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.
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.
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