Michigan State Hillel: Bus 935 in Israel!

Our trip began at JFK where we met 216 fellow birthright participants from all over America. We all waited in a tedious line, where we were questioned by El Al employees about our Jewish history. We got asked questions like “where is the origin of your last name?” “What was the last Jewish holiday you celebrated?” and “what is your hebrew name?” before we checked our bags and went through another formal security. We stocked up on food and magazines for the flight, which was ten hours long. The plane was not a double decker, which was a disappointment to some, but there were TVs in front of each person’s seat, offering free movies, TV shows, games, and flight information to every traveler. We were given two meals, a dinner and a breakfast. The service was very good on El Al. Our flight landed around 6pm Israel time.

Day Two

We came off the airplane and were greeted by our tour guide, Yishai, who will be with us for the entire duration of the trip. We got our passports stamped, found our luggage, and received our Israeli cell phones and exchanged American money for shekels. We boarded our bus for a week, which is a nice, air-conditioned coach bus. We left the airport and drove an hour to Ashkelon, where we stayed at Dan Hotel. We learned that this city was mentioned in the bible. After we checked into our rooms, we enjoyed our first meal in Israel! We ate at the buffet in our hotel – it was a lavish Israeli dinner! We had an assortment of meats, vegetables, hummus, breads, and many tasty desserts. Much of the food was new for us to try. We had a brief orientation and ice-breaker activity, where we learned each other’s names and went over more about the trip. When the meeting ended, we all returned to our hotel rooms to go to sleep! It was a very long day of traveling, but we were all so excited to finally be in Israel.

Day Three

We woke up at 6:30am Israel time, packed up our rooms, and had a delicious Israeli breakfast at our hotel before departing. The breakfast had fruit, eggs, yogurts, pastries, potatoes, and many other yummy foods! Our first drive was past the Gaza Strip. We drove down a freeway where we could see Gaza in the distance. We enjoyed looking at Israel’s scenery. Our first stop was Dan Gol, an outpost overlooking Gaza (don’t worry, we were at a safe distance away!). At this stop, we learned more about Israel’s history, and were able to see a landmark in the distance where Gilat Shalit was captured. We learned that pigeons carry messages to and from the base camps, so we were able to write our own messages, attach the notes on the legs of some pigeons, and set the birds free. A few hours later, at our next destination, we received the pigeons (and our messages) which found us at the next place. That place was at Shvil Hasalat, which was the Salad Path. We got to see how Israel grows its produce, which is very environmentally friendly. We were able to taste a variety of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, strawberries, carrots, and different herbs. We left the Salad Path, and drive for an hour before reaching Kiryat Gat, where we had lunch at a shopping mall. We were able to have real Israeli food- such as shwarma or falafel. There was also a kosher McDonalds, and an authentic Israeli coffee café. After lunch, we drove to the Beit Guvrin Caves. We first participated in an archeological dig, where we sifted through dirt and rocks to look for interesting pieces. Some people found cool pottery pieces or bones! We learned that in a dig here, a girl in a group just like ours found an artifcat confirming the story of Hanukkah, so it’s possible that some of the things we found could be from 2,300 years ago! We traveled through a cave, that was underground and dimly lit. We had to go through small holes and rough terrain as we made our way from the entrance to the exit. On our way out, we were able to take a few pieces of pottery that were rejected by museums (but still really cool) to take home (as long as they don’t make our suitcases more than 50 pounds for the flight home)! From the caves, we drove along the Trans-Israel highway and were able to see a wall that is very important to Israel’s security, as it borders Israel and West Bank. Our next stop is Tiberias, where we will be until Friday. Israel is amazing, and we’re all so excited to be here!

-Sara Nathanson and Marissa Ceresnie