By: Lane Slotin

Whew, the second to last day on our trip was as jam-packed as the first eight. We started out the day leaving our kibbutz to head toward the Southwestern border about 3 miles from Gaza and 3 miles from Egypt. Our first stop was the Salad Trail, a tourist farm built to explain the agricultural advancements of Israel to over 50,000 patrons annually.

We began our excursion learning about the advancements Israeli farmers have made with strawberries, in which they hang the plants from ceilings in order to keep them from rotting on the bottom, thus producing more edible fruit. Additionally, the farming techniques utilize special soil from Sri Lanka, made special for strawberries, as well as drain systems that conserve water and allow for the farmers to recycle ever scarce water.

We were then showed the many different developments in the world of tomatoes and we were informed that the popular cherry tomato was invented in Israel. We got our chance to walk around and taste the vast tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers that the Salad Trail grew. Next we were taken to the citrus trees where we tasted delectable lemons, cumquats, and oranges. We finished our salad trail with a lunch made from the various fruits and veggies grown on the complex.

We boarded our bus and left for the largest crater in the world, I never thought erosion could create something so serine. The tall ridge line created pictures that will last a lifetime and a view that photos will never be able to capture completely. From the peaks of the ridge we made our way down into the depths of the valley only to climb up another mountain in which we watched the sunset over the Negev.

Personally, I ran into some fellow Roll Tiders from Alabama and in that moment I was able to understand the magnitude of importance that this country has with Jews from all over the world and the minuscule size of a country where a seemingly random hill in the Negev could bring together individuals with the same taste for championships and Judaism.

As we left the ridge line for the Bedouin tents, the view from Raffi's bus was indescribable as the vibrant oranges, reds, yellows, and pinks streaked through the night sky. We finally reached our destination in the historical tents of the Bedouin people and were treated like family to the native people. We ate delicious authentic food and were lectured on the vast culture of these ancient people as well as their history. We were informed that the tents we would be sleeping in are made from the black fur of the goats that they keep and the pads we sat and slept on were made from the sheep wool of the goat's co-inhabiter.

Before we called it a night, the group wandered out into the desert to enjoy the darkness and quiet that one can only achieve in the desert. Under the billions of stars and the lights from Israeli fighter jets from the country's largest Air Force base, the group reflected on a trip's worth of information and our strengthened identities with Israel and our Jewish life. After that, we closed the night with stories and more comradory around a scorching fire made by our new Bedouin friends. All in all, the day and the trip as a whole was a great achievement by our group and we created memories for a lifetime.

Am Yisrael Chai!

By: Aviv Asoulin

Everyday on birthright has been amazing, but for me, Sunday was especially amazing. It was a long, emotional, and rough day. We started at mount hertzel, the military cemetery. We got to hear many stories of brave young adults who gave their lives for the state of Israel. I also had the honor of sharing the last letter my cousin wrote to his girlfriend before going into combat and passing away.

Next, we went through the old city of Jerusalem and saw all of the historic sites from thousands of years ago. Through the old city we made our way to the most holy site in the world, the western wall. As I had received some rough news earlier that day, I connected to God in a way I've never felt, said many prayers, and had the honor of seeing many others pray and connect in ways they never had. We also had Bar and Bat Mitzvahs for those that never had the opportunity.

Seeing many people get emotional in all of the sites just made me realize that the connection all Jews have to each other is beyond what anyone can imagine in the world.

We then went back to the hotel were said goodbye to our 8 Israeli Soldiers.

Bar and Bat Mitzvahs

By: Joshua Serota,

Our fifth day in Israel through Mayanot Taglit-Birthright began in Tel Aviv. After an early breakfast we loaded the bus and headed towards, arguably the holiest city in the world, Jerusalem. Traveling up into the mountainside and ascending towards Israel's capital, our tour guide Marc gave us a great description of the layout of the land and pointed out what once was a part of Jordan not too long ago. Upon arrival into Jerusalem, we got off the bus to a cold breeze and a buzzing environment. Friday during the day in Jerusalem is packed with last minute shoppers getting what they need to prepare for Shabbat. Luckily for us we got to be right in the middle of it!

We were given a few hours to walk around the most famous market in Jerusalem, the Shuk Machane Yehuda. This market sold every food imaginable, all articles of clothing, and so many gifts to purchase. A lot of us huddled in bunches and made our way through the Shuk, taking pictures, interacting with the store owners, and even buying a lot of goods to bring back home later.

What was most amazing was the diversity in the market and the lack of tension there was associated with that. There were Jewish, Arab, even Iraqi owned stores all in rows and there weren't any problems. It was great to see a city come together for a common goal from all walks of life and not try and diminish each other's potential because of their personal faiths and practices.

We all grabbed lunch, mostly shawarma and pita, before meeting back at our designated meeting point. After everyone had been accounted for we walked the side streets to where our bus was meeting us and drove to our hotel to check in. After putting our luggage down and showering we all met back in the lobby to drive to the Old City for Shabbat. We found a great place to light Channukah and Shabbat candles at Kever David before making our way to the Kotel.

We got to the Western Wall and we were all in awe of the beauty and serenity of the whole place. We sang and danced and prayed with thousands of other practicing Jews of all different backgrounds. After Shabbat services we each had our chance to touch the wall and have a personal prayer. Never did I think that placing my hands on a wall and wishing for personal satisfaction would make me as emotional as I was at the Kotel. Nevertheless, after we had all finished we met up with the women and walked through the streets of the Old City to a quiet area to make Kiddush. After that we began our journey back to the hotel, about an hour walk more or less.

Afrer a traditional Shabbat Dinner we had a farbrengen talking about life, love, and everything in between. Most people stayed for some time. A few of us including Ari, Aviv, and myself actually stayed up with Rabbi Lipskier until 4:00 am.

Our sixth day on Saturday began different for everyone. We had no morning activities so waking up for hotel breakfast was skipped by most of us in the group so we could sleep in instead. Our first activity was actually very awesome. We all were split into different groups of 3-5 and went to a host family for Shabbat lunch. I had an awesome experience getting the chance to have lunch with Rabbi Lipskier and the founder of Mayanot and his family and friends. After our lunch in the city we walked back to the hotel where we had a "Stump the Rabbi" session. We could ask him anything we wanted and he promised to answer to the best of his ability based on traditional Jewish practices.

Shortly after a great session with Rabbi Lipskier we were joined by a few men from the Gift of Life foundation for Bone Marrow research. We learned the benefits of being a match for someone suffering from Leukemia and other deadly blood diseases bone marrow is used to cure.

We lit Channukah candles in the lobby of the hotel before heading back into the city for a shopping night on the town. The streets were packed with other Taglit groups and plenty of young Israeli men and women enjoying their Saturday night out! We all got pizza for dinner and shopped for a few hours, ending in a harmonious rendition of classical American and Jewish songs all stemming from our group member Zach's guitar skills.

To say the least, this was by far the best Shabbat I have ever celebrated and I am sure many other birthright kids would agree with me. I hope to spend many more Shabbats here in Israel with an amazing Jewish community! Hag Sameach

By Adam Hartstein,

Today we woke up at King Solomon hotel in Tiberias and packed our bags to head to Tel Aviv. On the way we made a pit stop at Caesarea. Here we saw aqueducts where Augustus Caesar transferred clean water to the area.

Once we arrived at Tel Aviv we learned about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. It was very interesting to see Rabin Square and exactly where and how the prime minister was murdered.

We then proceeded to Independence Hall where we learned about the birth of the state of Israel. We had a tour guide that spoke about the war of independence and the importance of creating a Jewish State for the Jewish people to call home.

We finally arrived at the Carmel Market where we explored the area for lunch and shopping.

My favorite part of the day was walking around the port of Jaffa. Jaffa is almost 4000 years old and the port along the old city was a beautiful site. We ended the days adventure with viewing the public display of a menorah being lit at Rabin square.

What a day!!!:)

By: Alex Sweeney

After a long night of going out in the city of Tiberius Mayanot 131 had the luck of sleeping in for the first time and getting any sort of sleep probably for the first time this trip. When we woke up we were all really excited to finally meet the soldiers that would be traveling with us for the next 5 days. Meeting the soldiers for the first time was such a cool experience to hear where they were from and what kind of job they had in the army or Air Force.

The first activity we did after picking up are soldiers was a beautiful nature walk through the Banias nature reserve to see the beautiful water falls. After the beautiful walk we were all very excited to go jeeping. While we we were jeeping there was something very special about driving through the country side that used to be Syria. It was very scenic and had large mountains and rivers, orange trees that ran along the trails. A very funny note, while we all trust our medic/security lady very much I think it's safe to say we were a little nervous to be on the same road as her.

When jeeping was over we all boarded the bus and made our way up to the Lebanese/Israel border to speak with Aryeh from one of the kibbutz most north in Israel. I think everyone would agree with me this man didn't sugar coat a thing about anything and made for one of the most interesting people we have met in Israel this far.

To end our day we went back to the hotel to celebrate the 2nd night of Hanukkah with the group.

By: Oliver Touati

During my flight to Israel I asked myself, what do I expect out of this trip? At first it was hard to answer. Being from Miami, you feel like you've seen it all. However, as soon as I landed, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I am now in the HOLY LAND. The land that my ancestors hoped for prayed for and fought for! 

The feeling goes beyond being personal. It is spiritual. Us Jews dreamt for this piece of land where there used nothing but desert! With our spiritual connection to our people we teamed up to make the best out of this land. Now, we lead the world with our ingenuity, we have one of the best Air Force, and our food is legendary. 

I am looking forward to spending this trip with the new friends that I made and I know that it will be unforgettable. Can't wait for tomorrow to start experiencing the land! 

As we are sitting in the airport anxiously waiting to board out flight to JFK and then to Israel ;) Students are mingling and getting to know each other everyone is excited to embark on their "Birthright" journey and see what all their friends have been talking about!

We gathered at the gate for a quick orientation and icebraker and got to know each other a bit better.

Seems like we have a well traveled group as we each shared our most exciting adventures up to this point. Birthright is sure to surpass them all!

Oh wait we gotta board the plane! Talk to you later ;)