Boker Tov!

Boker Tov everyone!  We are all having an incredible experience so far in Israel.  The past three days have been extremely special.  We are all getting to know one another better and are enjoying learning about how incredible Israel is together.  On Sunday we went to the Holy City of Safed  where we got to see ancient temples of mystical and rationale Judaism.  While the Temples were beautiful it was also interesting to learn about a type of Judaism that many of us were not very familiar with.  The girls also loved the shopping!  Later that day we went rafting on the Jordan river which was very relaxing and refreshing.  Finally, we went to `Mount Bental where we learned about the Battle of 1967 between Israel and Syria.  It was especially moving to be able to experience it with the Israeli soldiers on our trip that we have all learned to know and love. 

Monday and Tuesday were even more busy then Sunday!  On Monday we went to Yifat where we got to meet people involved in the partnership between the metro Detroit area and their designated city in Israel.  This was especially meaningful for me because last summer my family hosted two girls from Nahalal which is Ann Arbor's sister city in Israel.  It was very cool for me to be able to see where the girls were from and be reminded of how important these partnerships are.  Later that day we went to climb Ein Ovdat which was very special.  I am afraid of heights but even I could greatly appreciate the beautiful view.  After that we went to visit the first Prime Minister of Israel, Ben Gurion's grave.  I loved learning more about this incredible person's life and why he chose that place in the dessert to be buried.  Finally, we made our way to the Bedouin tents in the dessert where we got to ride camels!  All of us were so excited for this.  While the Bedouin tents did not provide for the best sleep, it was very cool to be able to meet up with other Birthright groups from all over the country and I think it made our group even closer.

After that sleepless night we woke up at six in the morning to climb Masada.  The climb up to Masada was fairly easy and we greatly enjoyed learning about King Hordos and the sprawling castle he built upon this beautiful mountain.  The way back down was a little harder and all of us couldn't wait for lunch after that!  After that we made our way to the Dead Sea which sounded so great after walking in the dessert in extremely hot weather.  The Dead Sea was very cool, we all rubbed mud over our bodies and then jumped back in to wash it off!  After this we all crashed on the bus and made our way to the Holy City.  Upon Arriving in Jerusalem we were greeted by a woman from Hillel Israel at Mount Scopes which looked down upon Jerusalem leaving a beautiful view.  It was a very moving experience looking down on Jerusalem and saying the Motzi and reciting the Shecyanu.  It was so fun dancing around with our Hillel groups.  I am so excited to explore the old city tomorrow and go to the Western Wall.  I can't believe it will already be our seventh day, I already know I'm going to be missing Israel and the lifelong friends I've made.

- Maya Greifer