By Tracy
Today’s events made quite a splash, literally. We woke up early in the morning and met the eight newest members of our wonderful Mayanot family, the Israeli soldiers. Ilana introduced them all individually and we welcomed them openly as they joined us on the bus to start the day. The first stop was Ein Tina Water Hike, where we walked through water (up to about our knees) then hiked up a steep dry area which led us to a beautiful, streaming waterfall where we all stopped to take pictures, cool off, and take in the majesty that surrounded us.
After a short bus ride we made our way to Kibbutz Misgav Am which overlooks the Lebanese border which Israel is separated from by a mere fence. At the very top we met with Alex, an opinionated yet brilliant man from our own stomping grounds, Hollywood, Florida who gave us an incredible lecture about the conflicts Israel has been involved in throughout its history. He also explained to us the lifestyle within the kibbutz and told us some extremely memorable and shocking stories.
We then ventured to Kiryat Shmoneh, to a mall where we stopped shortly to eat some lunch then made our way to the Dan River for river rafting. We had some time to kill before our water adventure so we had an activity with our new friends, the Israeli soldiers, where we split up into groups of 5 and the soldiers had one minute with each group where they had to answer a question that the Rabbi supplied them. We learned a lot about the soldiers and their opinions through this activity. We then got into groups of six, armed with two oars per group, and jumped into our rafts. Going down the river was quite the adventure and bonding experience. After getting stuck in some rough patches, gliding down small waterfalls, and having some “Fadicha’s” (embarrassing moments) that ended up in us all getting soaking wet, we made it back to dry land about an hour and a half later, exhausted and ready for dinner.
Lastly we traveled to the holy city of Tzfat, where we got to celebrate the holiday of Lag Baomer, a night where we commemorate the passing and celebrate the life of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (author of the Zohar). We gathered together with other Mayanot groups and grooved to a funky live band outside to eat barbecue and roast marshmallows by the bonfire. After we were full of good food and great vibes, we headed back to the hotel. On the bus back we learned that Amit, one of the soldiers, is a guitarist who graced us with his musical skills by performing Beatles songs for the bus. Soon after, the guitar started to be passed around the bus and we learned that many members of our Mayanot family can really rock out on a guitar. All in all, it was a full and incredible day, much like everyday we’ve been here in Israel, and sure to be like the days to come.
Today’s events made quite a splash, literally. We woke up early in the morning and met the eight newest members of our wonderful Mayanot family, the Israeli soldiers. Ilana introduced them all individually and we welcomed them openly as they joined us on the bus to start the day. The first stop was Ein Tina Water Hike, where we walked through water (up to about our knees) then hiked up a steep dry area which led us to a beautiful, streaming waterfall where we all stopped to take pictures, cool off, and take in the majesty that surrounded us.
After a short bus ride we made our way to Kibbutz Misgav Am which overlooks the Lebanese border which Israel is separated from by a mere fence. At the very top we met with Alex, an opinionated yet brilliant man from our own stomping grounds, Hollywood, Florida who gave us an incredible lecture about the conflicts Israel has been involved in throughout its history. He also explained to us the lifestyle within the kibbutz and told us some extremely memorable and shocking stories.
We then ventured to Kiryat Shmoneh, to a mall where we stopped shortly to eat some lunch then made our way to the Dan River for river rafting. We had some time to kill before our water adventure so we had an activity with our new friends, the Israeli soldiers, where we split up into groups of 5 and the soldiers had one minute with each group where they had to answer a question that the Rabbi supplied them. We learned a lot about the soldiers and their opinions through this activity. We then got into groups of six, armed with two oars per group, and jumped into our rafts. Going down the river was quite the adventure and bonding experience. After getting stuck in some rough patches, gliding down small waterfalls, and having some “Fadicha’s” (embarrassing moments) that ended up in us all getting soaking wet, we made it back to dry land about an hour and a half later, exhausted and ready for dinner.
Lastly we traveled to the holy city of Tzfat, where we got to celebrate the holiday of Lag Baomer, a night where we commemorate the passing and celebrate the life of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (author of the Zohar). We gathered together with other Mayanot groups and grooved to a funky live band outside to eat barbecue and roast marshmallows by the bonfire. After we were full of good food and great vibes, we headed back to the hotel. On the bus back we learned that Amit, one of the soldiers, is a guitarist who graced us with his musical skills by performing Beatles songs for the bus. Soon after, the guitar started to be passed around the bus and we learned that many members of our Mayanot family can really rock out on a guitar. All in all, it was a full and incredible day, much like everyday we’ve been here in Israel, and sure to be like the days to come.
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