We began yesterday at Beit HaGuvrin. The site was originally from the era of Hanukkah (over 2000 years ago). Students went into an ancient cave and dug for artifacts. Some of our students found pottery, others bone, and others shells. They didn't get to keep them though. These would be cataloged and sent to the lab. But in the end they did get shards of pottery that weren't needed for research. After digging, we went spelunking. Our students crawled through an ancient cave system (even the claustrophobic ones did great).
Leaving there, we headed to Yerucham to have lunch. We went to the house of an older Moroccan woman who came to Israel in the 1960s. She fed us and told us her story, how when she got here they told her she could move to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem but then was dropped in the middle of the desert and told to settle the Negev.
Soon we were on our way to a quick stop of Sde Boker, David Ben Gurion's retirement home. Our students learned about Israel's first prime minister and saw his house. They couldn't get over how much he read and how short he was!
Then we headed to the Bedouin tent for Camel riding. Our students liked this (though some were a little grossed out by the camels). After a short ride they headed to their tent and ate an authentic Bedouin meal. Then they joined a Bedouin women for tea and conversation. They heard her story and asked her many questions. They were completely enamored by the way she lived within a traditional society but (as a feminist figure in her community) pushed the lines when she could.
We then grabbed warm clothes and went star gazing. We walked quietly out into the desert, learning that the word desert in Hebrew (Midbar) also means to speak. They walked a few hundred feet away from the group so they felt more alone and just listened to the desert/God/our souls speak and looked at the sky. It was a very spiritual experience.
After a short campfire, students went to sleep excited for the coming day.
--
We woke up early today (but after sunrise), ate breakfast and headed up to Masada. Masada is a fortress from the time of the second Temple (2000 years ago) built by King Herod. It was also the site of the most famous act of martyrdom in Jewish history when a group of Jews chose death over Roman persecution. We learned their story after enjoying a steep hike up the mountain. The views weren't half bad either.
Soon we took the Cable car down and spent a bit of time buying Ahava products and eating lunch.
Afterward we headed to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the saltiest body of water on earth (it is also the lowest point on earth). Students floated in the sea, complained that the water stung (but no more than most groups) and took a bath in the sea mud. All day students walked around saying "feel my arm...they're so soft!"
We then boarded the bus and headed to Mivaseret Zion to meet up with a group of 8th grade Reform teens at a Reform community there. They played games and got to know one another. They also learned about Nesher which is like NFTY worldwide. It was great for our students to see that BESTY is actually part of a larger movement.
After a 2.5 hour bus ride we are at our hotel Dagania Beit which is in the North near the Sea of Galilee. We ate dinner and students are now getting ready for bed. We have a big day tomorrow and we can't wait to tell you all about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment