By: Rachel Sorsher

We caught our breaths this morning as the bland desert streets blossomed into gorgeous mountains painting the horizon. We had arrived at Masada, an ancient city that was an area of conflict between the Romans and the Jewish rebels thousands of years in the past. With the city beautifully crafted into the cliffs and the Dead Sea kissing the shore in the distance, it was easy to see why the land was worth fighting for. It was a wonderful moment when the 40 of us gathered together and shouted out , our voices echoing for miles across the mountain tops. After lunch, we took a trip to the Dead Sea, where covered in mud head to toe, we floated on our backs watching the day turn to night. All in all, I think it's safe to say that it was a sweet n' salty day.

By Allen Levin

Today was arguably the most powerful and touching day of the trip. Emotions were evoked out of me that I didnt know existed and I felt pain rooted deep in my core. After breakfast, Mayanot 255 went to listen to the story of a holocaust survivor named Rosa.

She told us her story of survival in Nazi Germany and what she had to do to stay alive. It was an emotional story filled with passion, fear and inspiration. She told us how she was constantly on the run as she joined the Dutch Resistance in order to avoid being captured by the Nazis. As a nurse in the Dutch Resistance, she was able to help her fellow Jews as well as survive. She only had an hour to deliver her story, but she informed us of her book that she wrote called Tulips Are Red.

We then walked to Yad Vashem, which is the Memorial dedicated to the Holocaust. This ended up being one of the most utterly horrifying and eye-opening experiences of my life. From seeing the pure hatred that existed in Adolph Hitlers ideals to the videos of actual stories of Holocaust survivors, it was a truly humbling and terrifying experience.

The part of the memorial that really hit home was the towards the end of the building, where they showed a video of the thousands of malnourished and dead bodies being pushed by a snow-plow looking machine into pits. It was shocking, disgusting and unreal to see the inhumanity that existed in Nazi Germany. On top of that, I witnessed many of the Jews possessions that were recovered from the Holocaust, such as shoes and clothes and even more horrifying things like the tiny beds that the Jews were forced to sleep in.

Although I obviously knew what happened during the Holocaust, I never really knew the tragic details that happened in one of the most devastating genocides in the history of civilization. I witnessed firsthand the horrors that the Jews experienced in Nazi Germany through their stories that were played on TVs throughout the Memorial. I couldnt help being filled with emotion as these survivors talked about their helplessness, fear, death and tragedy that they experienced in the Ghettos, concentration camps and death camps.

After the tear-jerking experience, we walked over to Mount Hertzel, which is the Israeli military cemetery. It was another emotional moment for Mayanot 255 as Avinoam told us stories of three brave soldiers that paid the ultimate price for defending Israel.

It was hard to hear the stories of these soldiers because they died at such a young age.

After he emotional experiences, the day brightened with a trip to Avinoams mothers house, where we were treated to snacks and said our good byes to the Israeli soldiers that have been with us for the past week.

We then headed the Taglit Birthright Mega Event, where we got a speech from the Israeli Prime Minister, as well as some prominent Israeli artists. The night ended in a huge celebration as we partied with all the other Birthright groups that are currently in Israel.

Overall, it was one of the best days of the trip.

By Larry Shulman
Wedneday morning fter breakfast at the hotel, we drove into the old city of Jerusalem. We started with a lecture from Rabbi David Aaron about spirituality and kabbalah. He spoke about the key to our happiness is ourselves and explained this by looking at ourselves in 3 levels: Me, Self & I. After the talk, we walked over to the Western Wall. We had a few minutes free at the wall and then we had a tour. The hour-long tour took us into underground tunnels that exist near the wall. We saw different layers from 1,300 and 2,000 years ago.

After the tour, we had more time with the Western Wall when we were able to pray, put notes in, take pictures, and the boys we able to put on Tefillin. We also got a souvenir from the wall boys got a booklet with the Shema and the girls got Shabbat Candles. We then had free time to walk around the old city to both grab lunch and shop around at lots of different stores. Then, we walked to a rooftop where we had a view of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim quarters. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel, had some free time and then had dinner at the hotel.

After dinner we had a presentation from people from Massa, an organization which helps people come back to Israel for anywhere from 5 12 months. Then there was a presentation from the Gift of Life, which talked about the importance of donating bone marrow and provided us with the opportunity to sign up and enter the registry. Lastly, there was a presentation from 2 guys who started a shirt company that makes shirts for causes. They had shirts for Gilad Shalit, the Haiti earthquake, fires in northern Israel and many more causes. Between 20 40% of the revenue from each shirt goes to the causes. After the presentations we had free time to hang out at the hotel.

By Zach Sloman

At night, the Negev desert was a beautiful place where the sky was illuminated with constellations that most never see. In a span of fifteen minutes, six shooting stars streaked across the horizon. It was an image that I will never forget. Once into the desert, the group spread out lying on their backs, gazing at the stars, and reflecting on life. After 15 minutes of lying on the cold, rock filled sand; everyone regrouped and expressed their feelings on how the trip has affected them thus far; consequently letting out lots of emotions. Hearing how this trip has touched all 48 people after just 5 days was very inspirational.

Of all the events on the trip, this was by far the most meaningful to date. I shared the story of losing my Judaic pride until all of the people we had met this far helped to instill that pride back in me. Every person that has taken the time to talk to us really loved being Jewish and could not have been more proud of it. After this rollercoaster of emotion, the group gathered around a bonfire where Rabbi and Avinoam (our tour guide) lifted spirits through song and dance.

This was followed by a Farbrengen, which only a small group of people participated in. Rabbi told a story about a man who was offered a very prestigious position of the city Rabbi. The man went to his mentor to discuss this great offer and to his surprise, the mentor told the man to decline the position and become a wagon driver. Uncertain of why, the man became a wagon driver and did not discover why he was steered in this direction until 10 years later when he drove a man that had lost pride in his Judaism.

The wagon driver helped revive his clients spirits by bringing him to his own mentor who helped guide the man. Implanting the Jewish pride this man once had was the reason the man was told to take the wagon driver position. After fulfilling his job, the mentor told the wagon driver he should now accept the offer of city Rabbi.

Following the story, the group opened up about their own lives and how they are on paths that they do not understand. This really helped bring the group even closer. At a bright and early 5 AM, the night came to close with bonds formed tighter than before. This was by far the least sleep I have ever experienced.

After waking up with only an hour of sleep at 6 am, the group gathered to ride camels around the desert. This experience was one of a kind. The trip took about a half hour with the camels walking one after another pooping every 2 minutes. Following the pain of the saddle, we all made our way for breakfast and hit the road for Mount Masada.

Arriving at the mountain, a mass of stairs awaited our climb. Once upon the peak, we were surrounded by history thousands of years old. Going into palaces, temples, and saunas, the story of the Romans and King Herod unraveled in front of us. I was asked to dress up like Elezir Ben- Yehir, a commander of the Jews living on Mount Masada. I read a speech to the group describing how the Israelites were going to commit suicide before letting the Romans take them as slaves. Finishing up the tour, we took a cable car down the mountain where 50 plus people had to cram into a 20-foot car.

The next stop was the Dead Sea where the water was frigid. Being able to float in the water without any effort is an unreal experience. Our group was lucky to experience this because in due time, the Dead Sea is expected to dry up. We boarded the bus, and made our way to the holiest city in Israel; Jerusalem. Once arrived in the city, we got to see a breathtaking view overlooking Jerusalem that made for a Kodak Moment.

Entering our hotel in Jerusalem, everyone scarfed down their dinner in order to shower off the salt from the Dead Sea. Once clean, everyone regrouped to watch a presentation from the David Project that explains the different perspectives the World has on Israel. Post presentation, the Israeli soldiers put on a team building activity that demonstrated the importance of teamwork. Finally, free time was upon us and everyone went upstairs to party and socialize. This ended up with me writing this blog on the floor of the third floor at 2 AM.

By William Ethridge

Today we spent a day in beautiful Tel-Aviv, we had an awesome night on the town. After breakfast we boarded the busses around 8am. and headed to Ramat Gan where we spent 2 hours volunteering. The Center for the Blind is a place that hires disabled/handicapped people that cannot find jobs anywhere else.

The workers consist of members ranging from the legally blind, to those diagnosed with Down syndrome and even Ashersons syndrome. They piece together different household items such as electrical sockets and faucets, tasks that proved to be very meticulous and required lots of patience. This work gives them something to do, and a steady source of income. How the deaf, mute and blind could tell which wires were blue, yellow, or brown I will never fully understand.

After 30 minutes of tinkering, we all were able to pick up on the jobs at hand and then the fun started. We had a blast talking with the workers and attempting to break through the language barriers. After about an hour production, a truckload of parts for assembly arrived. A few of us helped unload the truck, which was perfect for me because I had missed my morning exercises and needed a good workout. The community service we did here was not only beneficial to the center but it made us appreciate the simple things in life that we take for granted, that those less fortunate learn to cope without every day.

Next stop was Rabin square, where Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was murdered in cold blood during a peace rally by one of our own. For Israelis this act is comparable to the Kennedy assassination. While we do not always have to agree with the political positions of others, we should never let disagreement escalate to violence. After a crash course on the event that led up to the assassination and listening to our solders memories of the assassination, we made our way to Independence Hall.

Independence Hall is where Israel was declared a state. We learned a lot about the events that led up to the declaration of independence. We learned that when David ben Gurion declared the state, he opened it to all Jews unconditionally. People have been welcoming us home for 5 days now and I never really understood what they meant. Now I understand, Israel isn't a place I am visiting; Israel was established for every Jew around the world. Jews have lived in Israel for over 4000 years. Really makes you think, huh?

The next stop was the Jaffa Market, an Israeli flee market of sorts. We all had time to go and search for bargains on things like JEWelry, clothing, and trinkets. Our tour guide taught us how to haggle the shop owners with Hebrew phrases and hand gestures. Walking the streets of Jaffa amongst the locals allowed us to experience life as an Israeli.

Finally, we headed over to take a stroll on the Mediterranean boardwalk. As the sun set, we waved goodbye to Tel-Aviv and headed to the Negev desert where we will soon be camping out in tents and experiencing the Bedouin way of life.

By Jim Kats & Marissa Wertheimer

Today was our fourth and last day in the northern part of Israel. We left the hotel 7:30AM and headed towards Golan Heights. Before beginning our first activity, we picked up 8 Israeli soldiers. These soldiers will take part in every activity we do for the next five days. This will help us to connect and understand the Israeli people and culture on a much deeper level.

After picking up the soldiers, we headed to our first activity of the day- a two-hour hike in the Golan Heights. Today was a perfect day for hiking as the weather was ideal for a morning hike. We had the chance to see the Banias waterfall and luscious greens that cover the northern part of Israel. We also learned that this area is an integral part of Israel as it supplies water to most of the country and has been the center of the conflict in the wars with Lebanon.

For lunch, we ate delicious mini pizzas, made on pita with different toppings such as green olives, corn, mushrooms, and eggplant. We also had fresh tomatoes and cucumbers that were grown on the ranch we were at. They were probably the best cucumbers I have ever eaten. This meal was served with hummus (of course) and also with a variety of powdered spices in small bowls such as salt, paprika, crushed red pepper, and oregano. YUM!

After lunch, we listened to instructions on how to drive the Jeeps, and then hopped in! There was 3 or 5 person Jeeps to choose from. Jeeping was really exciting, even though they didnt go super fast, it was still pretty scary, but fun, driving over the rocky terrain. We stopped several times to switch drivers so every one in the Jeep would have a chance to drive, and also so we could take lots of pictures of us in the Golan Heights. Once we were done jeeping, some of us picked fresh oranges and lemons off the trees. They smelled and tasted delicious!

We then headed North to a Israel/Lebanon border kibbutz called Misgav Am. Aryeh, a Cleveland Ohio native that made Aliyah in 1962 spoke to us about the Israel/Lebanon conflict and the issues that exist in the region. He wanted to understand that that from his prospective we are Jewish first (no matter where we live) and happen (by chance) to be American, and that the never again will anyone attempt to destroy the Jewish people and not meet very strong retaliation. In his words if you come after our women and children you we will be coming after you

We then headed back to the busses and headed south to Tel Aviv.

By Ellen Barg-Walkow and Allen Levin

For our third day in Israel we observed Shabbat, which begins every Friday at sundown until sundown on Saturday. Last night we had a service for Shabbat. Our rabbi, Chaim Lipskier, led the prayers and got everyone to get up out of their chairs to sing and dance.

After the service, we had a Traditional Shabbat dinner. We made the Kiddush over wine and had challah, then dug into the brisket, chicken, soup, and traditional Israeli food. We personally couldn't get enough of the humus and whitefish.

Following our lengthy dinner, our group went down to the basement for a Farbrengen ( heart to heart conversation). We talked about our connection to Judaism and what we found to be most meaningful. Allen said his entire immediate family has been to Israel so it is special for him to complete the family visitation. Ellen that being a good jew means being a  good person. Everyone enjoyed hearing each others thoughts and individual take on Judaism.

For the rest of the night, Mayanot 255 celebrated the end of 2010 and the New Year at the hotel, 7 hours ahead of our friends and families back in the states.. Happy New Year!

The rest of Shabbat we spent relaxing (finally an opertunity to catch up on some much needed sleep) and enjoying each others company. Saturday night we went out to a local restaurant and had some free time to shop. 

By Allen Levine

Day two consisted of Mayanot 255 visiting the holy city of Tzfat. We left the hotel around 7:30 in the morning and headed west, getting a first-hand experience of all the beautiful scenery of Israel, including the second tallest mountain in Israel, Mount Meron.

The first activity of the day was a brief lesson of Kabbalah at the Tzfat Gallery of Mystical Art from Avraham, who was a Detroit-native that moved to Israel after learning about the teachings of Kabbalah. He was passionate as he gave us a basic run down of the concepts that make up the ancient teachings. We then headed to the holy Synagogue Abohav.

At Synagogue Abohav, we learned more about Kabbalah as Rabbi Chaim Lipskier gave us his take on it. After spending some time there, we traveled through the city to the Ashkenazic Ari Synagogue. We learned how special Shabbat is to the Jewish religion and learned how there are six directions, with the middle symbolizing Shabbat.

After the Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue, the men underwent a truly fantastic and eye-opening experience as we got to take dip in he famed Aris Mikvah. We learned that this cleansing in the holy water purified us for the New Year and rid us of our baggage.

After the Mikvah, Mayanot 255 was given free time to get lunch and shop around the town before we left to return to Tiberius in preparation for Shabbat.

The journey continues.

By Camilla Lever

The 10 hour plane ride was just the start to our long journey to Israel. As soon as we got off the plane our tour guide was waiting and ready to give us our first taste of the Israeli lifestyle. We stopped at a Kibbutz to learn exactly how one operates. Learning what it takes to operate such a huge operation were hundreds of people work to produce organic foods, bees, and insect farms. Touring the Kibbutz gave me a better understanding in how people choose to live their life and to appreciate the beauty we can receive in nature.

By Chelsea Pierce & Marissa Wertheimer

As we waited anxiously in the airport lobby for the other students to arrive, we wondered what everyone would be like. Would they be enthusiastic and psyched to go, or would they dread the long flight and be a quiet and shy group? One thing we knew we would all have in common was that wed all gone through a lot (flight cancelations & delays) to finally get to the airport.

After meeting up with the group, we were interrogated by the El-Al security, an experience that a lot of us were not expecting. However, it wasnt too intimidating. Once it was over, we realized how reassuring it was that security was so inquisitive and that our safety was their #1 priority. There was an overflow of emotions that came to us once we met the other students and were sitting in the terminal, waiting for our El-Al flight. We were energetic (although most of us were running on about 3 hours of sleep), excited, nervous and ready to go! Once we got on the plane, we made our way to our seats, introduced ourselves to each other (for what seemed like the hundredth time) and started thinking about what the trip would be like.

Weve now been on the plane for about three hours and were still wondering what our experience will be like. To us, this journey to Israel is still so surreal. A couple of things we cant wait to do are: SHOPPING, camel riding, visiting the Western Wall and meeting other students visiting Israel FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!

To keep ourselves occupied during this ten-hour plane ride, we attempted to sleep, listened to music, read a magazine and gossiped about celebrities, attempted to sleep again, walked around the plane and giggled about the people sleeping around us. In addition, we realized (an hour into the flight,) that we have small TVs attached to our chairs with simple-looking remote controls. Even now, a few hours into the plane ride, were still trying to figure out how to turn the TV on! On the monitor in front of us, it updates our flight altitude, speed, time of arrival, temperature and the local time. In Israel, the time is now 11:48 P.M. So, Leila Tov!

Make sure to keep up with us through the blog entries!