We started the day before dawn had broken with a very
early start so that we could reach Masada in time to see the sunrise from the
top. We climbed part of the way up and 
once we arrived, many took part in the
special experience of Davening on the top whilst admiring the beautiful view.
We then moved on to see some of the Roman archaeology after which we started the
hike down. We were all very pleased to have breakfast after a tired group
reached the bottom!
Next, we headed to the Dead Sea were many enjoyed floating
in it and having a good time at the unique site and soaking up the sun!
Ein Gedi was our next stop where we had lunch and went to
see one of the beautiful waterfalls and where we enjoyed cooling down under the water.
We drove to Ein Tzurim, were we would be staying the
night on a Kibbutz there, and all prepared for Shabbat.
After a group Kabbalat Shabbat service, a high spirited
meal followed, where much singing took place. This was a great way to end a
long and extremely enjoyable day.
By Michael Rowe
Shabbat
It was the third Shabbat! The day started at 10 for
the majority of us with cake (for those who could eat it) and snacks, followed,
as usual, by the Shabbat morning service. It was quite emotional due to the
fact that this was our last Shabbat together. After lunch, the Godfreys lead a
dragon's den style session- each group had to come up with a way to improve
Jewish life and present this idea to the judges (our Shabbat guests - Yossi Binstock and Mark
Benamram). It was good fun and really made you think about how you could help improve
lives, even on a smaller scale. We then had free time in which discussions were
had and card games were played. This was followed by a question and answer session with Mark, Yossi and Gabi Godfrey (of Tribe Israel).
Many topics were covered which raised questions in the
group, which Yossi and the others did their best to answer over and after
dinner.
Havdala was extremely emotional - this was it. This
was the last time for us, as a group, leaving Shabbat together. The fact we
only had less than a week left really struck home at this point. Havdala was
followed by music, dancing and talking until the small hours of the morning outside our rooms until we were
all too tired to function and went to bed. 
By Keila Isaacson-Gray
No comments:
Post a Comment