Sunday, May 12

Happy Mother's Day to all of our moms!
Our last full day, and it was very full...
We started with the whole morning at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. It was very sad, shocking, emotional and educational going through the museum and hearing and seeing the tragedy if the Holocaust. The chIldren were visibly affected. Then we shifted gears and did a fun activity (of course involving shopping.) The students were given money and a shopping list to shop in an Israeli supermarket and to buy the picnic lunch for our group. While at the supermarket they also had time to do a final major Israeli candy and snack shopping. After lunch we visited Theodor Herzl's grave and the national cemetery. Miriam shared with us the story of Theodor Herzl, the visionary founder of modern Zionism.In the National Military cemetery we heard about national military heroes like Yoni Netanyahu and Michael Levine. Miriam also shared a very personal story about a close friend who was killed in combat and whose grave we visited.
From the cemetery we headed back to the hotel. Some students wanted to go back to the Kotel one more time and a group wanted to go to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, so we added that to our schedule. Finally we headed off to a very fancy vegetarian restaurant where we had a delicious last dinner in Israel. Everyone was in a great mood and when we got back to the hotel we sat together with Miriam, on the floor, with maps to review our full two weeks of travel. We then finished up our Israel scavenger hunt and ended by sharing special experiences from our trip.
We are all so appreciative of the amazing job that Miriam, our guide, did, and Ohri, our counselor. They always went above and beyond for us. The kids also enjoyed our bus driver Benno, and I am sure they will share many anecdotes about him.
Tomorrow morning we get up very early to get to the airport in time. We have a long flight ahead of us and I hope the children are able to sleep. We will see you all soon!

Saturday, May 11

"Is tomorrow really our last full day in Israel? I wish we could stay longer!" This was a common refrain that we heard today. What a great feeling to see how comfortable and "connected" the kids feel in Israel. In addition they have all had a really good time with their classmates and the kids from the Kadima School of Buffalo. Today we saw some great social interactions between the kids as they played and relaxed together. They have really become a nice group together.

We started our day giving the students a choice of going to different synagogues in Jerusalem. Then we came back and Ohri and Miriam had some fun activities for us before and after lunch. Our free time was spent playing cards, eating snacks and watermelon and just hanging out. Next we went to play in a big park near our hotel and then to walk around one of the original neighborhoods of Jerusalem outside of the Old City starting at the famous Windmill of Jerusalem. Dinner at the hotel was followed by Havdalah (service to end Shabbat) and then journal writing before heading off to Ben Yehudah Street for two hours of fun, food and our last shopping spree.

Friday, May 10

What a full week it has been! This morning we started in a Soup Kitchen in Jerusalem helping prepare lunch that is served to 100 poor people every day. The students did a really good job and felt like they had done a Mitzvah. Next we headed to the famous Jewish market place in Jerusalem called Makhane Yehuda. The bustling market place is full of things to see, hear, buy and taste. The kids had a good time and then we went to a food court in a mall outside of Jerusalem for lunch. Everyone seemed tired from the busy and late day we had yesterday so we went back to the hotel to rest ( some kids even took a good nap). Now we are getting ready for Shabbat and to go to the Old City and walk down to the Kotel. It is always a very special experience. We'll have a late Shabbat dinner so we have time to really see and experience Shabbat at the Wall. Shabbat Shalom to everyone!

Student impression

Olivia D

The part of the trip that I liked the best so far has to be the  kayaking. Even though I fell in the water a lot (sometimes on purpose), it was still really fun and really enjoyable!! It was so much fun,  I think it should have been longer though, it seemed kinda short  to me.

Student impressions

Now that I have a better wifi connection I can post some more of the students' impressions that they wrote a few days ago:

Andy:

The thing that I loved the most was when we went to Timna Park. All the cool rock formations and copper mines would get anyone excited, but the fact that so many cultures(such as the Egyptians) used the copper veins, is just too awesome for the mind to fathom.

Tzvi

The thing that I liked the most was the Dead Sea because I liked how you can float without doing anything. The thing that I didn't like was that it was too salty, that if it touches your eyes it will burn.

It's really cool and awesome!

Olivia K:

My favorite part of the trip so far would have to be the boardwalk in Eilat! There were TONS of shops and places to buy food. You could even go on a few roller coasters if you wanted! We went to the boardwalk twice and both times I bought an icee! It was really fun and coming from a person who doesn't like shopping that's awesome!!! This is a place the even non shoppers will like!! There were also tons of venders there, selling really anything!! 

Elia:

After climbing the Roman Ramp up Masada before sunrise,  we walked through the uncovered ruins of the palace that King Herod built. We prayed in a room that, almost two thousand years ago, Jews who escaped the Romans also prayed in. The thing that was different was that we have freedom and  hope for the future but they were surrounded by the Romans and had given up. We used the echo of the surrounding mountains to tell the Jews of the past that Jews thrive at Masada again. The whole Masada experience was amazing and touching. It was awesome!!! :) 

Thursday, May 9

Our morning was spent learning about and driving through the Golan Heights on very bumpy jeeps. Then we drove to a park for a picnic lunch. After that we had so much fun on our kayaking expedition! The weather was perfect, the water was fun and the kids and adults all had a blast! There was lots of splashing, swimming from boat to boat, and of course laughing, as we floated down a tributary of the Jordan River.
Back on our bus we headed to the Kinneret and had a delicious dinner and then took a long drive back to Jerusalem. The bus was filled with happy singing as we drove into Jerusalem and the last part of our amazing trip!

Wednesday, May 8

This morning we drove in the Galilee to the beautiful Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and went to Capernaum (Kfar Nahum). There we saw ruins from a large synagogue from the time of the Roman Empire. This synagogue is one of the places where Jesus preached. We not only learned there about the beginnings of Christianity in the land of Israel, but we also saw buses and buses of Christians from around the world who came to Israel to be where Jesus lived and preached. In our short time at this one site we saw large groups of all ages from France, Malasia, Ethiopia, S. Africa, Italy and Korea.
Our next stop was the city of Tzfat (Safed), the birthplace of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). Tzfat is also known for it's many artists and art galleries. We had delicious falafel or shawarma for lunch at then learned about Tzfat. We visited a special synagogue called the Synagogue of the Ari, we want to the famous Tzfat candle factory and store and had a chance to do some shopping.
On the way back to Kibbutz Gadot we stopped at an army border patrol on the Lebanese border and met soldiers and gave them snacks that we had bought for them. Back at the Kibbutz the kids had a chance to run around and play together. It's great to see how we'll they are getting along!

More impressions

Ariel
One awesome thing we did was go to the Kotel. It was so amazing seeing people dance and pray. It was a lot of fun. I put on teffiilin at the Kotel. It felt amazing because so many people have prayed there. It was very meaningful to pray there.

Sam S

My awesome moment was when we got to dig in the city of Maresha. This city was from the time when Judah Macabee's nephew was king. Archeologists have discovered there over 5,000 "basements." These were used for storing things but, when they had to leave they had to quickly destroy everything. They smashed their houses and shoved everything in these basements. When we were digging we found things like ceramic wine bottles, bones from a bar-b-q dinner, and lots of pottery. The thought of digging up things that haven't been touched in over 2,000 years was amazing. This is a thought to remember. 

Jacob

When we went to The Dead Sea I didn't expect what I found there! When we got in the water it was really warm and every cut and opening burnt. I also found giant salt pillars sticking out of the water. We played around on those for awhile they were really cool! There were salt balls on the bottom too so don't wear sandals like I did or you will get your feet hurt. Lastly floating in the Dead Sea was really cool, it feels like you are in low gravity and flying around. The Dead Sea was a really cool experience and when you go I hope you think so too. Having a great time see you guys when we get back.

Sam Z

When we went snorkeling in Eilat I knew it was going to be cool, but it was even cooler than l had imagined. Before we went snorkeling we learned about what kind of fish we were going to see. There were lots if colorful fish of all sizes- the little fish swam in schools and the giant fish swam alone. Some of the fish we saw were clown fish, parrot fish and angel fish, lion fish and sea cucumbers. It was very cool to actually see the fish living their daily lives right below us.

Claire 

Ein Gedi was a great. We took a small hike and it was a very scenic experience. We went under a natural waterfall and it was super fun to be under it in the heat of the day. The waterfall was a natural waterfall and it was pretty sweet to see a natural one for the first time. We also saw very interesting wild life. We saw trees and animals. 

There were lots of palm trees which reminded me of being in Florida. It is super hot here and we are having a great time.

Impressions from the students

Katie
Ein Gedi is an oasis with waterfalls, but not just anywhere in Israel, it is located in the Judean Desert! To get there, you drive along the Dead Sea. When you enter the Park you just have to take a short hike and you'll find a waterfall, and then (with your swimsuit on) you can either observe this natural beauty or get soaking wet by standing in it! On the hike, there was an animal which was a close cousin to the elephant, although, this animal was small and furry! If you stand completely still under the waterfall, you can feel the running water 'massaging' your back! It feels amazing! I had a lot of fun there and it is my favorite place in Israel (so far)!
Shopping in Eilat on the boardwalk is fun too! There are many stores with amazing merchandise that, on average, doesn't cost more than 15 American dollars! I have found many things that I enjoyed looking at, however, some things in shops/restaurants are overpriced like soda, so be a smart shopper. I bought some cool stuff.

Noah
My favorite part of the trip was when we went to the caves. I know that when my little brother reads this he is going to say, "like Minecraft." So, what we did was, we climbed down into the basements of old houses that people pushed under ground and dug in their basements. Then we went caving and it was lit by candle light. It was really sababa (awesome).
Today is Wednesday and I can't wait to see all of the big smiles from the Lippman kids when I get back.

Hanna

Tel Aviv 

Energetic, modern, and eccentric a few words I would use to describe the beautiful city of Tel Aviv. Walking in Tel Aviv at night is a new and interesting experience. To me, Tel Aviv reminds me of New York City with a Middle Eastern twist. During our first night in Tel Aviv we walked along a sea side path with the most amazing skyline view of the entire city. Later that night we went to Na Lagaat. At Na Lagaat we saw a play where all the actors were either blind, deaf, or both. The play was very interesting, the actual fears displayed in the storyline of the play were legitimate fears for the actors. My favorite activity that we did in Tel Aviv was when we had to ask random people to answer different questions about Israeli culture. It was really fun, my favorite thing I learned about Israeli culture was the slang word yala.

Student blogs

Unfortunately we are having technical difficulty getting the blogs, that the students wrote on our school iPads, on line so they can be pasted in our Trip Blog. Hopefully we will figure it out soon.

Tuesday, May 7

Today the weather was perfect- sunny but not too hot. This morning we began our day by planting trees in a Jewish National Fund planting forest. The Torah actually mentions planting trees as a special mitzvah that one should do when you come to the land of Israel. Then we drove to Tel Aviv for lunch and had a great time shopping at an area called Nahalat Binyamin. This street is only open three days a week and is famous for the artisans that have booths with their beautiful hand made wares set up for a few blocks. Many of the students found special items to purchase. I was sorry we didn't have another hour there, because there was so much to see (and buy).
Next we drove to Israel's Independence Hall and heard a moving account of the day that the State of Israel was declared, in the very room we were sitting. We even listened to a recording of Ben Gurion from that day and sang the Hatikvah along with the recording. Then we saw a movie about the history of the city of Tel Aviv.
Our next stop was the beach in Tel Aviv for some fun in the Mediterranean Sea, ice cream and playing in the sand. From Tel Aviv we got back on the bus and drove up north to have a late dinner at Kibbutz Gadot, where we are staying for two nights. It was another great day and all of the students are doing very well and are happy.

Monday, May 6

Today we went to a very moving B'nai Mitzvah for two boys and two girls from a Special Needs School in Kfar Saba. The B'nai Mitzvah children were so proud of wearing a tallit, and their accomplishments of reciting prayers and reading some verses of Torah. The families proudly participated as well, and Ariel even helped one of the boys put on T'fillin for the first time. Our students all joined in with the celebration by throwing candy and dancing around the synagogue with all of the children and families. I was able to arrange for us to be part of this moving life cycle event because my cousin is one of the teachers who trains special needs B'nai Mitzvah children in Israel.
After the service we went to a park for a picnic pizza lunch and then we drove to Akron's sister city- Kiryat Ekron. We visited Limudiah, an after school educational program for Ethiopian children grades 1-4. This successful program receives financial support from the Akron Jewish community Federation. We were warmly welcomed to the school by teachers, administrators and students. Our children had a chance to learn about the program and the challenges of the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel. Then the children went into classrooms and interacted with the young Israeli Ethiopian children.
Our next stop was back in Tel Aviv. We went to Kikar Rabin and saw where Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated. Before leaving Kikar Rabin the students were given a list of questions and were asked to ask Israeli in the plaza area where we were to help them answer the questions. The students had fun seeing how friendly and helpful the Israelis were. Dinner at the hotel was very good and then the kids had "free time" to hang around and play with friends until lights out.

Sunday, May 5

This morning we left beautiful Eilat and headed up through the Negev desert to Sde Boker, a kibbutz where David Ben Gurion lived part of his life and was buried. We did an amazing hike in a canyon below the kibbutz called Ein Avdat, and then drove to see the spectacular spot where Ben Gurion is buried. After a picnic lunch, our next stop was further north, at Beit Guvrin. There we went on a fun and interesting archeological dig. All of the students found pieces of pottery or bones (probably pigeon) as we dug in caves that were from after the Maccabees, over 2,000 years ago. After we dug in the archeological site we had a chance to do some fun crawling through dark and winding caves by candle light. We then drove up to Tel Aviv and ate in a delicious restaurant in Yaffo (Jaffa). After dinner we attended a play where all of the adult actors were either deaf, blind or both.
We especially had a lot of fun tonight walking around Yaffo and seeing views of the beautiful Tel Aviv coastline all lit up. The kids are doing great!!! Tomorrow I will post some comments from all of them with pictures.

Saturday, May 4 Eilat Shabbat

Hot again, but a great, great day! Today we really let the kids sleep in....9:00 wake up, 9:30 breakfast :)
On Friday evening I had met a group of Rabbinical students and a Rabbi, who were studying in Jerusalem, in the lobby of the Eilat youth hostel where we are staying. I asked them if they would be willing to lead Shabbat morning services for us in the hostel chapel. They kindly agreed and provided us with a beautiful Shabbat service that many of our students volunteered to help them lead. The students all shared with the Rabbi something meaningful to them so far on our trip and she tied our trip to the weekly Torah portion. After the service we invited them to join us for some teaching about the N. Cheyenne values and culture that Norma and Warren lead. Warren also lead us in a really fun game and they taught us a prayer/song that is sung in the Cheyenne Sweat ceremony.
We then had some free time followed by lunch, and then off to an afternoon of swimming, relaxing and playing at the beach. What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
After dinner we ended Shabbat with Havdalah and then went back to the boardwalk and the mall to walk around, eat, have fun and do some shopping. Jacob and Noah even went on a cool ride that was on the boardwalk (like a mini amusement park).
We are really enjoying our guide Miriam, our counselor Ohri, our bus driver Benno and our guard/medic Elli. All four of them are doing a great job making this trip really special for the children!
Tomorrow morning we are back to serious sightseeing, starting with an early wake up at 6:30.

Friday, May 3 more fun in Eilat

Today was incredibly hot, maybe 100 degrees! Since Thursday was so tiring, we let the kids sleep a little later this morning and then we drove up to Park Timna, about a half an hour away. The park had some spectacular sights and one amazing area we climbed up in. We learned about the Egyptian copper mines that had been there thousands of years ago. Then we made colored sand bottles with real colored desert sand. I'm not sure the bottles will actually make it home but they were fun to make.
The highlight of the day was definitely snorkeling! The air was hot but the water was cold! We saw so many beautiful fish in the coral reef of Eilat (even Dorri and Nemo)!!! The only downside was that our time snorkeling was too short... The kids also had fun just swimming and playing on the beach.
Friday evening everyone dressed nicely and we lit Shabbat candles together and then had a short Kabbalat Shabbat service to welcome Shabbat followed by our Shabbat meal. To finish off the day the kids got to stay up late and play a big game of Capture the Flag before going to bed. It's nice to see the students from Lippman and Kadimah playing together and becoming friends.

Thursday, May 2- Masada, Dead Sea and Eilat!

Although a bit tired ;) everyone was up at 4:00 a.m. and ready to drive to Masada by 4:30. We walked up the Roman Ramp and everyone made it up in less than 15 minutes. It was a bit hazy so we actually had trouble seeing the sun rise until it got over the haze. We had a chance to pray in the ancient synagogue on top of Masada and to learn from our very theatrical and interesting guide, the different stories and deeper meaning of Masada. Most of the students climbed down the challenging and famous Snake Path to the bottom of Masada, though some of us opted for the cable car. From there we drove to a beautiful oasis in the desert called Ein Gedi and after a short hike cooled off under a fresh waterfall.
After a good lunch we went swimming in the Dead Sea! Most of the students really loved this, though a few found that the incredibly salty water made every cut or irritation burn. Mr. Chestnut, Morah Greenblatt, Norma, Warren and Dr. Stephens especially enjoyed floating in the Dead Sea! After that we drove all of the way down to Eilat (stopping for an ice cream and Israeli chocolate milk treat) and checked into our hotel. After dinner, believe it or not, we still had some energy and we went out to walk around the "boardwalk" area of Eilat for a fun hour.
An incredibly busy, strenuous and fun day with awesome kids! Tomorrow we get to sleep in till 8:00 :)

Wednesday, May 1

Wednesday morning we started in Jerusalem in the part that is called the city of David, the site of the original city. We walked through an ancient water tunnel that was built to bring fresh water into the city of David. The long dark tunnel flowed with cold fresh water below our knees, except for a few surprise higher spots. It was a fun way to start our exploration of the history of Israel . Then we went to the Old City and prayed at the Kotel, the Western Wall from the ancient Holy Temple. The day was very hot but most of the students found the experience to be very meaningful. After that we enjoyed the lunch of our choice in the shade of outdoor cafes in the Old City. Then we got on our bus and left Jerusalem to drive down into the Negev desert to a Bedouin encampment. We climbed onto camels and had alot of fun riding in a caravan through the desert. After our ride we had a chance to learn from a Bedouin at the Encampment about the Bedouin culture and values. We were surprised to hear that in their families you can have up to 4 wives. We also learned how respect and hospitality are very important values. After the lesson on their culture and life style we had a Bedouin style dinner in a huge tent siting on mattress pads on the ground. Before going to bed in sleeping bags in the huge tent we had a bonfire and played some games with our counselor Ohri. Next morning, up early to see the sunrise on Massada!