleep knowing that we would have to wake up at 3:30 a.m. for a sunrise hike up Masada.

Our Last Day in Haifa

We had a great day on our final day in and around Haifa, as  you can see by the photos it was quite varied in mood and atmosphere.

On Monday morning, together with a few of our Israeli friends, we started our day at the Alon Elementary School. There, we met our elementary school partner classes who have a school-match program with our 5th and 6th grade students.  We were welcomed by the students, teachers and administrators at the Alon School with a beautiful presentation in English, and we then did a "Helping Hands" project together in preparation for Purim -- where, in Israel, this is the most important holiday for gift giving.  We spoke about what we give to each other and what we receive from one another -- not just material things, but values like kindness, respect, tolerance, etc. Our TBA students really enjoyed the visit and were so impressed by the English level of these elementary school students.  As always, there were fruits and drinks for all of us as we departed.

We then boarded the bus for a trip to the ancient city of Akko, which was a major port city of northern Israel. Today, Akko is a fishing town.  Haifa has replaced Akko as a major port, due to Haifa's deeper waters, allowing larger ships to enter. Akko is a city inhabited by Jews, Christians and Moslems. These people have lived side-by-side peacefully for centuries. We visited the relatively "new" underground Crusader city as well as the ruins of the Turks who conquered the city from the Crusaders. We also made a visit to a magnificent Tunisian synagogue -- covered with mosaics from floor to ceiling that pretty much tell the story of Jewish history, Israeli history, Biblical history, as well as the geography of the land of Israel. We decided that this would be the perfect way to teach Judaism and Jewish customs, history and religion to kids and adults alike…and to keep people's attention in services because there is so much to look at and learn. After walking through the market of Akko and visiting the gardens, we spoke about the old prison that was used by the British.  The prison was used as recently as the during the 1940s when Israel was occupied by Britain, and Jews were punished from smuggling refugees and Holocaust survivors into Akko illegally.  This is the story behind Leon Uris' book and movie "Exodus."

We had lunch and then went to the Harduf Kibbutz for what many students said was the "best day of the trip so far!" Harduf is a 35-year old agricultural kibbutz that is known for its organic products and its cooperative and holistic way of life.  It is located in the beautiful and green part of the north.  What a great place!  We spent time in the dairy farm -- where we learned about milking and raising cows, and had a chance to feed the 3-month old baby calves!  Then we went to the chicken coops where chickens are raised with a healthy diet of grains and vegetables. We even got to gather eggs that had just been laid and were still warm.  From there we went on a short drive down to the Kibbutz's "home fields" where a variety of vegetables are grown organically and are exclusively for sale in the Kibbutz's farm store up the hill. We pulled carrots, onion and lettuce from the ground and sampled fresh parsley. We gathered up a bunch of vegetables and made a terrific organic salad just by chopping everything up and adding some olive oil, salt, lemon juice and spices. A fabulous afternoon was had by all! 

After going back to host homes to pack and eat dinner, we all met back at the Alliance School for a fantastic final celebration that included a fabulous guy named:  Baruch ha-Metotef (Baruch the drummer), who led a lively (and noisy) drumming circle for all of the Israelis and Americans together. We had a blast…!!!!  So much fun and such a great way to use all of the remaining energy of the day.

Best,

Rabbi Lisa Eiduson

Greetings from the Puzzle Israel tour bus!

It is Tuesday already, and we left Haifa this morning, made a stop in Tel Aviv and are on our way south to the Negev desert!  We are a couple of "blog" days behind…but that is no fault of our wonderful student travelers.  We have been so busy that we literally have not had a moment to fill you in on details.  But thanks to portable wifi and a laptop, we are going to try to catch you all up on our adventures. 

Leo Saitz is our guest blogger today.  Below is a conversation he had with Rabbi Lisa Eiduson.

Rabbi E:  So, Leo, where did we start the day today and what did you learn?

Leo:  We traveled to the ancient city of Caesarea that goes back to the Roman times.  It was interesting to learn how old it is and see how many different ruling powers conquered it over the past 2,000 years.  We sat in a huge Roman theatre that is still used for concerts and theatre today. 

Rabbi E:  Did you like it?

Leo:  Yes, it is beautiful and is right on the Mediterranean Sea.  Due to the rain the day before, the waves were pretty big and we got splashed from the water a bit as we were walking. We saw the huge palace and port that was built by Herod…it included a swimming pool that was built right into the Mediterranean Sea!

Rabbi E:  What did you think of lunch?

Leo:  We had lunch way up on a hill in a Bedouin Village.  You could see the Mediterranean Sea at the bottom all the way from the restaurant. It was beautiful. It was interesting to me how the Bedouins served the meal – a little bit at a time, starting with a ton of salads and then followed by grilled meats.

Rabbi E:  Where did we travel from there as we continued our adventures in the north of Israel?

Leo:  We went to the artist village of Ein Hod and did a little art project outside.  We saw the studios belonging to the artists:  painters, sculptors, glass blowers, etc. The art project that we worked on was one that we were asked to be creative and then build on other people’s creativity.  It was cool what we did.  We then went to the studio of a musician in Ein Hod who is a drummer.  We also spent time in a studio belonging to 4 generations of artists!!!  They do ceramics, painting and mosaic and they have exhibitions all over Israel. 

Rabbi E:  How do you feel about being in Israel so far, Leo?

Leo:   It is very comfortable here and I feel like I have everything I need. It is more familiar than I thought it would be.  I’m actually looking forward to spending some time with our American group doing some traveling together.  All is well!!  We are having a great time!!  Hi to everyone back home!

Spending Shabbat in Israel

So, today was a day of rest…and adventure!  Our TBA students spent Shabbat as Israelis spend Shabbat:  in all different ways, but with a sense of family togetherness and relaxation. Last night, all of our students went home for Shabbat dinner with their host families and today they explored Haifa, traveled in northern region of Israel, walked on the beach, and just hung out and ate good food. Even though the day was mostly rainy, our guest blog contributor Brad Weissel reported on his trip to the Rosh Hanikra and the Lebanese border at our after-Shabbat dinner and social gathering tonight at one of our Israeli's host homes. 

I asked some question to get a sense of how he spent his time today:

Rabbi E:   Brad, how would you describe your day today?

Brad: It was just great!  I had a fantastic day.

Rabbi E: What did you do?

Brad: I'm staying with Ofir and we got a good night's sleep last night which was great. We were going to take a morning bike ride along the coast, but unfortunately, the weather was stormy, so we decided to go on a car-trip instead. We actually took a short drive to the northern border that Israel shares with Lebanon.  It was a little rainy but not bad. We saw the fence that divides Israel and Lebanon and the no-man's zone in between the two countries.  It was quiet up at the border today, but there were many security guards and members of Israel's IDF on duty there.  We then took a cable car down to the grottoes, where the water from the Mediterranean Sea rushed into the cave formations and splashed us in crashing waves. Because it was cloudy with breaks of sun, the water of the Sea looked amazing and kind of sparkled depending on how the light was hitting it at the time. It was absolutely beautiful to look out at the Sea from the grottoes that are set right in the side of the mountain.

Rabbi E: You didn't take a little walk into Lebanon, did you??

Brad: No…that would not have been a good idea!! I stayed in Israel!!

Rabbi E: Then what did you do?

Brad: Then we came back to Haifa, ate a huge lunch, hung out a bit with Leo and his host student, showered and got dressed for the party tonight. I think I am just about on Israel time now….I'm really glad that I slept that 3 hours on the flight….because we are pretty much running all day long.

Rabbi E: Any special message to your family, Brad??

Brad: Sure!  "I'm having a great time in Israel, and so far, have had no problems with being gluten free here! Things here are so much like they are in the US, so I really don't miss anything in particular. Tomorrow we are going on a trip to Caesarea, Ein Hod and Yemin Orde.  I will talk with all of you soon. Love, Brad"

Settling in....Day 3

We are having a great time in Israel.  We traveled this morning in and around Haifa and are now spending Shabbat at host homes throughout Haifa. 

Our guest blogger today is Caroline Safran:

After waking up at our host homes following night #1, we ate breakfast and then met everyone at school.  We attended the first morning class at the Alliance School with our host students…a lot to compare to our own schools at home.

Our TBA group then boarded a bus and headed out for some touring of Haifa.  It was so warm and sunny – especially compared to all of the snow in Boston!  First, we stopped at the famous Bahai Temple which sits in the middle of the mountain in Haifa and can be seen from all over the area.  The gardens are beautiful and very well kept, and our guide Michal spoke about the special qualities of the Bahai religion.  Its international headquarters are here in Haifa. The story of the Bahai religion and its beliefs was completely new to me, and I was surprised to find such a beautiful place here in Haifa about a faith that people know very little about.

We then went to a beautiful Carmelite Church, Stella Maris, and heard the incredible story of a woman named Edith Stein, who converted from Judaism to Catholicism early in her life and became a nun.  Nevertheless, because she had Jewish grandparents and parents, she was killed as a Jew in Hitler’s Nazi Germany.  She was later sainted by the Church and the Stella Maris has a memorial to her interesting and incredible life story.

From the Stella Maris Church, which Christians also believe was a place where Elijah the Prophet traveled, we went to the Cave of Elijah which according to the Jews was where Elijah hid when he was in this area.  It is today a place where people who are sick go for healing since Elijah was said to have magical powers. I especially liked the fact that people who come to this cave tie ribbons and thread to the framework of the cave after they finish their prayers as a way of connecting themselves to this unique site. 

Then we finished the morning at a place called Beit HaGefen which is s a social service agency dedicated to bringing Israeli Jews and Arabs together around common interests and activities – such as art and music and sports – rather than politics and religion. Haifa is such a diverse city, yet even though people get along well here, there are still tensions that arise.

It was great to see the Israelis last night and be able to spend time with them in their homes and home city. I kept in touch with many of them since their visit in December, and I actually missed them over the last couple of months. The wonderful thing about Israel is that there is so much that is familiar to me; it is not as much of a cultural difference as I thought it would be.  It feels close to home and comforting that things are not so different here even though we are far away. 

Dear Safran Family:

I miss you!  But try not to miss me because I’m having a great time.  I will take lots of pictures and have many stories to tell you when we get back. Have a great time in California.  Our weather here will be as as good as yours in California, for sure!  Shabbat Shalom.   I love you….Cari.