Shavua Tov (A Good Week)!

Shabbat has just ended and we had a beautiful Havdallah circle to see her off. Today was a very special and relaxing day filled with Judaism and exploration, but we wouldn't be doing our trip justice if we didn't describe our first full day of Birthright to you.

We started with an exhilarating hike that opened our eyes to the beauty in the North of Israel. It was challenging but we would still do it again if we had the chance despite a few of us not taking our guide so seriously when she said we would need at least 3 liters of water each! Some of us having never left Florida in our lifetimes saw and climbed mountains for the first time! This was an experience we will never forget. 

The next stop after the Zavitan hike was lunch. After such a draining hike, we were all looking forward to eating as much Israeli food as we could! We tried everything from schwarma to falafel to schnitzel. It was so delicious and the fresh flavor was so satisfying. The food was nothing like we've ever had before! We can't wait to try more!

Mount Bental, or "Har Bental" in Hebrew, exposed us to something that we've all heard about on the news but never thought we would really be faced with. On Mount Bental, we overlooked Israel's boarder with Syria, learned about the Syrian civil war, and were asked what we believed Israel's role in the situation should be. All of us had heard about the refugee crisis, but very few of us really understood how complicated the situation was and what the impact of the eventual resolution might be.

The last adventure of the day was the Jordan river rafting. This experience exceeded the expectation of what a once in a lifetime trip to Israel truly means! We journeyed down the river with six people per raft, racing by the locals who added to the fun by splashing and helping us go down the river faster. Rafting alongside everyone on the trip and splashing each other with ice cold water was a blast! The fun in Israel has yet to stop! 

We came back to the Kibbutz where we welcomed in Shabbat as a group. For many of us, this was our first Shabbat experience in Israel! We had a evening service, enjoyed dinner together, and got a chance to get to know the entire group in a more intimate way.

On Saturday, we learned about this week's Parsha, Kiddushim, through a hilarious skit performed by about 10 volunteers who offered a fresh take on the Torah. We also had an opportunity to learn about the similarities and differences between Israeli and American Judasim through a guided small group conversations. After our Havdallah circle, we enjoyed a dinner at a local mall and now we're enjoying each other's company at the kibbutz for our last night here.

Can't wait for tomorrow!!