Shalom chaverim v'mishpacha!
Shalom chaverim v'mishpacha!
(Hello friends and family!)
Day 2 was an incredible first full day in Israel! Despite a fair share of the US participants experiencing some major jet lag (shout out to Marcus for winning earliest to rise! Or did he lose....), we had plenty of energy to start the day. In good Israeli fashion, breakfast was filled with fresh vegetables and salads, eggs, toast, and lots and lots of local and fresh cheeses! Biggest challenge of breakfast? How many scoops of instant Nescafe coffee do I put in my cup? Maybe Day 3 I will figure it out...
Our first full day was met by the warm, shining Israeli sun on our first of many hikes during the trip. We kicked it off with a Schechechiyanu ceremony, acknowledging the first full day of this tremendous experience by thanking Hashem for providing us the opportunity to be here with all of these amazing people. Our hike was the first hike many participants have ever been on, and they had a blast! Throughout jumping over and on top of lots of rocks, using trees to catch us from falling, and jamming to some good tunes, we greatly enjoyed the shade that covered us in the morning. Our wonderful tour educator, Or, lead us through the hike with multiple stops to hydrate, take photos, and learn about the Galilee area were we were hiking.
After avoiding cow poop, low branches, and hiding from the strong sun, we ended the hike with some refreshing ice cream, and a lot more water! Check out the complete hike we did here: Check out my 10.2 mi Run on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/593753471. Note, the mileage did not calculate correctly, it was really about 4 miles! We hopped back on the air-conditioned bus (thank goodness!) and headed to Tsfat, the birthplace of Kabbalah. One of four religious cities in Israel, Tsfat is visually similar to the old city of Jerusalem, with her beautiful limestone streets and buildings, narrow walkways, and curvy roads. We scarfed down delicious schwarma and falafel for lunch, learning how to order our favorite toppings in Hebrew while having our first interaction with Israeli vendors (they talk really fast....). Luckily for us, we have the opportunity to celebrate many birthdays on the trip, the first being Blair's 22nd birthday! How many people can say they celebrated their 22nd birthday hiking in northern Israel and touring Tsfat? I don't think that's what Taylor Swift sings about...
We learned about the origins of Kabbalah, tikkun olam, and tzedakah on our way through the windy and steep streets, meeting some lovely locals along the way. The Holy Ari, the birthplace of Kabbalah in Tsfat, was our next stop. We observed the beautiful synagogue while learning about her dramatic history, followed by our first swing at shopping and negotiating in public markets. Tsfat has beautiful artwork everywhere, and many art galleries to stop in. Luckily for us, we got to meet an artist, Avraham Levintal, and learn about his story moving from Michigan to Israel to learn more about Jewish mysticism. He shared his artwork style and how it fits into the Kabbalah practice, and allowed us time to ask questions and purchase his artwork! Very informative, and the air conditioning felt great too!
We came back to our kibbutz for a delicious dinner, with a variety of fresh salads that we only dream of in America, homemade hummus, tahini for days, and lots and lots of water! Many of us felt the pains of jet lag in combination with the hot sun, hike, and long day, so we all made sure to drink plenty of water at night.
We wrapped up the evening with some fun games outdoors, enjoying the fresh, cool night air with friends and great laughter. Day 3 brings warmer weather, another hike, rafting, and more from the Golan Heights!
