Tel Aviv Day
On Thursday we celebrated Taglit Week in Israel's second largest city: Tel Aviv. We started the day in Rabin Square and we discussed the social and political implications of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Even though he was assassinated before some of us were born, we were still fascinated by how life in Israel has been impacted by the loss of a leader so dedicated to peace.
The peace process he led was so close to achieving what many believed was impossible. We found that since then, prospects of achieving peace in the region have been incredibly limited. We interviewed people around the square and learned from a variety of perspectives. We found that some people have more hopeful than others about the prospect of peace; many expressed little confidence in their political leaders while others said they want more emphasis on education. Learning about such controversial topics in Israel's history and hearing from local voices was undoubtedly an impactful experience for our whole group.
We also went to the Cultural Arts Center of Tel Aviv and participated in an interactive percussion session (everyone said it was like being in the Blue Man Group). After such deep discussions about the peace process, this is exactly what we needed. Such a creative outlet led to an afternoon of volleyball and watermelon at the beach. After splashing around we listened to Eshkol Nevo, the famous Israeli author. We discussed his renowned novels, writing process, and even got to share some of our own creative writings. He works closely with local university students by conducting writing workshops, so it was a brief but insightful afteroon.
That evening we had falafel for dinner and attended a Mookie concert. The popular Israeli band put on a great performance and led to the culmination of our third full day. After the concert we were led to a night in Tel Aviv. This city is famous for it's vibrant night life and we got a sample of how much the city has to offer. We are all looking forward to Shabbat in Jerusalem!
Photo Credits: Image 1-@maya418, Image 2-@gtaxerxo, Image 3-@captainjaks, Image 4-@gcmemento