Dear Eisner and Crane Lake Families,
We had a jam-packed, adventure-filled, and inspirational third week in Israel! Time sure flies when you are having fun! This week the participants got to choose their own four-day immersive experience, or “Chavaya.” Many hiked from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean in the famous “Sea to Sea” trek. Another large group chose to engage in tikkun olam, repairing the world, through community service opportunities in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. We also had participants join the IDF for “Gadna,” through which they got a taste of basic training, learned about the army experience, and discussed the values of the IDF and the place of military service in Israeli society.
After coming back together on Wednesday, we reflected on our unique experiences across the country. The last couple of days we have been exploring our Jewish roots in the Galilee. We visited the most beautiful mosaics in Israel at Tzippori, where we learned about the creation of the Mishna, when the Jews in Israel were a minority living under the Roman empire. On this site we discussed the experience of holding on to Jewish identity as a minority in the modern world. Today we went to Tzfat, the city of Kabbalah, and learned about Jewish mysticism and the creation of Kabbalat Shabbat as an outdoor mystical experience by the sages of Tzfat in the 16th century.
With this extra layer of understanding of Shabbat, we look forward to entering this Shabbat with the beautiful hospitality of Israeli Reform congregations in Haifa and in the Galilee.
This week we start the book of Deuteronomy with the words of Moses, before entering the Promised Land as one people after a long journey in the desert. We wish us all this sense of oneness as we welcome Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom,
The Yallah! Israel team
