June 28,
Wow, what a day!
It’s really crazy to think we are leaving the northern part of Israel but we still have so much to see. To quote a friend here with me “I really need to come back to Israel”, and to think we aren’t even half way through our amazing and inspiring adventure, it makes me wonder how long my list of places I NEED to see and places I MUST come back to will be by the time we land in NY.
Today was a big day, and I’m not just saying that because we are having such a great time and still can’t get the song form last night out of my head. Today is the day we got to meet OUR soldiers! YUP, that’s right; today five soldiers joined the trip and will be together with us for the next 5 days where we will get to know them, ask all sorts of questions and hear about life in Israel.
After breakfast our day started with an activity where we split into 5 groups and each group had to draw a picture of what we thought one of the soldiers would look like.
Right after the activity we left the hotel to visit Tzfat and on the way we picked up Inbal who is with us for a few days to observe our trip and help make ALL future Birthright trips the best they can be.
When we picked up the soldiers we were in for a surprise as the soldier looked nothing like what we drew, which doesn’t make an sense as we were basing it off of a paper that he describes himself. Don’t worry; no one is upset about not getting it right, as he is still a really great guy (and so are the others).
Our first Tzfat stop was Machon L’stam, where we learned all about what goes into writing a Torah Scroll, Teffilin and Mezuzot and we even got to practice the special technique needed to do it ourselves.
For lunch we got introduced to what must be the best falafel in the world! To some on our bus it was their first falafel and something tells me it won’t be their last.
After lunch we got to tour Tzfat’s Old City and visited two of its most famous Synagogues: the Abuhav Synagogue and Ari Ashkenazi. They were both really beautiful and Gavriel pointed out how in the Ari Synagogue the seats are set up in more of a circle so when you pray it has more of a community feeling you don’t just see someone’s back when you look up.
From the Ari synagogue, we split into groups and each group was joined by a soldier as we got to check out the famous Tzfat artists and even got in a little shopping (I bought a really colorful picture which had a blessing written on it). Now it’s back to the bus and the world’s greatest bus driver Yaniv who took us on a detour on our way back to the hotel in Teveria for a refreshing swim in the Kineret.
On our way back from the Kineret I was sure we lost the soldiers as there weren’t any uniforms on the bus and then I realized Mari, Gal, Hila, Avi and Ma’ayan were still with us and they weren’t just soldiers but young people just like us. I’m really looking forward to getting to know them.
At the hotel we had dinner and an evening activity where we got to talk about our first few days in Israel. You should have heard what each person liked best, we are talking about everything from Caesarea, Donkey, the hike, learning about the people Tel Dan, PAAARRRTTTTYY on a boat, Tzfat or just looking forward to what’s coming next.
Tomorrow we are heading to Jerusalem for Shabbat so I have to run and pack my stuff and then it’s off to bed so I can make the most of what’s sure to be another amazing day with my “family”. I hope that I get to sit next to one of the soldiers for the ride to Jerusalem that way I can get more time with them and can ask a million and one questions about their family, Israel, the army and friends.
Till next time.
