Blog
Blog
Climbing Masada at Sunrise
On Friday, the teens left the desert and finally arrived in Jerusalem! In the afternoon the group visited a park looking out over the Walls of the Old City and had a “Welcome to Jerusalem” ceremony with Challah and Grape Juice. They sang songs about Jerusalem that they learned in the dessert to celebrate their first ever view of the Ancient and Holy City of Jerusalem.
Getting to know Israeli Teen Peers
On Sunday, the buses began the “Kishrei Noar” segment of the NFTY in Israel program. “Kishrei Noar” is Hebrew for “Youth Connections,” and for many of the American Teens this is a highlight of the summer in Israel. During this part of the program, eight Israeli teens join the group full time for seven days.
Four Day Free-Choice Experiences
Today, Wednesday, the teens concluded their Chavaya Experiences. These are four-day activities during which the teens explored an interest with a likeminded group of participants. The choices included: Gadna, an Israel Defense Force immersion; Tikkun Olam Social Justice projects; and a hike from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea.
My Most Memorable Experience
My time in Israel has been without a doubt the best experience in my life. If I were to pick one experience that was the most memorable, I would choose the visit to the Western Wall. I’m not a spiritual person at all, but this experience was truly the most I’ve ever felt connected to Judaism and for once in my life, I felt truly connected to the Jewish community.
Shabbat in Jerusalem
Saturday was Shabbat in Jerusalem as we all know, we received the option to wake up for breakfast or show up for services at 10:55 a.m. I personally chose to wake up for breakfast, it was very good and we were offered a lot of choices. It was a nice reprieve from the desert we had been in just a day ago.
A Fun and New View About The Differences We’ve Noticed So Far in Israel!
Our first buses leave for Israel in less than 4 weeks! This means we’re about to facilitate 470 teens transferring through our various gateway airports on their way to Israel or Europe. Fortunately, they’re not all traveling on the same day!
Mitzvah Corps Visits the Galilee Medical Center
By Sharon Mann, Liason in Galilee Medical Center's Department of Foreign Affairs It was a pleasure to welcome North American teens from NFTY in Israel's Mitzvah Corps to Galilee Medical Center where I am a liaison in the Foreign Affairs Department, for a look at...
Derech Eretz: Bringing our Jewish Values to Innovation
On Shabbat, Sci-Tech Israel heard from their first entrepreneur of the trip, Giel Matz, the Managing Director of the hardware department of Keter Plastics. Look around Israel, have you ever sat in a white plastic chair? If so you’ve most likely sat in a Keter chair. Keter’s name is everywhere: on garden furniture, household plastics, storage containers, and hardware.
A Connection to the Western Wall
After being in Jerusalem for a few days, we took a trip to the old city to learn about historic Jewish sites. While times have changed and our religion has adapted, many traditions have remained the same.