Sunday

Today we packed our bags and left Tzfat. It was a tearful farewell to our spiritually uplifting home for the past week, but it meant that we are just a few more days away from our entrance to Jerusalem. We started our trek down south, stopping first at the Jordan River. Here we saw where tradition tells us that the People of Israel crossed the river to enter the Land of Israel. Next we went to Ein Gedi. Ein Gedi is a beautiful hike/ nature walk that surrounds a desert oasis. It was very refreshing to partake in the springs and waterfalls especially in this heat wave. Continuing south, we stayed overnight in a bedouin compound called Chan Hashayarot, which is located near Sde Boker. We enjoyed bedouin style hospitality and dinner and even brief musical entertainment. We learned how bedouin Arabs treat their guests, which is extremely well! After we feasted on chumus and chicken and laffas, we enjoyed some bus 2 bonding time in the form of a kumsitz a few meters away from the compound. Rabbi Gershie led us in some moving songs and Rabbi Polstein told us a powerful story as well. After curfew, we all made our way to our respective tents and slept.

Monday

Having spent the night in the Bedouin compound, we woke up early and enjoyed camel riding at 6:30 am. Two by two, we rode and learned that camels do in fact spit and have extremely long eyelashes. The camels had a lot of envy from the ladies. We then enjoyed a delicious hot breakfast, with fresh laffas and scrambled eggs. Once we left the Bedouins, we took a short stop in Sde Boker to visit the grave of David Ben Gurion and to learn about his legacy and accomplishments. Although he was the prime minister and held government positions in Jerusalem, his true passion was for the desert of the south. It was obvious to us why Ben Gurion fell in love with the surrounding scenery. We then made our way further south to a community called Mitzpe Ramon. Mitzpe Ramon overlooks one of the largest craters in the world. There we were thrilled by the challenge of rappeling down 50 ft into the crater! Although it was scary at first, once we made it to the landing platform we looked up and really felt proud of ourselves! We ate lunch and then reloaded the bus and made it all the way south to Eilat, the southern most city of Israel, which borders both Egypt and Jordan. For dinner, we walked over to the boardwalk and thoroughly enjoyed our Burgers Bar dinner, where we had a choice of either a burger or grilled chicken.

Tuesday

Today I want to call Eilat Day! Even though it was well over 1000 , we stayed very cool with lots of water activities. We started the day with a glass bottom boat cruise around the Reed Sea. We were given the option to jump off the boat and go snorkeling or just swimming.   I think we were all suprised how salty the sea was, so many couldn’t stay too long in the water. Whoever wanted also had the option to go parasailing. Anyone who went had a blast. We were also priviledged to view the beautiful coral reefs that are at the bottom of the Sea. After the cruise, we had the options to go banana boating, rafting, kayaking or paddle-boating. Some even got to do an activity more than once. After our pizza lunch, whoever could make it in the heat, went to hear about Eilat’s capture in the War of Indepence (1949)- Uma Rash Rash. Ready for a nice cold shower, we returned to the hotel and prepared for dinner. For dinner we went back to the boardwalk and enjoyed dinner of our choice. When we came back to the hotel, the advisors and Rabbis prepared a program showing us how for 2,000 years our people have yearned to return to Jerusalem. We met with groups and discussed our anxieties and excitement for coming to the Kotel for the first time on Wednesday night.

Wednesday

This morning we woke up super early to make our way to Masada. It was very impressive that everyone made it to the bus at 4 am so that we would be allowed to hike the Snake Path at 7:15 am up the mountain. It was not easy battling the heat and exhaustion, but those of us that did climb felt an incredible sense of accomplishment once we made the last few steps up to the plateau. We prayed at the top of the mountain and then learned the history of Masada as a fortress and refuge to the Jews after the destruction of the second Temple. After we took the gondala down from Masada, we continued our busy day with a trip to the Dead Sea. While the water itself was rather warm, it was fascinating to scoop up handfuls of salt from the bottom and attempt sinking. We all had a blast floating on the beautiful teal water before it was time to pack up and carry on to Jerusalem. When we finally arrived to the Old City, there was an immediate rush of excitement throughout the bus. Although it had been a long day, we still had one more stop, the kotel. Despite our exhaustion, the Western Wall was well worth it.  Each person handled the holy site in their own way, however, it was a powerful experience for all.