Since arriving in Israel on June 30th, the participants have been preparing for Maccabiah, a 2 day color war/beach festival held on the banks of the Kinneret. Not only were all 4 Young Judaea buses joined together for the first time, but they also met up with their British peers on the FZY (Federation of Zionist Youth) summer trips to Israel.

Wednesday was the first day, and the participants were treated to a grand opening ceremony, and tons of games and festivities. By all accounts, its seems that the Young Judaea participants are currently in the lead over their British friends, but then again, our sources are colleagues from the YJ office in Israel, so they might be a little biased .  =)

The participants got to visit three different kibbutzim to learn how they function and the different kinds of things they produce. One of the kibbutzim they visited was Kibbutz Yotvata, which is famous for its amazing and delicious dairy products. Once they got back to Kibbutz Ketura, they were split into groups and tasked with creating their own mock kibbutzim. They had to decide where it would be located, who would be members, how it would run, and what would be its “product.” Afterwards they had free time by the pool, a talent show, karaoke time, and finally, more free time at the pool. On their last day at the kibbutz, the participants went to the Kisui Desert to see the sunrise – a beautiful way to end a week of living on a kibbutz!

Volunteering:

The participants were thrilled to volunteer three days in a row at the same locations because they began forming bonds with the people they were working with. After a morning of volunteering around Jerusalem, they went to Lod and helped clean up a community garden. They weeded, painted, cleaned, and repotted plants in the garden, which is run exclusively by local volunteers. As a thank you, they were treated to a meal of Moroccan couscous, which was prepared for them by Mizrachi Jews. The participants took this as a learning experience and got to learn about that community of Jews. Later, the participants went on a very interesting tour of Emek Refaim, which is known in Jerusalem as one of the cool places to hang out, full of stores, restaurants, and coffee shops for the community.

The YJ participants took a tour as if they were handicapped – some of them were in wheelchairs, some were blindfolded, some had crutches, and some wore headphones to simulate being deaf. They were asked to pay attention and see if they were able to use public places in their conditions. The participants learned that there is an organization which gives out seals of “Social Responsibility” to public businesses, much like the Kosher Authority gives out seals to restaurants marking them as “Kosher”. This was a very interesting exercise and all of the YJ participants were intrigued by it.

Just take a look at our Machon chanichim, passing on some words of wisdom to their friends in Hadracha, the incoming eleventh graders at Camp Tel Yehudah in New York.  Hopefully ALL of Hadracha will be coming to Israel on Machon next summer!

On Sunday, all the participants met back up with their groups and were split up into one of four Special Interest Week buses:  Gadna, Sea to Sea Hike, Kibbutz, and Volunteering.

Kibbutz:

Chanichim who chose this option are based at Kibbutz Ketura, located in the Negev having been founded by Young Judaea alumni who made aliyah. So far the participants have gotten to experience many facets of kibbutz life, including working in the dining hall, kitchen, in the kindergarden, and even out in the fields. They also participated in mudbuilding….which is exactly what it sounds like! They mixed sand, mud, straw, and water to create a material which is used to make outdoor firepits. After getting a taste of kibbutz life and speaking with members of Ketura, they got a chance to relax by the pool during free time. As its extremely hot in the desert, the kids really enjoyed their pool time!

Gadna:

The participants arrived to the army base and were immediately greeted by their staff. They were then split into 4 groups, with 10 participants per group. The first thing they learned were the basics of the IDF, including the chain of command at the base, and were taught the proper IDF way to greet and show respect to your army superiors.  Later that night, they got a taste of basic training by sleeping in army tents, then waking up bright and early by singing “Hatikvah”.  Two of the groups performed standard basic training tasks by working in the kitchen, which taught them teamwork and bonded them as a group. The rest of the day was dedicated to learning about gun safety, spending several hours practicing their stance and positioning with a plastic replica. In the evening, the participants had a discussion about the IDF and Zionism.

Sea to Sea Hike:

When the S2S participants got to their first destination, they were greeted by their madrichim and split into two groups. Much like the Gadna participants, those on S2S will be sleeping outside under the stars. S2S started their hike in Nachal Amud, which is in the upper Galilee area. One of their first destinations on the hike was to the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who is known as the father of Kabbalah. His gravesite is still an important place in Israel, and the participants saw a lot of people coming to that area. An interesting feature of this location is that its right off “Shvil Israel”, Israel’s national trail.  Continuing on the hike, about halfway up Mt. Meron (the second tallest site in Israel), the participants stopped at a very impressive lookout for some exercise and fun team-building games. They spoke about the Druze community, as well as Arab/Israeli relations. This was an important topic because they were near Lebanon, so the participants had a chance to learn about the 6-Day War.

On their way up to the peak, they passed by some IDF paratroopers who were taking part in training exercises. A few of our chanichim offered the paratroopers some water, which led to a quick but meaningful meeting and discussion with the groups. Anyone who had their camera out got a very cool photo! Once they got to the top of Mt Meron they took their 3 hour mid-day break for a chance to escape the heat and relax for a little while. They went to a different lookout point and saw into Lebanon. In the evening they had a classic Israeli campfire dinner of shnitzel. As they were pretty exhausted from the day, many of them went to bed early. The participants are averaging about 12 kilometers per day – pretty impressive!

Volunteering:

On Sunday the participants got back from their Family Weekends and met their madrichim at Beit Ar-El, where they had a discussion about volunteering and heard their various options: in Jerusalem the participants could go to a school for disabled people, work with the elderly, volunteer in a soup kitchen, work with horses and help prepare them to be therapy horses, work at a summer camp for underprivileged children, or volunteer at an archeological dig. After the participants made their choices they went to the Machane Yehuda market. This was not only a chance for free time, but they were also given the task of speaking to the locals to find out what they thought about social issues and volunteering.  Many of the participants asked how local Israelis felt about the Darfur refugees, as this is an issue that many of the Judaeans feel very strongly about.

On Monday the participants split into their volunteering groups. After spending the morning at different locations, they all came back to Beit Ar-El for lunch. Then they went on a very interesting tour of Jerusalem, where they learned about different groups and their place in society. They learned about how differently the non-religious live from the religious, about the active LGBT community in Jerusalem, and they even got to hear about the Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities from someone who lives in the neighborhood, who explained to the participants how these communities coexist with each other. After the neighborhood walk they went back to Beit Ar-El for a barbecue and a peula about the 17th of Tammuz, which is a holiday that commemorates the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple. As the participants had just seen the Kotel, this led to a discussion about personal vulnerabilities, and they talked about some of the threats to the Jewish community, both now and centuries ago, in Israel and in the Diaspora. This talk went on longer than planned as all the chanichim wanted to participate because they were inspired by both their walk through Jerusalem and their volunteering.

From there, the group traveled to Beit Guvrin to participate in an archaeological dig; some even found shards of pottery. After the dig they went to the desert town of Mitzpe Ramon to prepare for Shabbat. They were led to a very beautiful and scenic viewpoint where services were led by one of the chanichim, after which a festive dinner took place, followed by singing, guitar playing, an obstacle course, and trivia, all put together by the Shabbat committee.

Saturday they walked into town to the local pool, had some free time, and ended Shabbat with Havdala outside. On Sunday, they had their first desert hike in Ein Bokek, an area just west of the Dead Sea and then continued to Sde Boker where David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, is buried.  They learned about his vision to make the desert bloom and had a discussion about themselves and their visions for Israel. After eating lunch in Be’er Sheva, YJ Discovery drove to Sderot to meet and hear stories from locals about the difficulties of living in the Western Negev over the last decade.

In the evening, the group continued to the Bedouin tents to get a taste of their hospitality, ride on a camel, and enjoy a very tasty dinner. At 3 AM, they woke up to climb Masada, a huge hit if only for the reason that there is nothing quite like watching the sun rise over Israel (from a very historical vantage point of course). After Masada, they went on a water hike in Ein Gedi, a nature preserve known for its beautiful waterfalls in Nachal (Valley) David. After a the hike, they went back to prepare for Shabbat, rest, and have a discussion about Jewish identity.  Shabbat is a great time in Israel; no matter how you celebrate it, it’s a time to recharge your batteries and recover from the long week (especially on this busy summer program!)

On Sunday the group went to the the holiest site in the Jewish world:  the Kotel, known in English as the Western Wall. The boys went to their side, the girls to theirs, and they absorbed up the incredible spirituality while each putting a personal, handwritten note in the wall.  They had some free time to walk around the Jewish Quarter, where many of them spent their time shopping and eating. This was followed by a trip through Hezekiah’s water tunnel and a fun and educational update by well-known Israel advocacy trainer Neil Lazarus.

The Kotel

From there, they drove to Eilat where they enjoyed a free night of shopping, shawarma, falafel, and for the less adventurous – pizza.  On Wednesday, the participants spent the morning snorkeling in Eilat and then drove to Kibbutz Ketura, a kibbutz founded by graduates of Young Judaea Year Course. There they learned about the kibbutz’s long history with YJ and the unique and special kibbutz lifestyle.  In the evening they had a bbq and a dance party.

During Shabbat, the participants got the opportunity to explore different styles of Jewish worship by visiting different synagogues in Jerusalem, from Conservative to Orthodox to Reform.  Afterwards they had a pe’ula (activity) about Jewish identity during which many of them shared their feelings about their own Jewish identities. They also prepared for their upcoming tour of Jerusalem.  More details to come!

After free time they had a pe’ula (educational activity) about volunteering, as the next day they were to volunteer with the community of Darfur refugees in the Negev. This led to a broader discussion of volunteering, both in Israel and at home in the U.S.  In the evening they had a fun night out in Eilat.  The heat cannot bring down the spirit of the group!

After a scenic walk through the streets of Tel Aviv, they had free time at Nachalat Binyamin and Shuk Hacarmel. Nachalat Binyamin is a lovely artist market, adjacent to the shuk, open only Tuesdays and Fridays. There are all sorts of goods from local Israeli artists. The participants were given some money for lunch, where (big shock) almost everyone ate falafel! After free time they went to Rabin Square to learn about the life of former Prime Minster Yitzchak Rabin, tragically assassinated by a fellow Jew in 1995, and the impact his death had on the country. They also went to the Olympic Experience, which is a museum dedicated to the Olympics, including Israel’s place at the games during the last 60 years. They drove back to Jerusalem for dinner and a very festive drum circle, which featured drums, dancing, singing, and costumes. The night ended with a birthday party for one of the girls on the trip, who turned sixteen.  Things are going great!

Kibbutz Ketura from above

After an early wake-up to hike the Red Canyon, the group returned home for games and a quick session about YJ’s history in Israel. Later on they went to the Kasui sand dunes where they got to run down amazing sandy dunes before making a campfire over which they roasted marshmallows and made their own fresh pita.  The group is having a great time!

On Sunday they drove to Sderot, where they got to hear from a local what it is like to live there first-hand. They got to walk around the Shuk (market), and were encouraged to speak to anyone shopping there. Those who did asked a lot of questions about life in Sderot. After Sderot, they rappelled down Ramon Crater where 5 of the participants conquered their fear of heights! They took in the beautiful scenery while learning about Ben Gurion, and then split themselves into the va’adot they were most interested in. On Monday they were in Eilat. They did an early morning hike, followed by a visit to a viewpoint and lunch at Yotvata, a very famous kibbutz known for their (very delicious!) dairy products. After snorkeling in the Red Sea they had free time in Eilat, which was spent on the Boardwalk.

On Saturday they started the day by writing Shabbat-o-grams, which are greetings the participants write to each other. During the day they learned some Shabbat songs. They walked to another great lookout point where they had Havdallah and learned about the Old City. The participants were led to the Western Wall where they had personal time, wrote notes to stick into the Kotel, and got to meet some locals. On Sunday they went to the City of David, which is a major tourist destination because of the ongoing excavations they are doing there. They did a short walk through some underground water tunnels. After the tunnels they went to Machane Yehuda, the market, and were given another participant’s name and told to buy each other gifts that were no more than 5 shekels (approximately $1.50) which was a lot of fun. Also at the market, many of the participants got to eat their very first falafels! In the evening they had a short intro to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial, and a very cool seminar on Israeli music thru the ages. On Monday the kids went to Yad Vashem, where they heard testimony from a survivor and have a very in-depth tour of the museum. They prepared a ceremony outside in the garden, and then split into groups to learn about va’adot and peer leadership. After the museum they had free time on Emek Refaim, which is popular street for locals due to its amount of shops, restaurants, and boutiques. In the evening they had a quick 4th of July music party.