Greetings! I’ll be short this time, and redirect you to our blog at http://goucherhillel.blogspot.com/ for more pictures – scroll down to find them! After an overall description of the past two days, please scroll down to read the students’ blogs from the entire trip – it’s a treat to read how much of a journey this trip has been for them.
Shabbat was an incredible experience. On Friday night, we got dressed up, heard beautiful stories, and celebrated each others’ simchas (joyous occasions). After Shabbat services and dinner (in which Ava led the motzi blessing over the bread for the first time), people chose to take on Hebrew names in a beautiful ceremony where they were introduced by friends. People played improve games, and others practiced late into the night for bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies on Saturday. Following workshops and a beautiful hike, we had the opportunity to welcome 11 students as bar or bat mitzvah. From Goucher, Erin, Ava, and Melissa were celebrated, given strawberry candies (strawberry is a big theme of this bus!) and lifted up in chairs. Following a havdallah (leaving Shabbat ceremony) at the shores of the Galilee, we partied on a cruise around the sea.
Today, our group visited breathtaking Rosh Pina, the mystical city of Safed (Tzfat), and had a chance to go into two amazing homes – one was our tour educator, Chen’s, and the other was a Druze home. The Druze are an Arabic-speaking people who have their own interesting religion and customs. They serve in the Israeli army and are full citizens of Israel. Tomorrow we visit Tel Aviv, and will head to the airport after a concluding dinner. Our flight, El Al LY001 lands at JFK at 6 AM Tuesday. The group has really jelled and has become a family – it will be hard to leave, it’s unbelievable this trip has only been 10 days – and yet it’s flown by.
Read below for more student perspectives… Signing off for the final time!
Josh and Yona – The Goucher Hillel Staff
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