A Bit More Catching Up, Yam El Yam, Shabbat in Tzfat

Our kibbutz group rejoined everyone else for shabbat at another kibbutz in the North the Friday after we finished volunteering. Before we departed to dinner and evening services, our teachers made us make a circle and had people on one end go around the inside to hug each person and wish them a "Shabbat Shalom" so that every person ended up being hugged and greeted. It was so nice to see everyone again, both from JDS and Weber, and as I looked around I realized that this circle didn't feel like 93 random people. It felt small; I knew every face and every name.

On Saturday we went to services and then walked to a nearby park. We all may be 18, but that doesn't stop us from frolicking around on playground equipment, and that we did in addition to sleeping in the sun and enjoying more melon (it's in season and apparently very inexpensive here). After Havdalah, we had a customary Lag B'Omer bonfire in which we sang and roasted marshmallows and sweet potatoes, and then we headed home.


Sunday was one of my favorite days on the trip thus far. We all got to split up and choose different things to do in Tel Aviv in the morning, and I chose to do an art gallery tour with ten other people. We had a little extra time in the morning, so we set off to find a coffee shop, but a few friends and I ended up at an amazing cupcake bakery-not a bad way to start the day. Then we met with a woman who gives art tours and she showed us around four different galleries and gave us a little background on Israeli art. We saw some truly amazing pieces, both old and new, and the gallery setting combined with the small group size made for an intimate and meaningful experience. The Dan and Stern galleries were my favorites. What I found most interesting regarding what the woman had to say was how the artists used color and light to express the Israel and its people in contrast to the places (mostly Eastern Europe, so think dark and oppressive) from which they immigrated. After our tour we rejoined everyone else for an afternoon on the beach. Unfortunately I spent most of it studying for my upcoming AP Government exam, but it was still nice to be outside. For dinner we went to a mall and did some gift-getting as well. It was a nice day to have a day in the city after being secluded on the kibbutz for so long.


Monday I took the AP Gov exam, and all I can say is that I am glad to be done with it. Once we finished we boarded a bus to join the rest of the group for dinner at a Druze village. We had a short introduction to Druze culture as well, and its so interesting. The Druze are Arab but fight in the Israeli army. Their religion is about 60 years old, and the tenets of it are actually secret. They believe in reincarnation and members of the religion have three opportunities to become religious (most stay secular during childhood and young adult years), after which they learn the secrets of the religions. Dinner was delicious and was followed by fun live music and dancing.


Tuesday began our 4 day trip of hiking from the Mediterranean Sea to the Kineret, also known as Yam el Yam. Our depature was prefaced by a tekes, or ceremony, at the sea, in which we all recieved Weber-JDS headbands and got excited for our adventure. We actually didn't start with hiking, but biking! It was a little hectic doing so with 90 kids, and the rocky dirt roads made for a bumpy ride, but we accomplished our goal of covering a lot of flat, boring ground quickly. At lunch we dismounted and split up into hiking groups. I opted to go with Etgar Plus, which means that you hike a little extra each day. I was nervous before going but it ended up being a great decision, and I did this group every day. Our "plus" was visiting some ancient ruins on the top of a hill, and the view and wind (our madrich took a "wind shower," which consists of stripping down to underwear and facing the wind to air out, and got all the boys to join him) was awesome. The cool part about hiking in Israel is that not only is the landscape incredibly gorgeous but there are also random historical sites and ruins everywhere that give the land a special significance and feeling. We also stopped at a Mayan, or spring, on our route, and went into an underwater cave. The water and Turkish coffee made by our teachers hit the spot.


The other nice thing about this hiking trip is thata catering company followed us around to provide us with 3 meals a day and set up our tents. So yeah- not that hardcore, but I wasn't complaining. We arrived at camp just in time for hot soup and dinner, and our evening activities included looking at stars, sitting aroubd a bonfire, singing, and cuddling- just a few of my favorite things.

Etgar Plus completed 21 kilometers (almost 12 miles!) of hiking on the second day of Yam el Yam. The hike was just as beautiful as day 1, with the added bonus of what our teacher called the "little spot of heaven"- a hill with a perfect view of Tzfat below us. The next day we did 19 kilometers and encountered an extra uphill challenge as we ascended to a mikveh at the top of a hill.

Friday was our last day, and probably my favorite. The terrain was different from the rocky ups and downs of the previous few days; the trail was flat and obscured by thorny bushes. Our teacher talked about how while the thorns hurt hikers, they help plants pollinate and grow, and we had a very meaningful discussion in which the group opened up about the thorns in our lives and how we could grow from them. We then embarked on a silent and separate hike for the next hour. I love hiking silently, and it gave me some time to reflect on our trip thus far as well as to take in the beauty of the cavernous rock walls above me. We regrouped after a while to begin the final stretch of hiking towards our destination, the Kineret, which was pleasantly interrupted by a fresh-from-the-field melon-eating stop. When we finally made it we stripped off our clothes and jumped in. The Kineret is technically a lake, but it is an incredibly beautiful one surrounded by mountains, and getting in the water with my friends and taking in my surroundings after those four days of hiking was one of my favorite moments on the trip; I felt not only accomplished but also a sense of unity with the people and land surrounding me. We walked across the country! Unfortunately we didn't have too much time there because we had an appointment to make at a nearby water park. Water slides, a pool, more Kineret-frolicking, and ice cream awaited, and this was a great break after being on our feet for so long.

Post water-park we left to spend Shabbat in Tzfat. Friday night we walked around the city, went to services, and had dinner- nothing too special. Saturday morning, on the other hand, was one of the best Shabbatot I've had. A little background- every Shabbat that we are on campus, we (the students) have the option of attending several different minyans, or prayer services. There's a secular/storytelling/alternative minyan, and there's an orthodox one. Even though I'm not religious and half the time I have no idea what's happening in the service I always go to the orthodox minyan. I figure if I have to spend time praying I might as well do it right, and I enjoy the silent reflection time. There is a mechitzah, of course, and the boy's side definitely wins in terms of both attendance and spirit. The girl's side starts out alright, with about 10-15 people in attendance, but slowly dwindles down to about 4. My friend Michal and I are always two of the last ones standing (good old fashioned Jewish guilt keeps me from dipping out, I can't speak for her), and we also always roll our eyes at all the ditchers and joke about our hardcoreness.

This Shabbat was no different than usual in that the girls slowly slipped away as the Torah reading approached. For some reason, however, as the service progressed the boy's side got more and more into it, singing prayers aloud instead of saying them in silence for the sake of saving time and adding more and more optional songs and prayers as well. I didn'tknow all of the words but I participated when I could- I just love listening to people praying. Apparently our ruach was noticed by others as well, because something miraculous happened- we actually gained members as the secular minyan let out! At the end each side usually makes its own circle and sings Adon Olam to conclude the service. Today, however, we joined together, and with our arms around each other sang the song to a beautiful Karlebach tune. I smiled the whole time. I know this seems like such a little thing, but as someone who has had mostly negative experiences with prayer growing up (and I'm sure many Jews can relate- I'm talking Sunday school and forced prayer in Jewish day school, common complaints from my peers as to why they dislike praying so much), this moment of unity, harmony, and joy expressed through song was so refreshing. Birkat at lunch was equally spirited, with musical accompaniment courtesy of forks tapped on glasses and plates and fists banged on tables; singing after dinner and during Havdallah was stronger than usual as well. Maybe it was the spirituality of the city of Tzfat, maybe our group had become closer after Yam el Yam, maybe it was just one of those days, but this Shabbat was really wonderful.