6/29/05

Jet Blue flight attendants attest that our teens are the most well-behaved and most courteous teens that they have flown with in a long time. I have to agree. Leaving Oakland there was not one student who lost their boarding pass, separated from the group, or caused us to fall behind schedule. We boarded the plane in our color -coded groups as the teens had already won over the five chaperones. It didn’t take long for them to win over the flight attendants as well. With only 40 other passengers on our first flight, we were the largest group on the plane. All of our teens were relaxed, calm, and kind.

In New York, we allowed the teens some free time after we went through El Al security, checked our “daddy bags” and received our boarding passes. Again, each and every one rose to the occasion. Required to be back by 9:00 pm to move through the next stage of security and to the gate, EVERY teen was on time, counted and en route to gate by 9:05 pm. I was in awe that things were moving so smoothly. During the long El Al flight, things continued along the same lines. Our teens were once again well-behaved, courteous, and kind to the 300 other passengers.

We arrived in Israel at the brand new terminal (no more bus ride from the plane to passport control). Again, every teen held onto their passports (none were left behind in the seat pockets), their customs forms, and their carry-ons. We moved through the checkpoints, gathered luggage and exited the airport to meet Talia, Ariel, our bus staff (American and Israeli), the medics and our bus drivers. I think our group holds the record for fasted airport exit time! Kol hakavod!!

After a long journey to the Kinneret we unloaded at our youth hostel. It is gorgeous! The beautiful central area between all the rooms reveals how green and lush Israel can be. In the back area, we have plenty of space to play Ultimate Frisbee before we relax on the shores of the Kinneret and go swimming (but not until Shabbat). We settled into our rooms and began to catch up on some much needed sleep, preparing to awake at 7:00 for breakfast and a wonderful day of sightseeing.

7/01/05

It was an early wake-up time, but we were all awake anyway. Jetlag helped us this first day. After our first Israeli-style buffet breakfast we boarded our buses and drove to Tel Hai. We learned all about Tel Hai (The Hill of Life) and Joseph Trumpledor, who with seven others died here while defending the Jewish settlements in March 1920. Their effort is also commemorated in the name of the city Kiryat Shmona (“eight”).

Trumpledor was a dentist who lost an arm fighting for the Russian army, was decorated for bravery, and still faced anti-Semitism throughout his life in Russia. He founded the Zionist HeHalutz movement and moved to Palestine in 1912. He then joined the British army, and was again decorated for bravery. He received special permission to shoot a pistol instead of a rifle because he only had one arm to use and the pistol only requires one hand to shoot. Trumpledor gave his life defending Tel Hai, his final words were, “It is good to die for our own country.”

We proceeded to our first hike--a water hike to keep us cool. Finishing this in record time, we continued on for the excitement of the day…kayaking. After waiting a bit for our boats to be ready, we divided into small groups, launched our rafts and started down the river. Yes, we got wet. Two of us lost our eye glasses down the river, but there were no physical injuries. A great time was had by all!

Upon returning to our hostel, we showered and prepared for Shabbat. During tefillah, each bunk helped lead part of the service as we began to relax and wind down from our first full day in HaAretz. Tefillah was followed by Kiddush and motzi and our first Shabbat meal. After dinner we went outside to play some ice breaker games and to have some free time before curfew. It was a wonderful ending to a full day.

07/02/05

What a glorious feeling to sleep in. Shabbat is everyone’s favorite time of the week. And just as cities and businesses in Israel close on Shabbat, so does our touring schedule. We used Shabbat as a time to relax, hang out, go swimming, enjoy the beauty of the Kinneret and the new friends that we are meeting.

Rebecca Zimmerman, Educator, Let's Go: Israel!

Dear Parents,

Every year it is really exiting to start this adventure. This year it is even more exiting since our group is so big and it is my last summer doing this from the states. All teens arrived safely and were, of course, jetlagged upon their arrival on Thursday evening. They are a wonderful bunch : very exited to be in Israel and want to learn all about the country. They ask really good questions and are very friendly to each other.

We started our journey on the shores of the Kinneret --Sea of Galilee. We are staying in a really nice hostel on the beach. The Shabbat spirit is here as well. The teens are all participating in the prayers and enjoying the sense of community which is slowly being built together. As of last Sunday , we began to move at a faster pace, visiting 3 to 4 sites a day. And the Sea to Sea experience is also a very talked about subject...

I hope to write to you all every now and then when there are a few moments to breathe. Rebecca will also be keeping you updated in more detail.

Take care and have a great summer,

Talia Leibler-Gabay

Director, Let's Go: Israel

7/03/05

Dear parents,

I am siting in an Internet cafe in Tzfat right now, the spiritual Kabala city. Our 3 groups are having a great day. We started off in Tzfat visiting Ashkenazi and Sfardic synagogues. We sang "Lecah Dodi " (since it was written here) and studied some things about Kaballah and numerology. Of course, went to the famous candle factory and had some free time for Judaical shopping.

Our next station was rappelling at a place called Dalton and from there we went hiking in the Amud river until we reached some great pools where we went swimming.

This evening (after we rest a little), we will have a very interesting seminar about Arab-Jewish co-existence in Israel.

We all had a very restful Shabbat and most of your teens are over their jet lag. Even though every day is very full and pretty long, the time is going by very fast.

Have a good week,

Talia

7/10/05

Dear Parents,

Our Yam Le Yam (Sea to Sea) survival experience was amazing. When it ended, our teens really felt like they had accomplished a lot. They certainly did! We started our adventure at the Kinneret (sea of Galilee) with a water hike. This was a really fun experience that everyone enjoyed.

Our next hike involved climbing down from Mount Meron (luckily we did not climb up that mountain!!!)and continuing to our camp for the night. Lunch was cooked on the way by the teens. We all had a good time. After enjoying singing and palying music around our big bon fire, we slept under the stars in our sleeping bags close to Mount Meron in a park named Humema.

The next morning we were woken up at 5:30 am (!), had breakfast at the camp and then hiked all day. During part of the hike (and learning how to navigage), the teens walked in groups on their own . Each sub navigation group got a walky talky which turned out to be a big hit. Out teens learned important skills: how to navigate, how to light a fire with one match, how to find water and how to build a shelter ...The essentials that you need to know when you are out in the wilderness on your own. We arrived at our next camping location called Goren park. The big hit here was that the park actually had a bathroom!

The next morning, we again woke up at 5:30 am. We rode bikes all the way to the Mediterranean Sea to a place called Achziv. Here is where we had lunch, a closing circle and goodbye from our Sea to Sea staff. To cool off, we ran into the cold water. Our Sea to Sea staff members were incredible and added a lot to our trip.

After roughing it up for 3 days we deserved a nice place. That is why we went to a hotel which is a beach resort. We all had some time to relax and recover from our adventure and had a great Shabbat together. Services were led by the teens with Rebecca Zimmernan 's help . Many relatives and friends visited our teens throughout the weekend. Our staff is really great and I am so proud of all of them (Israelis, Americans, medics, drivers and of course Yael, Rebecca and Ariel).

I hope you are all doing well and I will try to write again soon. Have a great week, Talia Leibler-Gabay Trip Director

Let's Go: Israel! is a joint partnership of the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay and the Bureau of Jewish Education of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma.

Dear Parents and loved ones,

We heard the news about the bombing in Netanya. All 111 American teens, our Israeli friends, and all the staff are well. We were not anywhere near Netanya, and we are all fine! Some are a little shaken by the news, but all are downstairs in the dinning hall of the university where we are staying having dinner.

Only a few have been able to call home from the lobby, since there is only one phone. Since we are staying in the dorms, there happen to be a few computers and after dinner there will be a long line of teens waiting to use the computer before the next activity. They are flipping coins between waiting in line for the computer and taking a much needed shower.

Other than the sad news from Netanya, we had a great day. We went to Independance Hall, the Hapalmach Museaum, shopping on Nachalat Binyamin, lunch in a wonderful restaurant, and to Rabin Square. It was a busy day, but we saw a lot of Tel Aviv.

I will send a more detailed email later, as I also want to get off the computer quickly so the teens can have a chance to email you directly. We are only allowing them to send a quick "I'm ok message" without checking their inboxes to insure that everyone can use a computer before it gets too late.

B'shalom,
Rebecca

7/11/05

Today began in Caesarea. Everyone in our group was absolutely amazed by the technology used in the museum here. We first saw a film about the city of Caesarea over the years, having begun as a port in the 4th century BCE. We learned about Caesarea under the Phoenicians, during Herod's time, Roman rule, and the Byzantine period. Each time the computerized film showed what we think the city must have looked like, based on archeology and knowledge of the building of those times. After the film, we went into the next room where we were able to meet individuals who lived at the different times while Caesarea thrived. The images of these characters were projected on live-size screens and the interactive, touch-screen computers allowed us to pick from the timeline who we wanted to talk to and also pick from a dozen questions for each character to answer. We were all amazed at how great this museum made learning about the ancient (and now modern) city of Caesarea.

On our way from Caesarea to our next sleeping center, we stopped in the afternoon to do some social action and give back to this fantastic Israeli community that we have been enjoying for two weeks already. We helped paint walls and fix up rooms, or we moved and sorted donated items for those less fortunate. By the end of our time there, we felt we had really done a good deed for Israel, and we all felt better about ourselves.

The evening brought us to the opening ceremonies of the Maccabiah Games. What a rush! We were 111 of 500,000 people in the large stadium in Tel Aviv. Nearby were participants in Birthright trips to Israel, NFTY, and a group from Australia. We all had fun watching the opening act, listening to the singers and cheering when the athletes from the United States entered the stadium. Finally we were not near the end, for in Hebrew the U.S. is Artzot haBrit and is spelled with an aleph. We were near the beginning, adding to our excitement and enthusiasm. Another roaring cheer went up for our Canadian neighbors. But no cheering could beat the roar for the Israeli athletes, when they entered the stadium. It was a very long day, but well worth it to see the fireworks at the end of the ceremonies.

Again, thanks to bus #3 for sharing excerpts of their bus journal with the website:

Israel has been a blast so far and I am seeing tons of things and meeting a bunch of cool people. We are going to volunteer and sort clothes for [underprivileged] people now, which will be fun. The Sea to Sea hike was slightly difficult but even though I usually do not like camping it was really fun! I really like when it is Shabbat because after a fun but extremely tiring week, relaxing all day is a big treat. Yesterday we had this delicious food for lunch that I only wish I could have every day. Well I must go, so maybe I'll write later. ~L.T.

Israel is stellar. I'm having tons of fun yet I do miss my bed. My top 10 suggestions for future Israel travelers:
1. Bring more shirts than they recommend (Israel is sweaty and hot)
2. Bring a converter for AC adapter plug-ins for your I-Pods.
3. Bring extra $$$ for mini-marts and falafel.
4. Bring a pillow for the plane.
5. Bring an I-Pod with stereo.
6. Bring a SMILE!
7. Bring polka-dot underpants.
8. Bring wheat and barley for the camels.
9. Bring a Hebrew dictionary
10. Bring Mothers Iced Oatmeal cookies and Emergen-C.

This trip has been QUITE amazing...my favorite part was getting off the pain institutors also known as "bikes" and leaping into the Mediterranean Sea. The water was the clearest I've ever seen, and I spent most of my time there getting burnt and floating along picking up seashells. I'm really liking everyone on the trip - including all of the very cool Israelis...love you guys! Well, that's all for now! ~M.K.

This trip has been incredible! I've met some amazing kids and have had some unforgettable experiences. Everything is going by too fast!! I can't wait to see what these next two weeks will hold. ~B.H.

Hey! I'm having a fabulous time here with all of [bus 3]. I am so excited for the Maccabiah ceremonies tonight! I am glad I got to go to Israel with such cool people! ~M.K.

Hey Guys,
It was fun to be on this trip. I hope you will continue to enjoy the trip. I really liked bike riding to the sea, and camping was fun. ~H.B. (One of our Israeli teens who joined us last week.)

The Maccabiah games were pretty cool. I liked seeing all the other people in the stadium. I'm big on people-watching. The box dinners are not my favorite, but at least I got a McFlurry! Ha, ha, we all looked so cool in our green shirts. People kept asking us why we were wearing green; we said we were Irish! Okay guys, we are about to go to a museum now. Adios! ~S.R.

7/12/05

Tel Aviv was a very busy day, we learned a new word: balagon. It means crazy! We started the morning at The Palmach Museum where we enjoyed another brilliant modern museum where we were introduced to new members of the Palmach and then experienced their lives over the next few years while they fought for the State of Israel, its independence and the early years of her life. Again we were impressed by the hand-on style of learning and interactive way we were able to sit in the forest with our Palmach soldiers while they had a secret meeting one night. We were also on one of the ships that brought Jews out of Nazi Europe to Israel with the refugees. It was all amazing!

Next we went to Independence Hall and met Theodore Herzl, learned of his dream for a Jewish State and how they made the quick decision to declare independence when they did. We heard audio tape of the announcement to the crowds of people outside on the street and saw were all the dignitaries sat during the reading and signing of the declaration.

We had a great lunch at a nearby restaurant, before going to Nachalat Binyamin for some shopping. The street vendors come out twice a week with the best of the best of their goods. Nearly everyone was able to find something special for themselves or family/friends back home.

Before we could leave Tel Aviv, we needed to make one more stop in the city, at Kikar Rabin (Rabin Square). We learned about Rabin, his peace process, and why he was so monumental in the plan for peace in Israel. We saw the actual place where he was shot and killed, along with the memorial to him a few feet away. It was very moving as we learned that every Israeli from the age of 15 and up remembers exactly where they were when they heard that Rabin had been assassinated.

In the evening we packed to travel to the south and had a dance party to say goodbye to the Israeli teens that have been with us for the last week. Everyone is very sad to see them leave and hope they will be able to visit us when we make it to Jerusalem later in our trip.

7/13/05

On the way to Kibbutz Yahel, we stopped at Kiryat Malachi to say goodbye to the last of our Israeli friends on their own "turf". We spent the morning making kites with the children in the summer camp program and then had a great time in the grass flying the kites and listening to Israeli music. It was great to interact with young Israelis and help them in this hands-on activity. Whent he kites flew, their faces beamed with appreciation. Before we turned off the music, of course we had to do a bit of dancing. And we even learned new steps to one of the songs.

In the afternoon our desert experience began. We dropped off our "daddy bags" at Kibbutz Yahel and picked up food, water, and sleeping bags for a night in the sand. Some of us helped prepare the dinner while others went to the sand dunes. We found that we could ski, sled, jump, roll, and tumble down the sand dunes without getting hurt. We also found that after doing all that, we had sand in places we didn't even know existed.

We went to bed early as the sun set and we were still so exhausted from a full week, and it's only Wednesday!

7/14/05

The desert experience continued with a slight change of plans. Due to 43ish degree Celsius weather (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit), our morning hike was canceled. We were able to work in a different, shorter hike which everyone enjoyed. We went to the Red Canyon where we not only walked along the bottom of the canyon, but then we climbed up and walked along the ridge as well. It was beautiful. Along the way, we stopped and learned how the desert is all of the following: big, quiet, old, unpredictable, and romantic. Later we stopped and learned about the plant and animal life in the desert. We picked some leaves from one of the plants and fried them up for a somewhat popcorn tasting treat.

In the afternoon we went to Eilat, did some shopping and went snorkeling. The number and colors of the fish in the Red Sea was a sight to behold! In the evening we had a pool party back on Kibbutz Yahel before going to bed early and catching up on more sleep.

7/15/05

Once again it is roasting outside. Thankfully the plan for today does not require any hiking in the crazy heat. We started the morning with some extra time to sleep and an intentionally slow start. When we did leave the kibbutz, we went to Eilat to check out the Tayelet, or promenade where a lot of us bought clothes, jewelry, and other souvenirs from Israel. We were each given money to buy our own lunch, anywhere we wanted. A lot of us chose falafel or schwarma, but some went with the tried and true McDonalds or even ventured to try Burger Ranch.

The day wouldn't be complete without another swim in the Red Sea, so we had some free time further down the beach with the lifeguards. We learned both yesterday and today that the jelly fish (medusa) in this part of Israel do not sting you. We were very thankful for this.

Friday ended with Kabbalat Shabbat services led by our teens and a beautiful evening of relaxation on Kibbutz Yahel where we were able to meet teens from the kibbutz and learn about their life growing up here in the Negev and on a small kibbutz. We found it fascinating that there are only about 200 individuals at Yahel. Most of our high school classes (just our grade level) have more people than that. One of our American teens figured that on a small kibbutz, everyone must know each other quite well. He asked how does that work, how do you get along and not feel like you are always on top of each other. It was a great question, and one without a clear answer, except that you just know you must get along and so you do.

7/16/05

We can't believe it's our third Shabbat and we only have one more week left. How can so much time pass by so quickly? We were able to sleep in and then joined the entire group for Shabbat morning services led by our peers. During the service we had five options for break-out sessions: yoga/Pilates, nature hike, discussion group, traditional minyan and a musical minyan. Our goal was to explore ways that each of us could connect spiritually on our own terms, recognizing that standardized prayers from the siddur do not always work for everyone all the time. We joined back together as a whole group for the Torah reading and the end of the service before going to the hadar ochel (dining room) for lunch.

Following lunch we had free time at the pool and around the kibbutz. In the afternoon we got together again for a pluralism seminar where we broke into small groups and discussed how we would want to create our own kibbutz. We decided how to allocate funds, what to build, and basic rules for how we wanted to run things. This helped open our eyes to the intricacies of the kibbutz system.

After dinner we had a short time to change into clothes for the disco boat on the Red Sea following Havdallah and a great song session. It is clear that our community has really bonded and each day more of our activities are led by our peers. Tomorrow we wake up early again and pack up to head out to Gadna (the Israel army experience) or to Social Action.

Hopefully we will be able to update you on those two wonderful programs at the end of the week, before Shabbat. We will unfortunately not have internet access during the week.

7/18/05

Shalom,

Our teens are now engaged in either the Gadna or Social Action experience. I have checked this morning, and the cell phones do work. However over the previous few days, there was very bad cell phone reception at their site.

Printed below are very descriptive e-communications from Rebecca Zimmerman, our education director, and some short comments from teen journals.

Again, if you have any questions, please contact us: Work: 510 839 2900 x253; Cell: 925 895 3605.

Riva Gambert, Director, Israel and Overseas
http://www.letsgoisrael.org/
Let's Go: Israel! is a joint partnership of the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay and the Bureau of Jewish Education of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma.


From Rebecca:

The Carmelite Monastery is located at the top of 300 steep steps cut straight into the hillside. At the top we enjoyed superb views before going inside and learning that this is reputedly the very cave where Elijah is said to have lived and died. Nearby we enjoyed the beautiful sculptured Bahá'i Gardens.

We also spent time with a Druze family who explained how important hospitality is to the Druze people. We had one of our favorite meals of the entire trip with the Druze. One of us was even able to help make the "pita pizza" that EVERYONE absolutely loved.

Before leaving Haifa, we had one more important stop to make. We visited a mosque and were able to see what it looks like on the inside. Unlike our synagogues and temples, the mosque had individual carpets on the floor for each person to use when they pray. It was interesting to learn a little bit about Islam and see what an Islamic holy place looks like.

Haifa really exemplified the similarities and differences between many different faith traditions that (in Haifa) are able to live together in harmony.

The following descriptions are from some of our teens. Thanks to bus #3 for sharing excerpts of their bus journal with the website:

In the Druze village, I helped make the delicious pizza pita. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. ~B.F.

In the room where we ate our amazing lunch, there was a small ledge in front of the door. Being prone to stubbing my toe, I walked straight into the ledge on my way to the bathroom. I then noticed blood seeping from my toe and realized that my nail was practically split in half and blood was from a blood blister that had formed. Luckily, Tamar, our amazing medic saved my toe from amputation (just kidding) and decorated the bandage. ~S.P. [Please note the bus journal also has drawings of the toe before, during, and after the incident.]

Interesting comparison between the three main religions practiced in Israel (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) as well as some of the best food I've EVER HAD!!! XOXOXO ~D.A.

Dear Parents,
Our desert experience in Kibbutz Yahel was a very special one. During our first night in the desert we camped out amidst very large sand dunes and slept under a million stars. Many of the teens expressed to me how peaceful and quit the desert is, how it made them think and how they have never seen so many stars in their lives. It was explained to them that many people share this same feeling and that many writers have written some of their most powerful pieces while in the desert.

Kibbutz Yael (where we stayed) is a reform kibbutz founded by American Jews. We had a very interesting tour of the kibbutz and had two great seminars --one on pluralism and the other with Israeli teens who live on this kibbutz. We had a great Shabbat led by Rebecca and our amazing teens. We also hiked in the Eilat mountains, snorkeled in the Red sea (the third sea so far that we have been to on this trip), went shopping at Eilat's promenade and got to disco on a boat in the Red Sea.

On Sunday morning the trip split up and we are now divided into Gadna and Social action groups. All teens are doing well.

I hope you are all doing well.
Take care,
Talia

* A beneficiary of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma counties.