From Tzfat To Tel Aviv... The Diversity of Israel
This morning we left our first home, Kibbutz Moran! We drove a "short forty minutes" to our next destination; the ancient and spiritual city of Tzfat. After a short tour of the city and an explanation of Kabbalah, mystical Judasim, we entered a synagogue that was hundreds of years old to see its beauty and very different style from a traditional synagogue that we are used to in the United States. The beauty and history that was shown to us in this place of worship was both inspiring and breathtaking.
We then had the opportunity to listen to two Israelis perform on some of the coolest instruments we had ever seen! The music was exciting and we couldn't help but clap along as these artists showed us their music. We then ventured to another artist in Tzfat, Avraham Lowenthal. Avraham is a Detroit native but has been in Tzfat exploring Kabbalah for over 20 years. He makes his living by selling his beautiful art, every piece of which is a depiction of an aspect of Kabbalah. His wonder and optimistic outlook on life was out of this world and something that will stick with us for a long long time.
Our next trip was to Tel Aviv! Our first stop here was at Rabin Square. Here, we heard about the life and story of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin. Rabin was a fierce warrior who went on to dedicate his life to politics and the pursuit of peace. He was considered left-wing and when he entered negotiations with Syria, the country became empassioned on both sides of the issue. In a national tragedy comparable to the JFK assassination, Yitzchak Rabin was assassinated by a fanatic as he was leaving a peace rally. Today, we visited the monument that stands at that very spot to pay our respect to beloved former Prime Minister of Israel.
Next, we checked into our hotel in Tel Aviv, ate dinner, and enjoyed a musical performance by Israeli musician and Shorashim Senior Educator, Udi Krauss. Udi performed some contemporary Israeli music that we were able to sing and clap along to! After the performance, we had our night out in Tel Aviv where we had a chance to explore the vibrant nightlife we had heard so much about and had an absolute blast! Tomorrow is a very exciting and busy day, we can't wait to see what else Tel Aviv has to offer!