A Wonderful and Busy Day
Today was perhaps the most event-packed day of an almost freakishly (but of course, wonderfully) event-filled trip. Our day began by waking up at 4:30 AM inside the Bedouin tent. After drinking some Bedouin tea, we drove to Masada so that we could hike to the top of the mountain before sunrise. The view of the sunrise over the mountains and Dead Sea was gorgeous, and it was incredible knowing that we were seeing practically the same view that Jews on Masada had seen thousands of years ago. While on Masada we also saw ancient ruins—including one of world’s oldest synagogues—and even partook in some group wide “yelling-into-cliffs-to-hear-an-echo” action.
After a longer hike down the mountain and eating a picnic breakfast, we drove to the Dead Sea. On the bus we learned that due to a variety of factors the Dead Sea is shrinking about one meter each year. We could clearly see the area of desert land that only twenty years ago had been covered by the Sea’s famous salty waters. Thus, when I was floating around in the sea and covering myself in mud like a giddy five year old, I also felt incredible gratitude for Shorashim for enabling me to enjoy this famous landmark while I have the chance. After the Dead Sea, we headed back to a hotel in Jerusalem. We have a great dinner and learned abut Israeli politics. We then had a short Bar Mitzvah ceremonies for three of the group members. They each did a great job, and afterwards we all threw candy at them and danced the horah. Overall, it was a fantastic day in Israel!