Lunch and on to Kibbutz Yahel

We had lunch in town and traveled on to Yahel but not before meeting some soldiers. 

Wishing everyone Shabbat Shalom. We are so honored and happy to be traveling with this outstanding group of young men and women who love each other and their Judaism so deeply. 

- Rabbi Rau, Julie, Lisa and Jon

Friday - We Head to the South

After a brief drive, we stopped at Mitspie Ramon, a natural erosion crater in the Negev. The teens go rappelling!  Here they receive safety instructions. 

And then go over the side of the cliff ...

Everyone successfully enjoyed ... and were pumped. 

Reflections from Day 4

This morning we woke up, had breakfast and went in the bus for a fun couple hours. We had rounds of karaoke to make for a memorable ride to rappel.Once we got to the Rappelling cite it was a site we will most definitely never for get. it was a beautiful never ending view off the side of a cliff. And that cliff is where we rappelled off of. Rappelling was a short drop off the beautiful cliff. After about 2 hours for all of us to rappel we went in the bus for five minutes. We then went to a supermarket to get snacks for this weekend. Then we had the most amazing cheese,mushroom, and onion pizza ever. Then we drove through Mitzpe Ramon, a large and beautiful crater, to Kibbutz Yahel. We played sports and swam until services where we met a group from St. Louis. We went to services and had dinner with them. After dinner we bonded with the other group until they had programs.

Shabbat Shalom from the Negev!

Devyn and Walker

day 3 part 2

After hiking Masada, we had a real breakfast at the hostel and then free time at the swimming pool. A few hours later, we had lunch near our hostel, with choices of kosher McDonald's or schwarma, which is similar to a falafel but with chicken. Following lunch, we went to a store that sold souvenirs and the Dead Sea bath salts and lotions.   

Sydney

Shabbat shalom!

Reflections from Morning 3

This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to climb the towering mountain of Masada. We scarfed  down a small breakfast and made our way to the base of the mountain. With the cliffs looming over us, we began the difficult hike. The sun was beating down on everyone!  Once everyone made it to the top, we learned more about the story of Masada. We discovered that the outcome of the siege by the romans on the zealots was mass suicide, so that they could die by their own hands instead of the hands of the romans. We looked around more at the ancient fortress and learned about how the zealots lived. Finally, we sang the Shema in the oldest synagogue in the world, and imagined what it was like to be Jewish in the time of Masada. We took the cable car back down the mountain.

Dani

Masada & Ein Gedi

We climbed Masada!  It was an early start, but you see that they enjoyed the climb. 

After time at the top and a brief service at the synagogue, we returned to the hostel. 

For pool time!

And then a hike through Ein Gedi park ... Complete with waterfalls and wildlife. 

... That's a rock badger for the nature lovers.