Comments Off on On Our Way! After months of planning, learning, talking, and dreaming … we’re finally on our way to Israel! Can’t wait to share highlights from what we know will be an amazing four weeks ahead!
Comments Off on A Quiet Day Today was a bit of a quiet day. We said goodbye to the Galilee and had a long bus ride to Jerusalem. After relaxing the hotel for a bit, we went out to a nice dinner and journeyed underground into the Kotel Tunnels. Afterwards a few of us stayed to visit the Kotel one last time while most of the group met Dalak’s grandfather, a Holocaust survivor and very cool man.
We’ve had a great time in the holy land and are looking forward to coming home soon.
Comments Off on Ice Cream, Improv, and a Boat Ride Today started off with a long drive to Tsfat to visit the origin of Kabbalah (from which we get Kabbalat Shabbat) and halacha.
After lunch we went to Buza Ice Cream, a joint Arab and Israeli business that uses local, all-natural ingredients to make delicious frozen treats.
Next up was an improv workshop. We had a ton of fun goofing around and working cooperatively and creatively.
Finally, we went to Tiberius for dinner and an evening boat ride on the Galilee. We had some great dancing too!
Comments Off on A Full Week We began this week with an exciting graffiti tour in Tel Aviv. It turned out that our tour guide was actually a graffiti artist himself (@artbyalef). Then we explored the history of the peace process in Israel at the Rabin Center.
Monday morning involved a secret activity that shall not be discussed. In the afternoon we experienced what life is like for the blind at Dialogue in the Dark and went surfing off the Tel Aviv coast.
After leaving Tel Aviv, we explored the ancient Roman city of Caesarea and practiced the ancient art of foot-racing. We also talked with two Arab Israelis about their experiences living as minorities.
Wednesday we learned about improv from hospital clowns and visited the beautiful Baha’i Gardens. In the evening we visited the town of Shefaram and spoke with someone who had lived there since before Israeli statehood. We finished with an authentic Druze dinner while learning about the Druze religion.
Yesterday we experienced what life might be like with physical disabilities, including hiking in a wheel chair. We bonded with Arab teens in the afternoon through games and cooking dinner together.
Today we discovered an ancient knife at Korazin and went on a water hike. In the evening we arrived at kibbutz Degania Bet, the home of an old Camp Havaya Rosh Mayim, Ruvik. We had an authentic camp shabbat (including a story from Rabbi Isaac) and Shabbat Rikkud. We’re looking forward to our last week in Israel and we look forward to spending next Shabbat with you.
Comments Off on Tikkun Olam Today was a day based on Tikkun Olam: repairing the world. After breakfast at Kibbutz Hanaton, we went to Emek Hashalom to learn about and experience what life with a disability can be like. In the afternoon we went to Ras Ali and hung out with some Arab youth. We played some icebreaker games and then had dinner after a short hike.
Tonight, we’re packing before going to our next kibbutz: Degania Bet in the Galilee.
Comments Off on Exploring Multiculturalism Today started off early with a trip to Rambam Hospital in Haifa to do some improv with a couple hospital clowns. Next we went to the Baha’i Gardens overlooking Haifa and had a discussion about religion and it’s impact on the world.
Next on our itinerary was lunch in a nearby market and a trip to the multicultural city of Shefaram where Druze, Christians, and Muslims live in harmony. There we heard from Mr. Jabbour about how things have changed since before the end of the British Mandate.
Finally we learned about the Druze religion and ate some Druze food before driving to Hanaton and settling in for the night.
Comments Off on Focusing on Coexistence We started the day by leaving our Grand Beach hotel in Tel Aviv and getting on the bus to Haifa. Our first stop was a training session with the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer coach where we sweat a lot and got cool posters. Next we went to lunch at Givat Haviva, a kibbutz that focuses on peace between Arab Israelis and Jewish Israelis. At the kibbutz, we met with a panel of Arab Israelis to learn about their lives and unique Israeli experience. After, we visited Caesarea where we learned about Roman history in Israel, walked around the ruins, and got ice cream. Finally, we arrived at our hotel in Haifa for dinner as an end for a great day!
Comments Off on Week in Review We kicked off the week with visits to towns on the border of Gaza and learned about what daily life is like for the people who live there. Later that day, we rode camels and settled down to sleep in Bedouin tents. We woke up bright and early the next morning to climb Masada and watch the sunrise. We also swam in the Dead Sea – actually, there was more floating than swimming – and surfed sand dunes for hours. On Tuesday, we had Negev-themed education programs and ate a delicious, homemade Moroccan lunch. We jeeped through a huge crater called Mahktesh Ramon and then spent even more time in large vehicles on our ride down to Eilat. While in Eilat, we snorkeled in the Red Sea and saw beautiful coral and huge arrays of stunning fish. We kicked off Thursday with a visit to the environmentally-oriented Kibbutz Lotan, where we learned how to be more waste-conscious and reduce our environmental footprint. Today is Friday (Friday, Friday gotta get down on Friday) and we just drove five hours up to Tel Aviv. (We slept more in those five hours than we have the rest of the trip!) We had a lovely Kabbalat Shabbat service right on the beach and we are now settling in for a relaxing shabbat filed with swimming, laughter, and way too many gas station snacks.
BonTour Bus 688 signing off from Israel, shabbat shalom.
Comments Off on In the South Today we visited Kibbutz Lotan; an ecologically friendly kibbutz that focuses on natural construction and waste-free living. We learned how to build geodesic domes, took a tour of the community, and drank fresh tea.
Next we went to a beach where we swam, slept, and snacked. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel for dinner and had a chill night in; packing to get ready for Tel Aviv!
Signing off from BonTour bus 688!
P.S. Hi mom, it’s Mira. Can you make my bed? I love you. xox
