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.
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.
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