Our Visit to a Druze Village

By Sylvia Wolk, NFTY in Israel Participant, Bus 3

Recently, we visited a group of Druze, who served us a wonderful lunch. I’ll admit, before this trip, I’d never heard of the Druze (Their segregated mountain top homes might have something to do with that). I got a brief intro during my time on Sea to Sea, where I was told that they lived segregated lives and kept their religion secret. Meeting with them and learning about their culture was very enlightening, and helped me truly understand their culture. I learned that they are an offshoot of Islam, but clearly are no longer related to the religion. Their loyalty to their country was also new to me. As a Jew, I’d feel more loyal to a Jew from Russia than a Christian from America, but the Druze are more loyal to their country than their people. Their patriotism was so much stronger than I’ve imagined, and seemed stronger than some Jewish Israelis I’ve met. Our host sparked a wonderful discussion about patriotism, and how that effects ties to families. This puts strain on their relationships, especially with the current Syrian civil war turning Druze against each other. They also gave us a lot of food, and all of it was diverse and wonderful- normal pita, zatar pita, tahini, Israeli salad, you know, classic Israeli food (actually though, it was delicious and plentiful). All in all, it was an educational and entertaining trip.

July 8th, Ein Avdat and Sde Boker

July 8th, Ein Avdat and Sde Boker

Written by Leo Kushnir and Nathan Liebman, Yallah! 2024 Participants We started with an early morning in the kibbutz, which was actually our last day waking up here before heading off to Eilat. As usual, we woke up relatively early and got together with friends to...

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Experiencing Auschwitz after 10/7

Experiencing Auschwitz after 10/7

  Written by Eitan Klieger, Yallah! 2024 Participant *This article originally appeared in The Times of Israel Today I walked through Auschwitz. Our teen group went through the gates and saw the camp with our own eyes. We walked the same path that one million Jews...

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First full day in Israel

First full day in Israel

Written by: Lily Gartenlaub, Daria Blyveis and Alex Gutman, Yallah! 2024 Participants Hi all! It’s Lily, Daria, and Alex writing the first teen blog of the summer! We woke up bright and early in our kibbutz rooms and got breakfast together. Then we bussed to...

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Arrival to Israel

Arrival to Israel

Written by Ben Markbreiter, Yallah! 2024 Madrich Today we welcomed the first 16 teens to arrive in Israel this summer with Yallah Israel/MBI! We had an exciting time meeting at the airport where we all learned each others’ names, situated ourselves geographically, and...

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Treblinka

Treblinka

Written by Sophie Math, Yallah! 2024 Participant As I walk along the paths of Treblinka, the only thing I can feel is shock. Every part of the camp was destroyed, completely eradicated to hide any proof of Jewish extermination - a way for the Nazis to avoid taking...

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