Day 14: Tuesday 25th July 2017

After an early morning start, we headed out  to Tel Aviv. As we went on a tour of the city, we learnt a number of interesting facts about Tel Aviv's history and foundations, and  received a fascinating insight into the cities original state. 

We then headed to the Carmel market, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of  city life and we had lunch, I enjoyed a hearty portion of chips and then looked around the stalls at the art, food, fashion and culture we were surrounded by. 

We then went to the Latrun Tank Museum and learnt all about the different tanks and how they are used. This involved learning the different jobs of soldiers inside the tanks and being able to view the different parts of the  vehicle. We also watched a movie about the soldiers in tank units before stretching our legs by going on a mini hike. Lucky for us it was all down hill! 

After this invigorating experience, we all split into smaller groups to go to different host families for dinner in Modiin. The home cooked meals and welcoming environment provided an excellent opportunity to discuss life in Israel and the different lifestyles experienced by people before and after making aliyah.

By Maya Boyle

Day 13: Monday 24th July 2017

This morning we were asked to wake up at 6:45 so we could leave Mitzpe Ramon to get to our new destination. We Began the day with a hike in Ein Avdat which started off easy but then got much harder. We were climbing up ladders to get to the top of the valley. We then went to Ben Gurions house in the desert. It was very interesting to look at how simple he lived considering he was the ex Prime Minister of Israel. His house was small with with very few possessions. But the few he had were very interesting including a book collections of over 1000 books.  

After lunch we had a look around the shvil hasalat, salad trail. This is a place where they mainly grow vegetables. We were all allowed to sample some of the food along the trail. We learnt a lot about agriculture in Israel.

Our next stop was Sderot to see what life was like under rocket fire. It was very interesting to see around the town and how its set up to protect them from rocket fire.

In the evening we had an activity with the whole group. During this activity we would act as if we were running a kibbutz. We would buy things within a normal kibbutz for example a swimming pool or a corner shop. There were a lot of heated debates  and was a fun night for all.

  

By Samuel Gilbert

Day 12: Sunday 23rd July 2017

Our second Sunday in Israel began with an exciting session of rappelling off the side of a cliff in Machtesh Ramon. 

 

We then embarked upon a journey across the crater in a Jeep! The ride was very fun as the men driving the jeep made sure to use the rockiest route which created relative chaos for all passengers. During the ride, we stopped off at several nature sites within the crater, such as a high cliff point and a small stream, where we also ate deliciously juicy watermelon. We even saw two gazelles!

After the Jeep session we made our way to a small park area within Mitzpe Ramon. There we ate lunch before we tried our hand in archery and creating pretty jar patterns with different coloured sand.

We then got on the coach and drove a short distance to the Ilan Ramon Visitors centre. We learned about Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli NASA astronaut who, in 2003, was sent in to space on the Colombia, which fell apart during entry into the atmosphere and killed all 7 crew members. The presentation was very emotional and taught us a lot about space travel. The second part of the experience was about craters and the natural aspects of Machtesh Ramon. It included an awesome 3D demonstration on the formation of craters and a video on the wildlife living in the crater.

After we got back to the hostel we decided to have a movie night! The film we chose was Wonder Woman. We watched half of it, but then realised we were all far too tired from the activities of the day to continue, so we all went back to our rooms, packed our bags and went to sleep.

By Rachel Peck

Day 11: Shabbat 22nd July 2017

After preparing for Shabbat, we welcomed it in as a community with a service full of Ruach and excitement. Friday night dinner filled with chicken and potatoes caused quite a buzz amongst us and after an elaborate meal, we entered an ethical debate on different aspects of our daily lives such as the difference of doing perfect actions with bad intentions and doing bad actions with good intentions which we went to bed reflecting on.

 Once awoken from our well deserved sleep, we attended davening and then kiddush. Next we played many fun, shabbat-friendly games including truth or dare with mentos and finding five things we all have in common. 

After lunch we did a Tribe activity on improvements within our separate communities with Gaby who joined us with her family for Shabbat and runs the Tribe Israel office. 

Leading on, we split into two groups to have an interesting discussion on either the trade off with Gilad Shalit for 1027 prisoners who were charged for terrorist crimes, or the issue of self image and who perceives someone as a bad person. This made us all think and reflect on how this affects our lives as the youth of today and what we could do to improve the way in which people are stereotyped massively.

A rocky hike was next, where we made our way to the top of a beautiful viewing point. Some of us made our way to a nearby Sephardi shul for Minchah to experience other local communities. 

Once we all arrived back together, we sat in a circle and had a spiritual sing-song, storytelling session as Shabbat left us which then lead onto Havdalah which was so emotional and amazing to be able to spend it with such fantastic people.

We then changed into slightly warmer clothes to prepare for an intense and competitive version of capture the flag which ended up with pizza and chips. What a great end to a great day!!!

By Kezia Blakeley

Day 10: Friday 21st July 2017

Whilst camping last night, we sat around the bonfire and had inspirational and meaningful conversation about Judaism and general ideas, for example capital punishment.

After an early start in the morning we set off to the Kibbutz Keturah where we ate breakfast. We had a tour around the kibbutz. 

This was really interesting as we learned a lot about what it is like to live on the kibbutz, the people that live there and their solar and algae field systems. Later, we headed to the 'Ice Cream Factory' where we stopped off to shop and for some lunch (with ice cream)!

After lunch, we headed to the Chai Bar Yotvata- Nature Reserve. This was really fun as we got to see different animals living in this particular climate.

Later on, we headed to another youth hostel in Mitzpe Ramon. We got changed and ready for Shabbat!

By Katie Kritz

Day 9: Thursday 20th July 2017

Happy Birthday Ella!


Today we were lucky enough to have a late wake up due to our jam-packed day yesterday. After breakfast and Tefillah, we loaded our suitcases onto the coach.

We walked down to the sea front for our first activity - snorkeling.

Following a guide, we could see hundreds of fish that were a huge range of colours and sizes.

After this we made our way to the ICE Mall where we spent an hour and a half walking in and out of shops, arcades and Cafe Aroma.On the coach to Kibbutz Ketura we met our newest member of our tour- Peaches or Gecko (name still being discussed)- to replace Grizzlie Bizlie who we unfortunately lost (don't tell UJIA!)

We then went to the Kibbutz and enjoyed their swimming pool. After racing, performing water aerobics and playing other games we met Erez; the man with a mission to take us camping under the stars.

We climbed up and down the sand dunes of the Negev before coming to a stop. For dinner the group baked lafas and chose from a selection of toppings. We then enjoyed a sing-song, a campfire and a DMC (deep meaningful conversation) under the light of the stars before going to sleep on the sand.

And that is today's amazing experience!

By Emma Taylor

Day 8: Wednesday 19th July 2017

After an incredible night at the Bedouin Tents, our group was woken up at the unearthly hour of 4am. At the time we did not appreciate whoever 's idea it was (we are teenagers after all). There was certainly a sense of bleary-eyed excitement at the campsite as the group traveled on to Masada where we would hike up and, if we felt so inclined back down the mountain. Whilst our ruach (spirit) was underwhelming at the base of the mountain, it gradually heightened with our own altitude.

At the summit we stood and watched in awe as the sun rose between the mountains facing Masada, and our lack of sleep suddenly seemed unimportant and was forgotten.

From the summit there was the option to take a cable car back down or to hike.  I chose the hike.  It was a long and winding track and was slightly terrifying as a couple of us slipped around a bit. Happily any injury was avoided and when we arrived at the base of the mountain, red - faced and breathless, we were all disproportionately proud of ourselves. To cap it all we were also treated to a delicious breakfast and industrial quantities of iced coffee.

After our early morning trip we traveled to Ein Gedi where we saw some of the most stunning waterfalls in the natural world. However, we did not just admire their beauty, we also enjoyed messing around and splashing one another in the cool and refreshing water, a welcome change from the 39°C heat. No peace for us though.  Equipped as we were with marine-corps levels of fitness enjoyed by so many of NW London’s teenage Jewry, we were also presented with the opportunity to push ourselves in the hike to one of the highest parts of the waterfall. It was worth it.

Amazed by how early it still was we all piled into the coach to make our way down to the Dead Sea. Nearly all of us ventured into the very hot water, and then promptly ran out again. It stings, but we all enjoyed the experience.

After all of this, a satisfying lunch of hot dogs followed by a 3 hour coach journey to Eliat. Where we relaxed and enjoyed an evening filled with thought - provoking discussions.

By Isabelle Oakland