Monday April 13 2015

Day 5

Matthew

 

Hello everybody! Last night was the first night that we stayed with our pen pals. I think everyone was very excited and that they had a very good sleep. I certainly did. Today everybody met up at Har Va Gai (The school that the pen pals go to) and chatted about how their nights were. Soon we were picked up on a bus and we drove to the Tel Dan nature reserve where we went on a hike. This was very fun and we played a few games as a group along the way. About two hours later we were picked up by four jeeps and taken on a jeep tour through the Golan!! This was amazing! We stopped a few times along the way at a few special spots. One spot that really caught my eye was a military bunker that was used during the 6 day war. It was very interesting to be inside something that was used in combat many years ago. Soon we reached a restaurant where we ate a delicious lunch. I was super full by the end. :) After lunch we returned to the school and walked around the campus. I thought it was a very beautiful school and area. We were then picked up and brought back to our host family which is where I am currently writing this message from. I think we all had an amazing day and I can't wait until tomorrow.

Friday April 10^th 2015

Day 2

Noa

Hello All,

Today, we had the pleasure of visiting the old city of Jerusalem. It was a phenomenal place to see and I would definitely visit it again. We started off the day with a short walk through the newer city. First, we went to the Great Synagogue. It was by far one of THE most amazing places I’ve ever been to. Though I am not religious, I truly felt connected to my culture and to my roots. We then attempted to get into the King David hotel, which failed. Oh well, maybe next time? We continued onwards and saw the first village that was built outside the walls of Jerusalem, which was so cool! It’s crazy to believe how old everything here is. After a much needed food break, we changed into some more ‘modest’ clothing for the walk into old Jerusalem, and we were off! The old city is one of the most fantastic places ever. We were greeted at the tomb of David by a group of men with an extreme case of Jerusalem Syndrome, an alleged effect that the city imposes upon people, praying for the Messiah. With open arms, they welcomed us into their tradition with Matzah and sour wine. The weather became a nightmare when it began to rain at the Western Wall, which is amazing, by the way. The weather today was actually really chilly and was on and off gross. Overall, it was a pretty great day! I look forward to seeing more of the country.

 

Saturday April 11^th 2015

Day 3

Aviv                    

Hi everyone, today was our first visiting family day. It was really fun because people got to see their relatives, which they did not see for a long time or had never seen them at all. I got to see my dad because he was also visiting Israel during the same time as us. Later that day, we walked to the Israel museum. In the beginning it was really warm than it started raining. On the way to the museum, we stopped to see the Knesset, which is the Israeli parliament. After, we continued our journey to the museum. When we arrived at the Israel museum, we saw a huge model of the second temple. It was beautiful and amazing. After viewing the model, we went inside the museum and saw the shrine of the book as well as many more scrolls. When that was over, we went to view the art models they have at the museums. We walked around there for a while and then headed back to our hotel. On the way back to the hotel, it was freezing and raining. It even hailed! We had to wait under a bridge for the hail to stop. Even though it was freezing, it was still a fun experience. Finally, when we got back, we immediately had to listen to a speaker named Neil Lazarus, who talked to us about the security problems in Israel. Surprisingly, Neil was extremely funny and made it a more interesting topic to discuss. When Neil left, we sat in a circle and talked about the Holocaust because we were going to Yad Vashem, a Holocaust museum the day after. Next we did Havdalah and went to a mall called Mameela to eat dinner. We ended our day by watching a light show beside the tower of David. It was tremendously cold and rainy but, as a result, I had fun and I believe everyone else also did.     

 

Sunday April 12 2015

Day 4

Jacki

Hello everyone!

Today was our last day in Jerusalem and a very powerful day for all of us. We visited Yad Vashem (Holocaust Museum), where we learned a lot about the Holocaust and World War 2. The building itself is a huge triangular prism and the layout is very unique. There is only one path to take through the museum which represents how during the Holocaust the Jews did not have a choice about their fate. At the end of the museum there is a room called; The Hall of Names. It is a room with a giant pit in the middle. When you look up you see pictures of Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust, and when you look around, you see shelves full of testimonies. When you look down, you see yourselves and the pictures blurrily reflected in a pool of water. This shows that it is our job to pass on the memories and make them clear for the future. After seeing Yad Vashem, here in Israel as well as The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC it has become very clear to all of us that we are the future, and we need to use history as a lesson to ensure that something like the Holocaust never happens again. After Yad Vashem we went to the Hertzel Museum, where we learned about Theodore Hertzel’s wish of creating a Jewish state that is now a reality. Theodore Hertzel is an inspiration to all of us, as he showed us that dreams can really turn into realities. We are now on the road again, driving up to the north part of Israel where we will meet our pen pals. So far this trip has been an amazing experience and we are all having the time of our lives! Looking forward to some more fun days!!

 

 

 

Day 1 in Israel April 9th 2015

Thursday April 9^th 2015

Day 1

Ariel

Hello everyone, I am currently writing this from the airplane en route to Tel Aviv, on Mr. Oren’s new tablet. The flight has been long, but not too painful. It was 3h 50m from Calgary to Toronto, where we had a 4 ½h layover, and then had to be interviewed by El Al security agents. The flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv is 10h 30m, and we still have 2h left to go as of the time at which I’m writing this. Weather is looking good, very warm in comparison to Calgary and Toronto, spring is in the air! In the past few months, myself and others have been researching and presenting info on various locations in Israel, and today I will be visiting one such location; Armon Hanatziv PromenadeThis is after our drive to Jerusalem from Ben Gurion Airport, of course. Our celebration of Passover will continue in the Holy City of Jerusalem, looking forward to getting off the plane and truly beginning my Israel experience.

I’m doing some more writing now that our first day, more of a half-day, has been completed. Armon Hanatziv Promenade had a very beautiful view where we said Shehecheyanu. We also did some public group dancing, where we attracted a small crowd. Even though I didn’t get much sleep on the plane, I had a great night’s sleep in our guest house, Beit Shmuel. The road to Jerusalem was a sight to see, with various bridges and an abundance of stone buildings. So far, this trip has been very exciting and I am certain that today we will have a great time at the Western Wall and the old city of Jerusalem. Here are some photos we took yesterday, from top to bottom: Calgary group pic at the airport, Calgary girls at Mount Scopus, and both Edmonton and Calgary together at Armon Hanatziv Promenade.