It is not every day that you wake up to the sounds of roosters, see snow-capped mountains, and get picked up from breakfast in a jeep! Welcome to life on the Golan Heights! Of course there are also many friendly dogs, a few cats and even a petting zoo. The views are magnificent, the air is crisp and there is a lot to see in the north of Israel.
This morning, we ate breakfast in the dining room, which we shared with several other groups. One of the groups was a special JNF group which brings non-Jewish college leaders to Israel to experience this country.
After breakfast, we boarded our jeeps and went on a 90-minute jeep ride along the Jordan River. The group was very excited as the caravan of Land Rovers sloshed through the mud! Thankfully, Israel has experienced a lot of rain in recent weeks, which, in Israel, is considered a great blessing. The newspapers and TV news have been sharing news of the amazing rise in level of the Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee.
On our ride, we saw many birds and trees including almonds, clementines, oranges and avocados. The avocado trees were bare as they were recently harvested. We saw the snow-capped mountains in the background as we rode for miles along the Jordan River, and saw people fishing and kayaking. We took a group picture along the way, and enjoyed is Israeli wafflim (wafer cookies) and hot tea.
At the end of our jeep ride, we boarded the bus and made our journey to the holy, mystical city of Tzfat (Safed). We walked through the narrow stone streets and made our way to the well-known Ha’Ari Synagogue. We learned about Jewish history in Safed, and we took a tour of the synagogue. We then visited the Safed Candle Company, and we had a lot of time to purchase souvenirs for ourselves and others. The participants loved the various T-shirt and yarmulkes with names of well-known universities, video games, sports teams, and musical groups. Others enjoyed purchasing necklaces, keychains, hamsas--even a yad, a torah pointer.
For lunch, participants again had the opportunity to choose such things as falafel, shwarma, pizza--even sushi, chicken with rice and noodles. It is a treat to have so many kosher options, and to have such modern foods as sushi and gelato in a city as ancient as Safed!
We ended our day in Safed with a workshop with Kabbalah artist Abraham Lowenthal. He talked about what mysticism is, and he demonstrated his art. Of particular interest was his paintings where he mapped out in various colors the different blasts of the shofar. He even showed them some pieces he did with the use of computers. Lowenthal also spoke about the meaning and importance of Hebrew names—and about how a person can select a name if he or she doesn’t have one.
Since we had some extra time and the weather was very nice, we decided to go visit the well-known bird sanctuary and lake called Agmon Hachuleh. This place is a haven for migrating birds as they travel from Russia to Africa. We literally saw thousands of birds—and a beaver! The sky was a gorgeous color after a brief rain shower. Many took really great photos.
After some time at the kibbutz for showers, resting and packing, we went to dinner. The entire group then went to our meeting room to celebrate the b’nai mitzvah of a male and female participant. Marking bar and bat mitzvah for those who have never done so is a long-standing Birthright tradition. We were so pleased that two people decided to chant some torah verses and share some thoughts on the meaning of bar and bat mitzvah. After showering them with candy, we danced a celebratory horah—and lifted the two up on chairs!
Everyone is packed and off to sleep—tomorrow, we load the busses at 7 am before breakfast and an 8 am departure to Renana in central Israel. We will help package produce for needy in Israel, then travel to the Holon Children’s Museum for the Invitation to Silence exhibit. Then, back in Neve Ilan for our Talent Show and New Year’s Eve celebration!
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