Wow, what a week it’s been!

We started off the week in Jerusalem, where we explored the ancient capital city. Our first stop was the sacred Western Wall, and we each had a chance to put our own prayers into the cracks of the wall. Following our visit, we trekked through ancient underground aqueducts and boarded a bus to Haifa. We spent the afternoon in a Bedouin tent and ate a traditional meal while learning about their culture. We got the chance to ride camels through the desert and have a big bonfire with our new Crane Lake friends. An early 3:30 wake up was followed by a morning hike to the top of Masada where we watched the sunrise. After a long walk down, we had the chance to float in the Dead Sea and cover ourselves with the legendary mud.

We spent our next day visiting a Druze’s village, where we ate a delicious meal and learned about the life bonds between the Druze’s and the Jewish people. Later, we got our sea legs, as we conquered the treacherous waves of the Mediterranean.

Today, we hiked up Tzfat, and stopped at a lookout point of our own, overlooking the entire city. Tonight, we’ll be celebrating services, followed by some Israeli dance.

We are looking forward to next week, where we will be participating in our Chavayot, where some of us will hike from Sea to Sea, join the IDF in Gadna, partake in an archeological dig or perform community service.

We can’t wait to see you soon and share more of our experiences with you, in person!
Have a great week Eisner!

My, how the time flies,
XVII