CBE 8th Grade Israel Trip 2017: Day 3 - Museums, Graffiti, and Shakshukah Oh My!

After breakfast, our group headed out to the Palmach museum. For those who don't know, the Palmach were the young underground fighters who helped to win the War of Independence. The museum was unlike any other in Israel. Through video presentations we followed a group of 10 friends who came together at the age of 16 to begin training for the Palmach. We learned about their stories and struggles as they fought for Israeli independence. Our students left with a deeper understanding of what it means to sacrifice for the Jewish state.

From there we headed to lunch at the Shuk HaCarmel. The shuk is an outdoor market. Most had falafel or schwarma but a few headed over to Aroma, the Israeli Starbucks for a sandwich. Parents, you may find that some of your gifts were purchased today.

From there we headed to the Holon Children's Museum. We spent all our time at one particular exhibit dealing with aging (called Dialogue with Time). Our students learned what it was like to age, walking with weights on their shoes and trying to text while wearing heavy gloves. We then met elderly guides who helped us better understand the way in which age is relative and to help us examine our own relationships with elderly in our own community. Our students then took photos which were transformed into images to gives them a sense of what they might look like as 80 year olds.

Following this we headed back to Florentine (the Bushwick to Tel Aviv) for a graffiti tour. Students learned the story behind some of Tel Aviv's most creative graffiti, ranging from political statements to cultural references, and even religious art. Our tour guide, Guy, also used the tour as an opportunity to teach students some basic Hebrew.

Following this we ate a delicious dinner at Dr. Shakshukah, a Yaffo hotspot that features the speciality of eggs cooked in tomato and spices. It was delicious and plentiful.

We are now back at the hotel getting ready for a special music and dance program.

More to come tomorrow!

Pictures below:

All the females on the trip bought turquoise rings at the shuk except one (guess who)