What's Been Going On?

I am back. Hello. Here we go:

So in short, the rest of BFL was great. Some of the highlights were a day at Neot Kdumim, a biblical nature reserve, where we had a chance to herd sheep and learn about the outdoor practices of biblical times. I really enjoyed my class in Campus Entrepreneurship, where we learned about starting up non-profits on campus and beyond... and we also had a great musical performance by Matt Bar, who performs with Bible Raps, in which he tells biblical stories through rap. Its very entertaining, and he is a very talented and funny person. We ended the week with a very nice, but also a bit cheesy graduation ceremony in which we were all handed diplomas for our leadership training.

Director of MASA at the Opening Ceremonies

Our group building guide at Neot Kdumim- this was when we were taking shelter from the rain... in a snake house

Our new friends before we herded them

And after

Matt Bar : Bible Raps

Assistant/ Story Teller

After BFL, we had a closed Machon shabbat, during which we participated in group services, had a great Shabbat dinner with host families, and relaxed around Jerusalem together. It was a great weekend, with an afternoon full of Frisbee, and it was good to have a large amount of time just to relax with the Machon group.

The following week was a normal week, only to be followed by Purim. In Israel, Purim goes on for days. The streets are full of costumes, parties, and celebration for the Feast/ Festival of Esther. As a Machon group, we heard the Megilla read aloud, and on the eve of Purim, we walked around a lower class neighborhood of Jerusalem and handed out Mishloach Manot, or gift baskets, to allow people to celebrate Purim. The day of Purim was full of parties and street festivals, where children all over were shooting firecrackers into large crowds, which was quite scary. I also made a visit to the Ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim to see the craziness and wild ruckus going on to celebrate Purim.

The group before touring Mea Shearim on Purim

Entrance to the neighborhood

Oh yeah... we're in Mea Shearim

Part of the Purim Parade

In the center of town... so many people dressed up

I hope they were dressed up as crazy people for purim... at one point they were talking to the dog

Entertainment everywhere

At the end of the week, I attended a MASA cultural evening with a lecture by Israeli Short-Story Author Etgar Keret, who was very interesting and showed us a short film made of one of his stories. The event finished with a concert by Muki, a famous Israeli musician, who sings in lots of different genres, and gave a great concert. I spent a relaxing weekend after the concert with Ori in Tel Aviv. We ate some great Hummus in Yafo, and relaxed a lot. It is always great to be at his house, and every time I am there, I feel I am part of the family.

This past week consisted of a week long trip into the south. On Sunday, we visited Nitzan, where many Gaza settlers were placed after the disengagement. We met with some people, and heard their personal stories from the disengagement, and saw their current living situations. Unfortunately, because the issue is so politicized, many people have not moved out of their temporary government housing. Whether this is because they are trying to make a political statement or because of financial setbacks, it is very sad to see the conditions they are living in, especially when many tell of their past lives before the disengagement. Afterwards, we visited Sderot, the main border city with Gaza, and learned all about life on the violent border. We visited the police station, where every missile/ rocket which had landed from Gaza is taken. It was very strong to see so many missiles and see first hand the reality of the lives of people who live in Sderot. We also visited a park and a school, where everything is made to protect children from missiles. In the park, the play structures double as bomb shelters, as do many classrooms in the school. The city had developed to become a secure place where life can go on, even when being attacked by missiles from Gaza.

Police station in Sderot

Every bus station doubles as a bomb shelter

A spent grad missile up close

Ketushas, Qassams, and Grad Missiles- all which have fallen on Sderot in recent years

The playground, where the fish is also a bomb shelter

The sign on the fish, telling people "When the siren sounds 'Color Red' take protection behind the orange line (which is inside the fish)"

Bomb Shelters all through the school yard. When the siren sounds, you have a maximum of 15 seconds to take cover

Monday consisted of a beautiful hike at Nachal Peras, a camel ride, and an evening of Bedouin hospitality. We learned about the Bedouin culture, drank Arabic coffee and Bedouin tea (yum!) and had an incredible Bedouin dinner. We also had a chance to hear some Bedouin folk tales and music, which were beautiful. Before bedtime, we had a movement workshop and dance performance, which was very cool. We learned to work together in movement, and to express ourselves through relaxation.

You can see some of our trail at the bottom right side

Josh catching up the the group

The group was given a task to make the shape of a Star of David

At first, they had little success

We could see more once everyone sat down

Our sunset desert camel ride

Our camel guide

My first class ride

Sad to see us go

Tuesday, we hiked Ein Ovdat, which is right below Sde Boker, where David Ben Gurion is buried. The hike, which wove along a stream and waterfall, was beautiful, and though a bit challenging, lots of fun. At night, we camped out with a bonfire in the Eilat mountains. Our campsite was beautiful as we looked out at the surrounding mountains.  Wednesday was a huge hike at Mt. Amir and its surrounding, with some extra off the beaten path climbing and activities along the way. The group, which a few hours in shrunk dramatically because a lack of water (don't worry, we rerouted to a road for the bus to pick up, they weren't stranded) was great, and we had lots of fun and joking while hiking the beautiful trails and eating at our memorable lunch break. The break was at the peak of a mountain, and because everyone was so tired, anything anybody said was really funny. We had a great hour long laugh/eat/drink delicious tea session, and then finished the hike. In the evening, we relaxed at our hotel in Eilat around the pool for a bit, then enjoyed an evening on a disco party boat out in the Red Sea Gulf of Eilat. Afterwards, we all went back to the hotel for an incredible night of sleep after lots of hiking and camping.

Ibex at Sde Boker

Beautiful Ein Ovdat

We had to climb a lot

But it was worth it

My hiking group in the distance

A machon staff member excited for the big climb ahead

Yeah... that is what we went up

The Ramon crater viewpoint

We took turns on the highest point at the viewpoint. Some rested.

I celebrated

Our campsite at night

Our long hike started just after sunrise

A nice water break

Challenging, but fun, and always with an incredible view

We got to climb in these chimneys a little and up the mountain behind it. We weren't supposed to... but it was really fun!

Much of the mountains are sandstone, which forms amazing shapes when faced with water.

The group after we dropped some

Our hike guide and Machon educator building a tower for a mid hike game/challenge

Just towards the end of the hike

Thursday morning brought even more fun as we enjoyed a morning on the beach. We had water sports such as Banana Boating, Ocean Kayaking, and Paddle Boating, as well as an effort to throw a Frisbee while in the ocean. I was brought back to water polo days as I tried to tread water and throw a Frisbee, at which we were very unsuccessful. After the morning on the water, we cleaned up and headed back to Jerusalem. We were all pooped and had an early night followed by a sleep in. Friday evening, I had a great Shabbat meal and evening with the Perlman/ Bruders from St. Louis. We talked a lot, especially about Machon (which Rabbi Perlman also participated in) and enjoyed a great meal together. It was a perfect ending to a great week of adventure around Southern Israel.

One last quick comment: Which the Bruders came a great care package from home with some delicious homemade cookies (thanks Mom!) and a box of girl scout cookies.  I am worried about the radical changes going on  back in the US while I am abroad, because my box of Samoas are now called Caramel DeLites- there are blasphemous changes going on that I am not sure I am okay with. I have yet to try them, but if there are any changes to the cookie itself, I am going to have big problems with the Girl Scouts of America Association. That is all.

Shabbat Shalom. Miss you all. I'm out!