By: Elias Davis

7:30 wake up for the last day of the trip wasn't easy, but what had to come for the rest of the trip was even harder. We had early breakfast, packed everything up, and headed to our last "nature reserve walk" of our ten day long journey. When I put quotes in, the trip joke was that every nature walk ended up a long hike where even though people would complain, it was a great time.

After that we went to a mall where we had lunch. The last time we had the chance to each shawarma pitas and get the infamous aromas iced coffee. In the mall there wasn't much to buy, but there was a small market. The amount of candy and chips we got was unbelievable, like if we had never seen a chocolate bar.

The next event was an information session with Aryeh, a former IDF soldier that still currently spends his life living on a kibbutz with his family on the border of Israel and Lebanon. The love and pride that he showed for the state of Israel really impacted the entire group.

Finally we went to dinner, where we received our shirts. The shirts were more than just a cloth of fabric with our names on the back, but a shirt that symbolically rounded up our trip and will contain the memories we will keep forever. To end the trip of my life we sat in a circle and each person had a chance to talk about what they are taking away from the trip.

In conclusion, this trip changed me as a person. My life perspective has now changed, and I will now dedicate a little more of my life to the state of Israel and Judaism. Quickly I would like to thank everyone that made this trip unforgettable. The soldiers, Hagit, miki, Yoel, Marc, the 40 new best friends I made, and most importantly Rabbi Chaim Lipskier for giving his all to make the trip so memorable!

By: Evan Horowitz and Brandon Schoenthal

Happy Shavuot!

We started off the day with the rare luxury of extra sleep, had breakfast downstairs (the food is surprisingly amazing and no one is going hungry), and went to the auditorium for some Torah learning. On top of the ever so refreshing ice cream bars we got, we witnessed a member of another Mayanot group come to the Bima for his first Aliyah following his Bar Mitzvah the previous day at the Wall.

After studying the Ten Commandments, we had an activity where each member of our birthright group chose a symbol that they thought characterized the land of Israel. Brandon chose the Torah because the Torah told us that Israel is our chosen land. The Torah and Israel go hand in hand as invaluable aspects of Judaism.

Evan chose the human heart because Israel has the highest concentration of Jews out of anywhere in the world. Judaism starts in Israel and resonates around the world, similar to the way blood is concentrated in the heart and then pumped to the rest of the body. After this activity, we met up with all the other Mayanot groups at the hotel pool. After a few casuals and fun times, some group members went on an optional walk with Marc, our tour guide, to get a glimpse of the city of Tiberius.

We returned to the hotel just in time for dinner, ate, and had a bit of free time. At around 8, we had another group activity where we were split into teams, read short passages from Jewish leaders, and answered questions about Israel regarding these passages. After the activity, we showered and got ready for the evening out. At around 1030, all the groups headed out to a nice bar with gorgeous views overlooking the water with mountains in the background.

Later on, the sleep deprived and exhausted groups arrived back at the hotel and the party continued. The weak went to bed, for tomorrow's unfortunately our last day...

By: Brianna Schechter & Erica Eisler

Greetings from Tzfat! Today we woke up in our new hotel, King Solomon. We quicky boarded the bus and were on our way to one of the four holy cities of Israel, Tzfat. We visited two synagogues, Abu-Hav and Arie which were both gorgeous and antique- looking. We learned about the history of the synagogues and then went to visit our kaballah speaker, Avraham. He spoke to us in his art store about his adventures in Israel and his studies of kaballah. He told us the first book he read which got him interested in the spiritual side of Judaism and now we all want to read this book. He studied at the university of Michigan (Brianna's school woooo!), and I can't wait to take psychology of religion which is the class that made him so interested in learning more about Judaisim. Most of us bought his art work because it was so beautiful and had such deep meaning behind each of them. With the art we got packets of what exactly the art meant. After we left his store, the boys went to the Mikvah while the girls shopped.

Tzfat had the best shopping of the whole trip and everyone ended up leaving with no shekles (sorry mom and dad). We ate lunch and then were on our way to our next stop, water rafting.

After the 45 minute bus ride we arrived, and 5-6 people got into each boat. We floated down the calm Jordan river with one rapid. It was relaxing and we were happy to have gotten some sun for the day.

Tonight we begin the holiday of Shavuot and have a huge dinner at the hotel with all the other Mayanot groups staying in our hotel. We had such an amazing day in Tzfat and are so happy well be here for two more days!!

By: Micaela Stone

Today we explored the city of Jerusalem. Our day started bright and early as usual at the yeshiva. The boys and girls were separated which I think was a nice change. The rabbi at the yeshiva was very knowledgable and energetic and made the whole group interested in learning more about Judaism.

We next explored the Cardo which is the ruins of a major roman street in Jerusalem. Next we made a stop at the Jeff Seidel center where we were able to receive siddurs, I chose to get a women's book. We then went to the city of David where we went through a very narrow and at some points claustrophobic water tunnel. I first felt afraid in the dark but then felt comfort by all the people around me.

After the walk through the tunnel we went back to the Kotel where we went for Shabbat. We all went to the wall to pray and to put a special note in the wall asking god for something as well as what we will do in return. After that there was a very special ceremony for me and two other girls; we had the opportunity to have a bat mitzvah at the holiest place in the world. I felt very honored and accepted into the Jewish community and was glad to experience that moment with many amazing people. The only thing missing was the love and support from my family.

At the end of the night we had a tie in session where each one of us talked about how we felt about the trip. It was very interesting and eye opening to hear how much this trip has impacted everyone's life and everyone's newly found love for Israel.

By: Monique Cohn

Today was definitely the most emotional day on the trip so far. We started off with a quick breakfast and then headed to the Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem. This wasn't the first time I've personally been to a Holocaust museum, but this was definitely the most meaningful. I, like many others, have family that was in the Holocaust and it is always nice to remember our roots.

Our next stop was Mount Hertzel, a military cemetery. As sad as it was to be in a cemetery, Israel creates this beautiful way to honor people who passed from terrorism. It took my appreciation for the soldiers who serve for Israel to a whole new level.

After lunch, we said our good-byes to the soldiers who became our good friends during the last few days. It's amazing how we are the same age, but are at totally different points of our lives. My hope for the future is that Israel becomes a safe enough place that people my age can go to college instead of having to serve in the IDF.

After our fairwells, we had dinner at the hotel and an Israel update session.
What I take most from today is to stay educated and be proud of my Jewish identity.

By: Shane Greene

WOW! What a trip so far. We are 5 days in and I have never been more excited and tired in my entire life. Today was a break from all the physical activities that we have done over the last few days. We got to wake up to an 11AM start to our day compared to the usual 7AM start.

We grabbed a quick breakfast and proceeded to a room where we had a discussion on our Jewish identity. Everyone has different views on what they believe in but everyone is proud to be a Jew. The deep conversation we had really brought us closer as a group. After the discussion, we grabbed lunch and had some free time. I took the opportunity to get even more sleep (it's hard to come by on this trip of a lifetime).

Next we had a session called stump the Rabbi where we had a chance to ask the Rabbi any question under the sun regarding Judaisim.

We had another discussion after my nap about the holocaust and to prepare us to visit yad vashem tomorrow. It's important for us to remember what happened and make sure history never repeats itself. We then proceeded to dinner and had havdala where we celebrated Shabbat.

We then headed out to Ben Yehuda for a shopping night it was a fantastic experience. Food, shops, and night life was all around. We spent many scheckles buying gifts for friends and family.

There's a saying our group has adopted...47 strong!

By: Andie temkin

Let's go the beach!

Today has been the best day of the trip so far! After a delicious Israeli breakfast in Netanya, we made our way to the city most opposite from our exhausting, sweaty days in the Negev - Tell Aviv.

We went straight to independence hall to learn a bit about the creation of the state of Israel. Towards the end we sang Hatikva together. Singing with the soldiers got me very choked up and I really felt the shared passion for the state of Israel. We then got to head to the beach and feel the soft Mediterranean sand. We saw Israelis in their element and it was so fun.

We then headed straight to Yerushalaim to experience the Shuk . I have never heard so many Israeli men screaming at once. Everyone was rushing to buy last minute things for Shabbat and everyone was desperate to get rid of their inventory. At the Shuk we were also on a mission to purchase a gift for a designated person in our group and at night we did a gift exchange.

The BEST part of the night (and of the entire trip) was bringing in Shabbat at the Kotel. As we walked into the old city a feeling of unity was felt among the group. Rabbi lead the woman in lighting candles for Shabbat at king David's tomb. We then walked towards the Kotel as a group.

Seeing the Kotel and hundreds of people is a feeling that I cannot describe with words. We started dancing and singing songs with such joy right by the Kotel. To say the least, it felt really good to be Jewish. Every Jew deserves to experience the overwhelming happiness of the Kotel on Shabbat. Shabbat shalom from the mishpacha!!!

By: Emily Berns

Today was the best day so far. Not getting more than 3 hours of sleep, we woke up at 6am and rode camels though the desert. That was something I had never done before, and it was definitely a cool experience. After the camel ride, we were rewarded with a delicious breakfast.

We then got on the bus and rode through winded roads, up through the mountains. Our destination was Masada. After a 20 minute hike up the mountain, we reached the top! The view was incredible, like nothing I had ever seen before. On one side, there was the entire desert, and on the other was a breathtaking view of the Dead Sea.

I happened to be one of the lucky 8 people who rode the cable car back down the mountain, while the others hiked down the Snake Path. We ate lunch in the Masada Center, where they had a choice of Israeli McDonalds, or a falafel restaurant.

After Masada, we headed for the next stop: Ein Gedi. Our "mishpacha"(family in English) got to take a refreshing swim in the natural oasis, which had some amazing waterfalls! Our day was not over yet, though.

After Ein Gedi, we took a quick trip to the Dead Sea. Swimming, or shall I say floating, in the Dead Sea was indescribable. I felt like a balloon, and it is literally impossible to sink. We all gave ourselves a spa treatment with the mud of the sea. Although it didn't smell the greatest, I can surely say my skin feels great.

As for now, we are on the 3 hour journey to Natania, where we will get to take a real shower for the first day in days. This will be followed by a night out in Tel Aviv. Stay tuned for more posts of our adventures in Israel.

By: Ari Baaner

Waz up its yo boy ari. Today we went to the salad trAil. We tried a variety of amazing vegetables and different spices. The semi organic tomatoes grown in the dessert were like no other.

But, the lasting memory of the day came when 6 brave souls took to center stage for the hot chili pepper. As our guide handed out an assortment of orange and green peppers the volunteers looked on in excitement and anticipation. Their eagerness quickly fled after the first and final bite for many. We all looked on humorously enjoyed their facial expressions and beads of sweat forming across their brows, a pepper and experience they will never forget for better or for worse.

I got myself to try a few mint leaves and flowers. We even had the chance to release pigeons into the air. (Pictures to come). After the trail we were exhausted and arrived at the Bedouin tents.

It was not like I expected,it was a very big settlement with a dozen tents. After settling in we had an amaaazzziiinngg dinner. Thinking about the chicken and rice is making my mouth water. We then learned a little about the Bedouin culture and way of life .

After that we took a walk in the middle of the desert. I've never expirienced anything like it before. It was majestically silent with the only thing to listen to was our voices and the occasional plane flying over us . We talked about what we want from this trip as individuals and as a group and got a variety of answers. And right now I'm writing at 12:30 am local time sitting next a bonfire playing songs on the guitar. I gotta say our mispacha is the best one put here while every other group seems to be more boring and not as energetic. I'm excited for this trip and can't believe only one day has passed

Shalom
Ari and Kile(pepper man)

By: Sara Levy

Started from Miami now we׳re here!

This morning we started out with meeting our 7 Israeli soldiers!!!! We had a bunch of icebreakers and then headed to a beautiful hike and view at David Ben Gurion's grave. We then hiked Ein Ovdat a natrual water spring and hike to the top of the desert cliffs. The hike was hot but great! When we finally made it to the top we all took pictures and filled up our water bottles! Keep drinking, it's hot!

For lunch we went to the Sde Boker area for some pizza or schnitzel but not together, have to keep it kosh! Lunch was cool and relaxing and now we are on our way to the salad trail.