Electives Week: Tikkun Olam, Sea-to-Sea Hike & Gadna!

We have finally arrived at our Electives Week!!  The group had been split up into 3 areas:  Community Service (Tikkun Olam) at Kibbutz Hannaton, the Sea-to-Sea hike and Gadna (Israeli army).  The students will be away from each other until Wednesday afternoon experiencing this amazing programs.  We will post as many pictures as possible and I'm sure we'll be getting some amazing blog posts when everyone returns.  In the meantime..enjoy the pics!!

Tikkun Olam at Kibbutz Hannaton

 Gadna (Israeli Army)

Sea to Sea Hike

More excerpts from students at our Havdalah Service:

Hey everyone, bet you're surprised to see me here, as I'm sure you didn't know about my secret passion of speech writing, well anyway here we are half way through the trip and I'm not sure what to write about. Should I talk about our hike up Masada, our two hours standing in line to see five minutes worth of cave. Or our experience with Robert um oops I meant Avraham. We rode donkeys and camels and buses and peed all across Israel, we ate shwarma chicken and rice chicken and rice and of course chicken and rice. We learned new ways to conjugate the word Bedouin, and facts about camel spiders. No lie I just made all of that up and have been playing flappy golf on my phone this entire time. But my ability to do so shows the insanely good times we have had together, here's to another great half of the trip. But all jokes aside this trip has been incredible despite the fact I feel like I've been everywhere in Israel this is still the best time around. The people, not the food, have made this trip the joy that it is. I hope you all have had as much fun as I have Shabbat shalom and long live goon squad --- Bruce Margoshes

Havdallah

The blissful state many of us have found ourselves in here, away from our typical day-to-day worries, could be described as an "escape from reality". For me, this experience does seem to feel like a momentary fleeing from the grasp of reality, but I've come to think that our socially accepted definition of reality could be a misinterpretation. Why is it, that a sense of being held back from this newfound sense of bliss, is considered the inevitable truth of our lives back home? I'd like to think that anything that draws us away from being completely in-tune with the present moment is the opposite of reality. Here, away from a constant influx of iMessages, most of which, in a year from now, we won't remember ever receiving, we actually partake in genuine human interaction that we'll remember for a lifetime. So who's to say that this isn't reality? Because I don't know the last time life felt this real.---- Lauren Hart

Rosh Hanikra, Akko & Shabbat

Our day started off with a long drive from Alon Tavor all the way up to Rosh Hanikra which is on the northwest coast of Israel with beautiful views and amazing grottoes created by the water by the Mediterranean Sea.

We then went down to Akko where we walked around the Old City and spend time in the Shuk (market) where some of us tried some of the best hummus in all of Israel, if not the world.

We concluded our week going to services at the Tunisian Synagogue in Akko. We were unable to take pictures on Shabbat, but you can check out the link with the incredible mosaics in the building (http://www.akko.org.il/en/Old-Acree-Or-Torah-Synagogue)  It was an incredible experience and many of the participants were experiencing the first time being in a synagogue where the men & women were separated.  It brought up some amazing dialogue about what they do back home, their comfort levels, thoughts on equality with men/women, etc.  We spent Shabbat dinner all together and had an oneg Shabbat with singing and enjoying each other's company.  Our Shabbat was very relaxing and some people went to the local beach and some took advantage of the free time for a rejuvenating nap.  We spent the evening in Haifa walking around the German Colony.

On Sunday, we will be separating into 3 groups (Community Service, Gadna (Israeli military) and the Sea-to-Sea hike.  We will be away from one another for 3 days before getting back together on Wednesday afternoon.  Will try and post from Community Service as will be a few days before we get pics from Gadna & Sea-to-Sea!

Rosh Hanikra

Some students had the honor of randomly being a part of someone's marriage proposal in the grottoes in Rosh Hanikra!!  She said YES!

A Series of Haikus by Caroline Reisch & Isabel Morris

This trip is the best

We floated in the Dead Sea

Stings more than you think.

There is no ice here

No more chicken, rice and peas

More falafel please.

Rode on a camel

Great experience it was

The donkeys were cute.

 Shabbat in Akko

Lots of us are feeling a bit homesick, however, the only things I'm missing from Colorado are my bed and Chipotle. The reason I am not missing Colorado is because I am home. This quote is from one of my favorite quotes called "12 steps to life": Leaving home will hurt, but soon you will learn that home isn't a place but a feeling, and that there is a compass on your heart that points directly to that feeling. Follow that compass. Don’t get sidetracked by people who don’t care or alcohol that doesn’t forgive. If you follow that compass, no matter how lost you get, you will always have a home. Live for the fire that burns in your soul, that tells you: keep going, you’re almost there, just a little farther. Because when Rome burned down the emperor didn't run away, he stayed and he sang for his people. Stay. Sing for your people. Sing for us. Are you listening? Because this is your life, singing a siren song to capture your attention and steer away from the rocks, to guide you back home.”And with the 75 other faces sitting around me, I know that no matter how near or far we may be from one another, I will have always have a home. -Olivia Bohrer