Dear Camp Harlam Families,
We cannot believe the wonderful experiences we had this week! We hiked up Masada, went swimming in the Dead Sea, and ascended to Jerusalem where we connected to core Reform Jewish values and explored their relevance to Jewish life today. In the City of David, we went back in time to Canaanite and Israelite Jerusalem from the times of Abraham and Sarah, King David and Bathsheba, and the Prophets Isaiah and Huldah.
At Robinson’s Arch, by the 1953-year-old ruins of the Temple, we asked ourselves, “what is the focal point connecting the Jewish people today, as the Temple did in ancient times?” The discussion with the participants was fascinating. We went to the Kotel and some teens chose to put on Tefillin (phylacteries) under the great facilitation of our counselor, Nir.
This Shabbat 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. Throughout these past two weeks, we’ve seen how our participants have crafted their own individual and communal experiences in the Promised Land.
We’re looking forward to more downtime in the coming days, as we enjoy the beautiful grounds of Kibbutz Tzuba and find more opportunities for both buses to be together. This coming Shabbat, we are also joined by Camp Harlam alum Dana Benderson, a first-year rabbinical student living in Israel. After last week’s Shabbat in the desert, we are excited to enter Shabbat together in the Jerusalem mountains as we embrace the feelings described in the book of Psalms: “Jerusalem, mountains enfold it, and the Lord enfolds His people now and forever.”
Shabbat Shalom,
The Yallah! Israel team
