PICTURE THIS...

ONE FOR THE BOOKS

After 2 long days of travel, we finally reached The Holy Land of Israel!  We arrived at the airport in Tel Aviv early Monday morning, exhausted.  But our day was packed with fun activities that motivated us to push through the day and fight the jet lag within us.  We started our day by interacting with the group in some team building exercises.  We broke the ice in one game where we had to play rock paper scissors but with a twist.  We started as an egg, worked our way to a chicken, then to a dinosaur, and the final winners acted as Elvis Presley.  We all felt pretty funny doing it, but I feel that it really started us to connect with one another as a group. 

After, we split up into groups and did a scavenger hunt around Tel Aviv.  Tel Aviv truly opened my eyes to how beautiful Israel is.  With large, intricate trees lining the pathway that we walked through, it really felt like we were living in the moment.  We got to see some powerful graffiti around the city and understood how Israelis could anonomously voice their opinions about issues they felt were important.  After a wonderful lunch, we drove to our exquisite kibbutz.  We split into our rooms for the next two nights and got to experience a complimentary dinner in the dining hall.  Following dinner, we had a debriefing session.  Debriefing sessions are our time as a group to sit down all together and talk about our experience in Israel so far.  It gives everyone a chance to share their thoughts and connect with others.  We shared why we were on this trip and what it meant to us.  People really began to open up to one another and it was a really special time. 

Today was one for the books.  We began our adventure by heading to Tsfat where we got to look around the shops and beautiful architecture that Sefad had to offer.  Many of us enjoyed some of the best Chicken Schwarma around and fell into a food coma.  But we couldn’t be tired yet, because the fun was just beginning!  We then went to go rafting through the Jordan River!  We split up into pairs and entered the Jordan River by being pushed down a conveyer belt.  Entering the water with a splash, we all kayaked down the river together, hitting rapids every once in a while.  Each rapid brought a surprising thrill that we all enjoyed.  Following the river, we got to browse around a Naot factory, an original.  We also enjoyed some great ice cream as well.  We then went to the Mt. Bental overlook.  Walking to the very top of the overlook, we got to see the boardering countries of Israel, including Syria and Lebanon.  With such an amazing view, we were all antsy to take some of the best pictures of the trip yet.  We could all see an Israeli flag marking the boarder between Israel and Syria, and were in awe at everything there was to learn from one of our group leaders Shani, about the history of the boarders.  After a while of exploring, we all headed back to the bus and made our way to the Kibutz once again, where we are all showering and relaxing, awaiting our second dinner of the trip. 

I feel that most of us who have never been to Israel before, we have learned more in these two days of adventure, than we learn in one semester of school.  Learning about the culture and way of life in such a special place, and experiencing everything firsthand, has really impacted our lives and we cannot wait for what else this adventure has to offer!  

- Kelly Giuliani 

UP UP AND AWAY!

So… 13 hour flight and I somehow only managed to sleep for about 30 minutes. I put my headphones in, turned on my Israel music playlist to set the mood and hoped I would drift off into a sleep and wake up hearing the flight attendants playing Hatikvah. I woke up, little did I know, about a half hour after I fell asleep and thought I had slept for hours. Checked my watch and couldn’t believe only a minimal amount of time had passed. Perhaps my mind is so caught up in the adventures that lie ahead that there is no time to rest.

Oh well, that’s one of the things about travel I have become quite accustomed too. No sleep and always on the go. We have about two hours until landing and I have lost any hope of gaining sleep and have just convinced my self that sleep won’t be necessary… I will be so excited to get off this plane and start touring that I will quickly forget I have gone about 23 hours with no sleep. I will sleep when I’m dead, when in Israel there is too much to do and no time to sleep.

Had I slept on this flight I would have missed out on great conversations with the two women sitting on both sides of me. They asked me why Americans are so fat. At first I was kind of offended and then I started to wonder what was I offended for? American society prides itself on meat and carbs. Although I love a good bagel and French fries, Israelis are always so shocked at how poorly balanced our meals are. For breakfast, the lady next to me told me, she was given potatoes, bacon, eggs, sausage, a waffle, English muffin and a cheese Danish. She said that would never happen in Israel. I think that’s one of the things I will be adding to my list of reasons why I need to move to Israel: a good sense of portion control and an understanding of what a truly balanced meal is.

Sorry mom, I haven’t even had a chance to kiss the ground in Israel yet and I already know I won’t be ready to leave after just three months. I have been on many many flights before and never have I been on a flight with complete strangers, from two different worlds, a language barrier and felt so comfortable and had so much to talk about. I LOVE ISRAELIS. I love Israel and I cannot wait to touch down.

- Anna Rubin 

Alternative Spring Break New Orleans 2014

New Orleans: A True Celebration of Community and Culture
By: Laura Williams

My Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans, Louisiana was an experience I will never forget. From the road trip there to the road trip back we had a packed week of service, learning, fun, and friends. Our first day there was Mardi Gras and we got to experience first hand this awesome celebration in the heart of it all. The city was alive and full of families, parades, awesome floats, and of course beads! It was an event I will never forget. 

The next day we started our service. The group went together to a local synagogue to help set up for the Limmud Fest, a discussion based learning conference that brings new perspectives and ideas to Jewish learning and the Jewish community of New Orleans. It was cool to explore their beautiful synagogue and connect to Jews from other parts of the nation, one even went to Tamarack Camps here in Michigan! We also have the opportunity to work with UNITY of Greater New Orleans, this organization supports community member deemed chronically homeless and places them into permanent housing. Our service included organizing boxes of supplies that would be given to participants in the permanent housing program. These packages help them begin the process of creating a space into a home and ensures a higher level of success in maintaining housing. We also handed out fliers to the community surrounding the organization asking for donations, it was a fun and meaningful organization to work with. 

My favorite of the organizations we worked with was Project Green Light. We went around the community and replaced old light bulbs with CFLs to help both the resident and the environment. This project was my favorite because we were really able to spend time with the people of New Orleans, hear their stories, and make real connections, all while helping the environment! In the evenings we would have great discussions where we Asked Big Questions. I learned a lot about New Orleans and the people that live there. I learned about the struggles they went through and how there was a lot more to the story than most of the nation believes. We talked about their community, our own community, and what the most appropriate ways we can lend a hand to others. The service was meaningful, the discussions were meaningful, and the time spent with old and new friends was truly unforgettable.

A special thanks to Repair the World for supporting our week of service.

Bus 1107: A Great Day

Taglit-Birthright Israel - Bus 1107 - December 2013 - Day Two 

We began our day at 6:30 AM with 3 alarms going off at the same time plus a wake-up call from the front desk; we really wanted to be on time for our first day touring Israel. My roommates and I went to breakfast together not knowing what to expect on the menu. I was surprised to see salads on the table but everything else was pretty common in the U.S. 

Our first stop of the day was to visit the Golan Heights where we learned the history of the land and why it is important for Israel to have control of it. After we saw the incredible view from the lookout we went on a Jeep ride. It was very muddy and there were puddles everywhere. I almost got splashed by the water, but luckily it missed me by an inch. It was very surreal to be in a place that had so much history of conflict. After the Jeep ride we visited an olive oil factory and learned how it is made. The best part was that we were able to taste many different kinds and they were all very delicious. After the oil factory we had our first lunch in Israel which, of course, had to be Shwarma and Falafel. I will not be able to eat Shawarma back home in the states after this experience because it is so much better in Israel. After lunch everyone fell asleep on the way to our next activity because we ate way too much. 

We headed to Tel Dan nature reserve to walk along the streams of the Jordan river and stopped in the middle to play some fun games with our bus to get to know each other better and feel more comfortable with everyone. We ended with a game that linked everyone together and by the end everyone was laughing and having a good time. The next stop was to Metula, the most northern city in Israel which also borders Lebanon. We saw the border line between Israel and Lebanon and I think it was very important for me to connect what I hear in the news to an actual place that I have seen. Before this trip I used to listen to the news and wasn't able to connect with the events that were going on in the middle east but after actually seeing the land with my own eyes I see the conflicts in a different and more tangible way. When we were in Metula we were also able to see the hachulah valley which was very beautiful and all the mountains surrounding the valley were covered with snow. 

After we got back to the hotel me and a couple friends walked around the kibbutz and found the beach during our free time. We had another amazing dinner and followed it up with a great conversation about what it means to be in a community. After we were done for the day a bunch of people from our bus played soccer together slipping and sliding on the wet grass. We had a great second day. 

- Olivia Berlin, Junior at Michigan State University 

Bus 1107: Welcome to Israel!

Taglit-Birthright Israel - Bus 1107- December 2013 - Day One 

After a very long day/night of traveling, bus 1107 finally arrived in Israel! We got off the plane, got our luggage, exchanged our money from dollars to the Israeli Shekel, and also picked up our rental phones. Then we got straight on the bus and headed 2 hours north to Nof Ginosar, a Kibbutz on the Keneret. While we were on the bus they gave us our first Israeli snack called krembo. Krembo is basically 3 inches of marshmallow on a graham cracker covered in chocolate, yum! 

When we arrived at the kibbutz we had our first Israeli meal of the trip and it was amazing. They had a huge table of hummus, babba ganoush, and many other types of Israeli salads and condiments, which were all delicious. They also had chicken, salmon wrapped in pastry, and spiced lamb patties on a cinnamon stick, it was all so tasty. For dessert I tried a light cake that was layered with coffee flavored whipped cream it was very good. Me and my friends also tried a persimmon which is a tasty fruit that looks like an orange tomato but is very sweet and has a soft texture. 

After dinner the whole group had an orientation to meet everyone, go over the rules, and go over the itinerary for the next day. After the meeting we went to our room which is very cozy, just enough room for 3 small beds and a bathroom. In the bathroom there was a squeegee in the shower but me and my roommates had no idea why. One of my roommates was the first to take a shower and realized that there was nothing to hold the water back in the shower and that you had to actively squeegee to not have a raging flood in the bathroom. Let's just say that I didn't listen to her and didn't actually squeegee while talking my shower and now our bathroom is quite wet...sorry roommates! We finally crawled into bed and tried to set our alarms for the morning but realized that were weren't sure what the local time was because all 5 of our electronic devices had a different time. We decided to call the trip leader to ask him what time it really was. He laughed, told us the time, and then we fell asleep watching some crazy Israeli T.V. show. It was a great first day!

- Olivia Berlin, Junior at Michigan State University 

Totally Tel Aviv

Shalom y'all,

Today we visited the Mt. Hertzl memorial site in Jerusalem before exploring the great city of Tel Aviv. We saw the graves of leaders in the Zionist movement, one being that of Itzak Rabin. Our guide Muki described to us some achievement of Rabin as the first Israel born Prime Minister. Later in the day in Tel Aviv, we drove past the location of his assassination and considered  the significance of his life. While it was a somber moment in our trip, it felt necessary for us to continue learning the history of Israel's independence.

Later, we explored the great city of Tel Aviv. We started off at the Jaffa lookout, and the view was marvelous. We then began exploring the streets of Tel Aviv. The first thing we noticed was how lively Tel Aviv is and how hip the people are. We were given free time to explore the city ourselves and check out the market. The market had a variety of things ranging from knockoff sunglasses to beautiful rugs and tapestries. I was able to grab some more (SHWARMA EVERY DAY) delicious shwarma before we left. After grabbing a few gifts, we headed to the beach for a bit. 

The beach was a great break after many long days of programs, activities and traveling. Shortly after going to the beach we were given a tour of city hall where many events took place that solidified Israel's independence. It was very fascinating to see how Tel Aviv has grown to be one of the most lively cities in the world. 

To finish off the day we visited the port for dinner. It was absolutely beautiful and the view was great. There were many nice restaurants to choose from. We all visited a chocolate factory and found many great souvenirs for those at home.  Tel Aviv was definitely one of our favorite cities and we definitely want to go back some day.

p.s. shwarma is a big deal.

- Elliott Norris & Karl Schwinghamer