Bus 937 Climbs Masada and Floats in the Dead Sea

5-25-2011: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the wettest of times, it was the driest of times. The day started as many do, waking up in a Bedouin tent with 39 other people and enjoying a delicious breakfast with a high Nutella content. We all still smelt vaguely of camels, but we were excited to get going on perhaps the most eventful day of the entire trip.

Bus 937 drove directly to Masada after bidding our Bedouin buddies goodbye. There was a long wait as everyone applied sunscreen, argued about acceptable footwear, and generally kvetched. We headed up the fortress along the easier of paths available, a steeper yet shorter climb. I managed to crisp my forehead nicely by repeatedly ignoring Nicola’s instructions to put on a hat (sorry, mom) and lose a lot of water by intelligently wearing khakis for the march up, but we all hydrated constantly and reached the apex without incident.

At the top, we explored the old fortress with some impatience as we all felt pretty hot and sweaty. Our lovely (and perhaps omniscient?) tour guide Nicola explicated the history of Massada to the smallest detail. The high point was undoubtedly the simulation of the Roman conquest: Danielle Beer dressed as one of the Masadan Jews as 3 Roman soldiers surrounded her. The story of Masada is actually quite sad, and the group could not agree what we would have done if we were in the same situation as the Jews there. After some picture-taking and water-collecting, we were finished with the top of Masada,

The voyage down was a true test of our mettle. We took the snake path, a winding downward spiral with little shade or flat ground. Our leaders and the people out in front experienced some “creative differences,” but the group slowly made its way to the bottom. A large group of rowdy kids intermingled with us, making it somewhat more difficult to proceed, and we experienced a few turned ankles. We were all very happy to make it to the bottom after what seemed like a decade-long descent, but was probably about an hour.

We headed straight for the Dead Sea, eager to wash off the grime from Masada. Nicola pointed out the topographically lowest McDonald’s in the world as we headed to the lowest place on Earth. Once there, some chose to pay a princely sum for a paltry meal in the cafeteria, while others headed straight out into the sea. Floating around effortlessly was truly a unique experience: I would have had a difficult time submerging myself if I had tried. A number of us opted to coat themselves in mud purchased from the gift shop; I personally figured I could coat myself in mud any time back in the States, but the people who tried it reported an intriguing time. We all washed off the burning sensation from the saltwater and bused out to Ein Gedi, a nature reserve resplendent with life.

The contrast between the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi could not have been starker. Dead Sea, super-saturated with salt, supports no life whatsoever. Eid Gedi, on the other hand, was full of marmots, ibices, and crabs. We hiked the short distance to the small spring we were searching for, and explored the little pool complete with waterfall. It was a refreshing change from the fast-paced action of the rest of the day, but I think we were all ready to get to the hotel as soon as we left the spring.

The trip to our new hotel took far too long, in my humble opinion, but I managed to survive the hour and a half mostly by discussing Michigan State’s Quidditch team. The hotel, once we finally arrived and found our rooms, was really quite excellent. We had one of the better dinners of the whole trip, then headed back to our rooms. I enjoyed a quick Yoga session led by Sensei Sam before meeting up with more friends; we all knew out time was running short. And thus, the party 

-Will Hack

Bus 937 Camps with the Bedoins

Moving on from Jerusalem, Bus 937 made a journey into the desert.  The topography of such a landscape is a complete transformation from the city life of Jerusalem.  With stark vegetation, and complete sand cover, the desert is miserably hot during the day; yet cool as a cucumber in the evening.  Our first stop of the day was at the gravesite of David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister.  The fact that he was buried in the desert is no mistake, for he was the pioneer for development of such a landscape; it becomes clear as to why he chose that specific location, the scenery is out of this world; a desert paradise.

            Next on our agenda, was a hike through the Nahal Havarim Wadi.  The scenery here was spectacular, and the hike was challenging, yet worthwhile.  On the way up, we were able to stop in a cave, which happened to smell like ancient butt.  Once we finally made it to the top, we headed to the Bedouin settlement that would be our accommodations for the evening.  Upon arriving, we were met with a camel ride.  After our mini tour of the desert, we enjoyed a delicious Bedouin dinner, authentically eaten on the floor with a platter shared among your friends.  Lastly, we partook in a sentimental evening activity, in which we walked as a group in silence into the desert.  It was strange to think about the fact that our forefather, Abraham, had once been in these parts of our Jewish homeland when G-d spoke to him.  We were then given a chance to be on our own and have some personal time to connect with Hashem; this was very special.  After this enchanting evening activity, we were then prompted to go to sleep whenever we pleased, in a large tent that was split into three sections, one for each bus.  It was sababa beans to be able to share this large sleeping area with everyone on our trip, even though the mattresses and sleeping bags had been used in the past.  Overall this day was a day that most people will never be able to experience in their lifetimes, and I am truly grateful I was able to partake in such customs.

-Mallory Soffin 

Bus 937 Final Day in Jerusalem and a Farewell to the Soldiers

If there is one thing that everyone knows, it’s that Israel is the place of many generations of Jews.  It’s hard to think about what would be if those six million Jews did not perish in the Holocaust.  Would there be an Israel?  Would there still be hate and war?  We started off our day exploring this very subject.  We left our hotel in Jerusalem and set off for Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Center in Jerusalem.  The magnificence and size of this museum was breathtaking.  Every aspect of the architecture was well thought out and had symbolic meaning.   As we walked through the beginning to the end of the story of the Holocaust, we felt as if the walls were closing in on us.  Not figuratively, but the cement walls were actually becoming more narrow as we approached the end of the museum. 

Although everything in this museum was incredible, I would like to touch on two specific memorials.  The first of which is considered the memorial of all the people who perished in the Holocaust.  Up until this point in time, our tour guide spoke of the Holocaust as a whole, sort of as a broad topic.  This memorial was different because it aims for individuality.  When we walked in this room, we immediately saw thousands of black binders on the walls of the circular room.  These binders contained around four million testimonies of those who died during through this enormous tragedy. Unfortunately, we also saw that there were many empty shelves where two million names of the perished are unknown.  We spoke about how the worst thing in life is to be forgotten and these two million people still remain unnamed and undocumented.  This really hit us hard.  To think that so many people are lost in the midst of everyone’s memories is almost unbearable. 

The second memorial or monument I would like to talk about is for the fallen children of the Holocaust.  This was easily the most painful monument to walk through.  As you walked into the stone cave and hit the darkness, your stomach turned.  Five candles were lit in the middle of the mirrored circular room and the reflections in the mirrors looked as if millions of candles were floating in the darkness.  Although the millions of candles were an optical illusion, the sensation we felt while walking through this monument was, at the least, overwhelming. In addition, the names of all of these lost children were being said in a monotone voice over the loudspeaker.  All we know about these children is what there names are, their age, and where they are from. 

As if this wasn’t enough, it was now time to say goodbye to our soldiers.  We went to a park to discuss memory in Judaism and all we could think about were the new friends we have become so close with.  At lunch yesterday, I asked one of the soldiers if the other Taglit groups were as close to the soldiers as we were.  The answer was no.  These eight people came to us as strangers and left as brothers and sisters, as best friends.  The soldiers on our trip taught us so much.  They taught us about their positions in the Israeli army, themselves and their culture and beliefs, but most of all, they taught us about ourselves.  We only had them with us for five days, but when we were sitting in that circle, it felt as though we’ve known the for years.  When we went around the circle and spoke of our soldiers, so many people shed tears.  It was to the point where our staff had to yell for us to get on the bus because no one wanted to leave our new friends.  One soldier was so distracted by the teary goodbyes that he forgot his bag in the bottom of our bus. I do hope that our Israelis read this blog and fully understand how much they impacted, not only our trip, but also our lives.  I, for one, felt as if these people were already heroes before they walked on this bus because they are the people fighting for this incredible place.  But when they changed out of their uniforms, and into their street clothes, they became even bigger heroes in my mind.

Because the first half of the day was so emotionally exhausting, the next parts of our day felt kind of empty.  The bus was quiet, and we weren’t as lively when we arrived at the nature reserve for our hike.  Although we were occupied with hiking and crushing a spice called hyssub, our minds were to our soldiers that were on their way back to duty. 

As a good ending to our night, the entire birthright trip in our hotel met to speak about other opportunities to return to Israel in the future.  I would be surprised if one person in the was not considering participating in one of these incredible experiences.  

 -Dani Gittleman

(Pictures also to follow...)

Bus 937 Lands in the Old City

            Many could consider March 22nd, 2011, the defining day for the Taglit-Birthright: Hillel Bus 937.   If described in one word, that word would be “surreal.”  We were honored to have Avram Ingfeld , one of the founding members of the Taglit-Birthright program, open the morning with an inspiring speech.  He told the story of his journey towards discovering the meaning of being Jewish.  His inspiring (and at times comical) story was a perfect way to start this day because for most of us we were just beginning our journey towards discovering what Judaism means to us.

            After the speaker, our first stop was at the Theodore Herzel Cemetery.  There we learned and paid respect to the heroes of the State of Israel.  Whenever the history of the State of Israel is discussed, many names come to mind.  Entering the cemetery, we came face to face with the burial places of the heroes such as Theodore Herzel, one of the founders of modern Zionism.  As we went further into the cemetery we also came into contact with the burial places of people such as Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir, David Ben Gurion and other Israeli heroes.  However, what struck a note with our group was walking through the soldier’s section of the cemetery.  Upon entering, we were instantly hit the realization of the grave reality of war.  Learning the story’s of individuals whom lost there lives in the war and looking at the pictures of soldiers whom many were around the same age as us made us realize how everyone made sacrifices for their homeland.  This stop was important for appreciating how important Israel was to idea of having a Jewish identity

            The next stop was the entering of the old city and the Western Wall.  In Judaism it is customary to pray towards the Western Wall and located in the old city.  Being there was what can only be described as magical.  From Jews around the world all of their prayers were being directed at us.  Thinking about that idea gave us the realization that we were finally “home”.  Descending down the path towards the Western Wall was the pinnacle of our journey that day.  The wall embodies all the aspects and ideals of Judaism and being at that single spot in Jerusalem could be described by the word I mentioned earlier… “Surreal”.

            Finally we ended the night by making a road trip to Tel Aviv for the night to attend a play.  What was special about this play was that the actors and actresses either blind and/or deaf.  The play was not only brilliantly done, but it was inspiring.  The story of the play was about the actors and actresses themselves.  They described their dreams of living life to the fullest even while being blind and/or deaf.  Each character had a personal story and dream personal to them. 

All of the events today sum up an important message that our group learned.  The people of Israel love their land and everything about it.  We saw sacrifice, hardship, devotion and pure love for the land.  The events demonstrated how we as Jews needed Israel and that with love, devotion and sacrifice anything can be achieved.  To end this I wanted to stress once again that everything we experienced today was “surreal” and solidified an important aspect of discovering a Jewish identity.

-Scott Tarnowsky

(Pictures to follow...)

937's Shabbat in Jerusalem!

Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem! It was absolutely amazing to have the opportunity to celebrate this time in the Holy City. For those of you who have never traveled to Israel, it is imperative to know that literally every business closes from sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday. God intended for the Sabbath to be the day of rest, and we definitely did our very best to uphold that ideal.

To start, the majority of us exhausted students slept in. The hotel pool was opened for the first time this summer, and we took full advantage of it. It was so fun to sun bathe and swim with all of the other Taglit Birthright participants. We really took it upon ourselves to completely relax, since we have been experiencing nothing but jam-packed 10 hour-days. There were other options for relaxation, such as a yoga class. You can imagine our excitement at the fact that the first actual mandatory activity wasn’t until 1 p.m., lunch time! Afterwards we were able to chill out for another hour or so, until our activities really started at 3.

It was at this point that we met together as a bus, and had time to really get to know our soldiers. We broke off into smaller groups, and the Israelis traveled from cluster to cluster asking us questions, answering our inquiries, and sharing our laughs. It was wonderful getting to know them better, even though they had already been such an integral part of the trip for a few days prior. We were able to brake down any barriers that there were and truly understand them as friends. After this we were given the opportunity to join some of our fellow Bus 937-ers on their journey to manhood and womanhood, according to Jewish law. Sarah, Katie, Danielle, Gillian, Ruthie and Max all chose to become b’nai mitzvah in Jerusalem. They recited the prayers and wrote out speeches as to what becoming a b’nai mitzvah meant to them. The ceremony was in a room overlooking the Old City, and it was absolutely beautiful to see. After our peers went through their ceremony we walked to a park about 15 minutes away. It was beautiful outside, as it has been for the majority of our stay here, and we were just allowed to play and goof around with friends old and new. Afterwards we enjoyed dinner and then a lovely Havdallah service on the roof of our hotel. All of the students who were b’nai mitzvahed were showcased in the service overlooking Jerusalem at night.

We were then off to Ben Yehuda street for some Jerusalem nightlife. For the majority of us, this meant buying souvenirs for all of our lovely friends and family.  The shops open at night after Shabbat ends, and the streets of Jerusalem are filled with people eating, drinking, and being merry. Being able to take part in Shabbat in Jerusalem was life changing, and though this day wasn’t as activity-driven as most, we were definitely okay with it

-Barrie Seigle

 Just a soft Shabbat afternoon in the Park.

 Walking tour of Jerusalem on Shabbat!

 Hanging on the bus after Shabbat!

 

Night out on Ben Yehuda Street

Bus 937 Enters Jerusalem

Friday was when the “fun trip” became an “amazing trip”.  We all woke up early at our hotel, ate a nice Israeli breakfast, and hopped into our bus.  Our first stop was the Kinnerat Cemetery, which was a place along the Kinnerat filled with the graves of some of the earliest settlers of modern day Israel.  It was there that we learned about the early Zionist pioneers and their dreams for the state of Israel.  It was also a plus for us to have some of the soldiers joining us on the trip (even Dor…J ), because even though our guide was very interesting, they made it even better, offering a different and unique perspective. 

On our way to Jerusalem, we passed the West Bank, which was a very interesting part of our trip, because back in the United States, all we know about is what we saw on the news, and the fact is that this area that we were passing through was the center of it all.  Truthfully, there were some bunkers and tanks, which we could see, but it was a lot different than what most of us had thought it would be like.

After we passed through there, we entered the city of Jerusalem.  One of the best memories of this for us was when we were driving through the tunnel to enter the city, and one of our trip leaders (Sam) got up and right before we entered, he said “Ladies and gentleman, look to the left and you will see the city of Jerusalem.”  Immediately, we saw a bright light at the end of the dark tunnel, and we all shifted ourselves to the left side of the bus.  While looking at the city that we have heard so much about (but never been too) was an amazing sight for all of us, the looks on all of our faces were absolutely priceless. 

After we arrived in Jerusalem, we stopped at Mount Scopus, overlooking the city and all of its beauty.  There, we admired the beautiful view with several other Birthright trips, and we all partook in the traditional “schehechiyanu” blessing.  But not before we busted out into a crazy, emotional dance session.  It was truly a magical experience, not only to see Jerusalem, but to share it with other people, and express it through song and dance. 

Next we went to the Machaneh Yehuda Market, where we had about an hour and a half to walk around and just explore.  Searching through the market, we experienced tastes and smells that reminded us of something from our childhood while also encountering things that were alien to us.  Some of us bought lunch (falafel, shwarama, etc), some bought knick-nacks, and some just stopped and listened to the funny looking lady playing the ukulele at the front of the market. 

With Shabbat looming, we checked into our hotel in Jerusalem, washed up, rested, and got ready for a nice and relaxing Shabbat. 

A lot of people would agree that today was hands down the best and emotional day of our trip so far.  It only gets better from here, and I hear that we may get to sleep in on Shabbat…

-Noah Rozenberg

 Bus 937 takes a picture with a beautiful view of Jerusalem

 

Israeli Dancing

Bus 937 Gets Spiritual in Tsfat

Today we woke up at the crack of dawn as usual (6:30 a.m.), and went for an early morning hike along the peak of Mount Meron with views of the Upper Galilee. It was chilly when we got off the bus but we were thankful it wasn’t warmer while we were hiking.

After the hike we headed to Safed to meet our eight soldiers that will be joining us for five days. There are five men and three women, all very friendly and eager to join our lively group of Americans. After a quick lunch in Safed, we went to a glass blowing demonstration where an American-Israeli artist Shava  Chaya spoke with us about her life in Israel while creating a beautiful mezuzah cover out of glass. Then we toured the spiritual town of Safed and its old synagogues that preserve traditional values and practices.

We ended day four with our last dinner at the hotel, followed by a group discussion about our individual connections with Israel. Tonight is our last night in Tiberias and we’re looking forward to see what Jerusalem has to offer tomorrow.

-Danielle Beer

 

Glassblowing in Tsfat

 

Delicious Shwarma Lunch with Rafi

Bus 937 Explores the North

An early wake up caught us off guard; while some woke up too early, others struggled to breakfast.  I think we finally are all on Israeli time!  Our first stop was to the Syrian memorial where Nikola told us about how Israel was formed and how the 1967 war was won in basically only two days due to the strategic planning of the strong Israeli Army.  After the history lesson, we headed to the Israel-Syria border.  We all walked up to a lookout where we could actually look into Syria. 

After walking through an old Israeli bunker, we headed to lunch.  This was the first experience with Shwarma for many of the MSU students.  Although the look on some people’s faces suggested that the Shwarma wouldn’t be a hit, the consensus was that everyone was craving more, and I am sure that it wont be the last time we indulge in some traditional Israeli lunch!  Post-lunch we headed to a nature hike.  It was very beautiful and enjoyed by all of the students.  

Our action-packed day ended with a raft ride down the Jordan River.  Splashing fights and a race to the finish made this ride great for all.  Finally, we headed back to the hotel for dinner and an evening activity.

After this, we hit the Tiberias streets! We walked down the boardwalk and visited the various street vendor stands, and danced at an outdoor nightclub.

All of the students are having a great time and can’t wait for the next activities. Tomorrow, we will meet the Israeli Misgash (Israeli soldiers), who will spend the next few days with us.  In addition, we will be seeing live glassblowing!  More fun surely awaits – stay tuned.

 -Danny Normandin

 Bus 937 takes a group picture while exploring the Tel Dan Nature Reserve.

 Exploring an Israeli bunker while on the border of Israel/Syria

Students attempt a 10 person pyramid.

Bus 937 Arrives in Israel!

Right now, everyone on Bus 937 is hanging out in the lobby of a hotel in Tiberius, Israel.  You can tell by the dark circles under everyone’s eyes that we are very exhausted by the crazy two days that we have had.  The plane ride was long and, thankfully, pretty quiet.  The food, however, was another story.  When we finally landed, everyone was awake and anxious to get out into the beautiful country of Israel.  We got our phones, exchanged all our money, and hopped on the bus.

About 45 minutes later, we arrived in Caesarea, a very Roman part of Israel.  We learned about the history of this incredible place and it’s long story of the people who lived there.  We saw the hippodrome where people used to sit and watch men race horses and even gladiator fights.  Along with these sights, we also saw a theater that, to this day, is still used for concerts and such.

We sat in a circle in Caesarea with all of our new friends and acquaintances and started to get to know each other.  While the group is still in the process of mixing the students of MSU and UCF, the people on the trip are great and hopefully relaxing in the hotel for the night will do just that.

-Dani Gittleman