March 14 -15, 2010

We arrived in Israel after a long take off delay– two hours later than expected - nevertheless the sky was sunny - Israel was welcoming - and the long ride was well worth the benefits.  We altered our itinerary a bit and started out in old Yaffo, sensing what early travelers felt as they arrived in Israel from boat and saw the shoreline in early pre-Zionist and Zionist times.  We have a great tour guide Ayelet, a madrich named Yonatan - even the guard / medic and the bus driver seem most amicable.  We had group games in the evening, and hopefully will get a good night sleep before exploring Tel Aviv in the morning.  Good night from Israel!!!!

 THE FLIGHT

When we got to JFK during the check-in we were asked uncommon questions for security such as : " do you have any sharp objects?"  The flight was entertaining and I was able to sit next to all my friends.                                                                                                                  - Edo

The plane ride was difficult because we took off three hours late and had to sit in the plane going nowhere.                                                                                                                         - Tsvi

When we came to JFK I was looking foreword to a good flight. My expectations were disappointed because of the service, but we all arrived safely in one piece.        - David

YAFFO

We finally made it safely and in one piece. Touring old Yaffo was the best and beautiful. We played fun activities, and learned more about each other!! So far so good, and can't wait till we have some more fun.                                                                                                               - Tamar

Yaffo is a beautiful place. I enjoyed our short tour,   Even though Yaffo is small, it is very eye catching and beautiful.                                                                                                         - Shani

Yaffo, the ancient city is so amazing!! Everything there is antique and beautiful. I had lots of fun exploring the city, and its history. I enjoyed it very much and it was so much fun.                     - Orel

When we arrived to Yaffo our tour guide took us all around and shared with us how ancient and beautiful it is. Then we had dinner and had fun activities.                                                - Emily

We arrived in Yaffo very tired from the flight.   We learned to count down with numbers and letters.  I got the letter "yod". We toured Yaffo and played games with our friends.           - Jacob

I did not eat and I did not sleep. I showered!                                                                      - Hadar

March 16 - 21, 2010

TEL AVIV

Rabin Square, once called Kikar Malchei Yisrael, is a big area in Tel Aviv right next to the place where Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated.  It is a place where people can join rallies and speak about what they believe in. We can all remember Yitzhak Rabin there and his ideas about peace.                                                                                                                              - Ophira

Today we went to Independence Hall where Israel was first declared an independent state. We learned about the history of Tel Aviv.   We shopped at the artist’s fair. It was fun walking around with friends.                                                                                                                                   - Fran

The Palmach Museum was really cool.  As we entered different parts of the museum, we learned about how Israel was always protected by people who wanted a free Jewish state. In each section we watched about the protectors, their struggles and different obstacles that they surpassed in order to protect Israel. I learned a lot and found the museum very interesting and had a lot of fun.                                                                                                                     - Tamar

Tonight we went to a really cool restaurant called Punchline. Fran, and Hayley and I sat with Danit and her family. We talked to them and heard a lot about the Israeli lifestyle. Also, between courses, waiters sang different songs on stage. It was a really fun night. I’m looking forward to the next family visiting opportunity.                                                                                     - Sara

During the day we went to the art fair. Where we walked around the stalls seeing how many of the people made beautiful crafts and paintings. There were many different types of performances at the fair, one of which was a green avatar! I had been in Tel Aviv many times before - this time it was different.                                                                                           - Natalie

In the morning we went to the place where Yitzhak Rabin was murdered. After that we went to the place where Ben Gurion declared Israel a state.                                                            - Edo

Yesterday we went to the Palmach Museum. The story that the videos told us was extremely interesting. There was a lot of drama. It talked about WWII and the help from the Palmach. Then we had dinner at Punch Line. The waiters and waitresses had very entertaining voices. They entertained our families and had great service. Then we went to the hotel to pack for the next day. Right now we’re going to the Negev to go hiking and then to a Bedouin tent.  - Veronica

Yesterday we went traveling in Tel – Aviv. We went to Independence Hall. There we watched a movie about the establishment of the State of Israel. Then we went to the Palmach Museum. While our group was waiting to go in, we played a fun game. When we went in the exhibit was fun and full of surprises and drama. After we left, we went to dinner at a restaurant called Punch Line. During and throughout the meal the waiters sang and entertained us. Now we are headed to the Negev to go to the Dead Sea and sleep in a Bedouin tent. It should be fun.   - Cecily

March 16 - 21, 2010 (cont’d)

DEAD SEA - MASADA

Today we went to the Dead Sea. Obviously is was salty and people were saying that their bodies were hurting. Now we are on the way to ride camels. From there we are going to the Bedouin tents. From what I hear it will be fun.                                                                    - Gabe

Hiking was so much FUN!!!  We walked through a stream and then jumped into a natural pool at Nahal Achziv. Then we went to the Dead Sea to find salt rocks and heal our wounds. Then we went to the the Bedouin tents.                                                                                               - Veronica

We went hiking today through a stream and got really wet which made it even more fun. Then we went to the Dead Sea and it was so cool to be floating without trying! Now we are going to ride camels.  YAY!!!                                                                                                           - Danielle

The Bedouin tent was so awesome. My favorite part was the camel ride. They were all so cute and made funny noises. Danit and I rode on one together and we named her Jose. She was a very good camel (and cute!!) The funniest part was when Fran and Sara’s camel nipped Sara - It was so hilarious!   Well, so far that was the best experience we had on this whole trip!                     

                                                                                                                                                - Hayley

My experience at the Bedouin tent was great. I rode a camel with Talya and David.   Afterwards we ate delicious meat with pita in the Bedouin tent. This is a great place to visit.          - Jacob

Masada was so much fun.  In the middle of the hike we stopped and played a game. We would say a word and a friend would repeat it.  It was so much fun.                                      - Talya

Masada was so much fun. First we climbed the easy path up. It took us about 10 minutes. We prayed on top of Masada. It was very meaningful. Then we toured around. The walk down at the end took almost an hour.                                                                                                              - Cecily

Masada was awesome! We learned about the history of the mountain and even got to climb it. We prayed there and also walked around and saw the rooms. I felt so close to God up there and I loved it!    But it was very tiring walking down…                                                   - Danielle

Masada was enormous. We walked upstairs and saw houses made with rocks. Our tour guide Ayelet explained everything to us, and the walk back down was very long!  We stopped often because everyone was very tired.                                                                               - Ofir

Masada was really fun. Masada showed me how the Jewish people lived 30,000 years ago. The way up the mountain was fast. It was about 25 minutes but the way down was about an hour. It was fun and worth every second of it.                                                                           - Dean

I sang to everyone for two hours going down Masada. I rode on grocery carts while Rami pushed me.  We got a carton of mango juice (Rami bought it) at the Super Sol.          - Hadar

March 16 - 21, 2010 (cont’d)

JERUSALEM

Mahane Yehudah was an interesting experience for me. It was very, very busy because it was almost Shabbat. There were cookies and cake being rolled everywhere and they smelled so yummy. After that we went back to the bus and prepared for Shabbat.              - Fran

Shabbat was a great day. Just to begin the day we got to sleep in and woke up at 8:30 instead of 6:30.  We went to different synagogue in two groups. After lunch we went to the park to play basketball, soccer and gaga. We returned to the hotel for a very spiritual Havdalah. After Shabbat we finally got to the “legendary” Ben Yehudah.  SO much fun!!!                    - Tomer