Ein Gedi And Sde Boker Today!

Today MBI started their day at Ein Gedi where they left off yesterday. In the morning they took a tiyul (hike) through this Oasis that hugs the western edge of the Dead Sea. In the Jewish tradition we hear about Ein Gedi in the Bible where the story of David escape into the desert is told. According to the bible after learning of King Saul's anger toward him, David flees to Ein Gedi and hides in a cave called Dudim. The cave is said to be located in or near what is now called Nachal (creek) David. Today, the group experienced the Oasis, in full there are springs, waterfalls, Ibex, water flows into the Dead Sea eventually. Even before the 1940's Jewish youth movements hiked Ein Gedi in an effort map southern Israel and walk in the footsteps of their ancestors. Today, MBI had the opportunity to renew this tradition.

Learning about the geology of Ein Gedi.

After they finished their time at Ein Gedi they left for Sde Boker, another location in the Negev (desert). The hostel and educational center where the group is staying sits on a beautiful cliff overlooking a Wadi in the middle of the Negev (desert). The kibbutz nearby, Sde Boker, is down the road from the hostel. This Kibbutz is where Ben Gurion called home before he died in 1973. This is also where he is buried. He left his home in Tel Aviv to work on the Kibbutz to be a dugma (example), because he believed that if the Jewish people could excel in the desert, then they would be able to succeed anywhere in the State of Israel.




All the different machanot (camps) represented on MBI sat together when they got to Sde Boker for mishpachot, the time of the week when they spend time with their home camp and reflect on the week and how MBI has been for them. Here they are sitting together....

After they finished their time at Ein Gedi they left for Sde Boker, another location in the Negev (desert). The hostel and educational center where the group is staying sits on a beautiful cliff overlooking a Wadi in the middle of the Negev (desert). The kibbutz nearby, Sde Boker, is down the road from the hostel. This Kibbutz is where Ben Gurion called home before he died in 1973. This is also where he is buried. He left his home in Tel Aviv to work on the Kibbutz to be a dugma (example), because he believed that if the Jewish people could excel in the desert, then they would be able to succeed anywhere in the State of Israel.

This will be where MBI is located until Sunday when they travel to the north to stay Sunday night at a youth hostel in Peki'in. We have confirmed the group will be staying at a youth hostel there through Wednesday. We have rooms there for everyone as well as classrooms for peulot (educational activities). Then, Wednesday night we have confirmed they will be staying in the Golan Heights with Chan El Al, where they will be staying in large tents, similar to the ones they slept in at the Bedouin tents. Like stated yesterday, once the itinerary has been completely updated, after shabbat I will post it and send it out by email.


Over Shabbat I will not be posting on the blog or answering my email, but I encourage you to call the emergency phone (917-822-2330) if you would like to speak with me or have questions about this post or anything else.

Shabbat Shalom,
Jeremy

Sunrise Climb Up Masada and Dead Sea Today!

The group started their day early this morning... at 4 am! From the Bedouin tents it was a short ride to the base of Masada.

Leaving their buses, they ascended up the stairs that hug the side of the mountain. All three buses reached the top of the mountain just  in time to see the beautiful sunrise over the Dead Sea. 

Coming up the mountain

Is that a yawn, or a WOOOW??

Water Break

After enjoying the sunrise, the group spent a few hours with the madrichim masa (tour guides) visiting the archaeological sites that are located all across the top of the mountain. At the Bedouin tents last night they learned about the story of Masada and the Jewish resistance that took place there through a puppet show put on by the madrichim (staff). On top of the Masada today, surprise skits in different locations were acted out by the madrichim to help bring to life how important this story of sacrifice and resistance is to the history of the Jewish people. 

One of the madrichim acting in front of the chanichim

Another skit, this time acted out by MBIers 

Here are some more photos from on top today...

After walking down the other side of Masada, they ate a fantastic breakfast and made the 20 minute drive to the Dead Sea. There they enjoyed some rays and experienced the sensation of their own bodies transforming into flotation devices. 

After the group finished at the Dead Sea they drove to the Ein Gedi youth hostel where they will be staying the night. Right now they are having some relaxed kvutza (groups from busses) time and then are playing trivia with their complete bus groups. 

A note on safety and security....

The group is currently in a very safe place HERE. They are scheduled to travel more towards the center of the Negev (desert) tomorrow to Sde Boker. The Cheder Matzav (The governmental organization giving us security clearance on a regular basis) has currently cleared MBI to stay there through Saturday. Sunday, the group is currently scheduled to travel to the Tel Aviv area. Because of the escalating situation in the center of the country, we are looking at options to alter the itinerary Sunday to avoid this region. I will keep you posted and as soon as an official itinerary change is made I will inform you. 

Speaking with the groups leadership today I have the impression that the chanichim are in good spirits despite the conflict that persists. Please know that the wifi they have access to is not the most reliable and not every hostel has it available. The tzevet (staff) has been encouraging them to contact those of you waiting to hear from them at home to let you know they are doing just fine. 

Safe And Sound Enjoying Bedouin Hospitality

MBI woke up this morning at their hostel in Ramot Shapira and headed back into Jerusalem to meet their panal of guest speakers.

They heard from Sarah Lieven, a leader in the Women of the Wall movement, a group of activists dedicated to making sure gender equality is present at the western wall and all across Israel. Anat Hoffman, the leader of the movement was scheduled to speak, but had to cancel at the last minute. Also there was Haim Watzman, a member of a modern liberal orthodox community called Kehilat Yedidya. They also heard fromne of the first secular Rabbis of Israel. After spending a few hours with them they ate lunch and left Jerusalem.

They arrived at the Bedouin tents in Kfar Hanokdim in the middle of the afternoon. Each bus took turns riding camels before experiencing some Bedouin hospitality in the tents where they will sleep tonight under stars in the Negev. They drank tea and learned about Bedouin culture in the middle east.

Tonight they will be getting a very good nights rest because they will be waking up tomorrow morning at 4 am to hike Masada!

Here are some more from inside the tents speaking with the bedouins they met 

More Photos To Share

I wanted to share with you more photos from the past few days...

Peaking out of one of the caves on the Sataf hike yesterday.

 Grabbing some goodies from the shuk Machaneh Yehuda in Jerusalem

 Meeting with Julian, the Habonim Dror world Mazkir (director) speaking to MBI on their walking tour of the old city.

 Catching up on the Sataf hike

Bus two inside one of the caves from yesterday

A Meaningful Day In Jerusalem

The MBI group had a meaningful and packed day in Jerusalem. They began by visiting Israel's holocaust museum, Yad Vashem. There they learned about the oppression Jews faced in Europe during the early 20th century and of course the 1940's. Yad Vashem is unlike any other Holocaust museum in the world because of its location. The main building is designed so that after you complete walking through the exhibit, that ends with a memorial for those lost during this time, you exit the building and find yourself on a ledge overlooking the Jerusalem mountains.  

Entering Yad Vashem in the morning

One group moving through the exibits at Yad Vashem with their guide. All the kvutzot were split into smaller groups and given a tour by one of the museums professional guides.

After visiting Yad Vashem they took a short hike to Har Herzl, one of Israel's national cemeteries where past Prime Ministers, military leaders and other national figures are buried. The list of those burried at Har Herzl includes Yitzhak Rabin, Hannah Senesh, Yonatan Netanyahu and of course Theodore Herzl himself. 

Visiting Yitzhak Rabin's grave at Har Herzl and of course learning about his contribution to the State and to the movement for peace.

After spending the afternoon at the cemetery they left for the the Tower of David "Night Spectacular." This is the first time that MBI has ever seen this show and they had a ball. The 3D light show tells of the story of Jerusalem as depictions of the story are projected onto the archaeological remains of the tower's courtyard.

Tomorrow morning the chanichim (participants) will spend their last bit of time in Jerusalem and get to meet a few fantastic guest speakers before heading to the Bedouin tents in the Negev. 

One more note on security. The group will be staying the next few days in the south yes, but far from where the conflict. Tomorrow night they will be staying close to 90 kilometers from the Gaza border, which is more than two times the current Cheder Matzav requirement that we stay at least 40 kilometers away.

HERE is where they will be staying.

  

Security Update In Israel

Shalom,

As many of you know, today the Israeli government made public that they plan to escalate their offense at the Gaza border. 

A few minutes ago, sirens sounded in Jerusalem just after the group left the 3D light show they went to see. This was while the group was on the way back to the hostel. All three buses are now arriving at the hostel and the leadership staff is assessing the next steps for the group. The Ramot Shapira hostel they are staying at is a equipped with bomb shelters. The participants rooms are located 30 to 60 seconds away from the shelter. If another alarm sounds this is where the group will head.

The Cheder Matzav and our program provider, the Chavaya, have reassured us today that the group is safe to stay located where they are. They have communicated to our program leaders that the group is prohibited from traveling within 40 kilometers of the Gaza border. Tomorrow the group is scheduled to head to the Bedouin tents which are located in a very isolated area with full security clearance. Because of the Cheder Matzav's updated regulations, the group will take an alternative route to the south of the country.  

We will continue to communicate regularly, even more than usual, with The Cheder Matzav. I will communicate any further changes to the program due to safety and security concerns.

Your children's safety is our number one priority.

Thank you,

Jeremy

MBI Takes Israel's Nature By Storm

This morning the MBIrs hiked through the Sataf, a hillside near Jerusalem. The hike included maneuvering through a variety of caves. At the tail end of the hike they were able to explore the Ein Sataf and Ein Bikura, both of which are ancient ruins of settlements.

After the hike, they headed back to the modern city of Jerusalem for lunch. They visited Machaneh Yehuda, Jerusalem's famous open air market. This type of market in Israel and accross the Arab world is commonly referred to as a shuk. The group stayed in the shuk for lunch. This was their first chance of the summer to grab a delicious falafel or Shawarma.

After finishing lunch, it was onto the Rose Garden that connects the Knesset to the Supreme Court of Israel. Here they learned together by bus with their tour guides about the governmental structure of the State and intricacies of Israeli politics.

MBI wrapped up their day with a paulah (educational activity) to help them prepare mentally and educationally for their visit to Yad Vashem on Tuesday.

Entering one of the caves on the Sataf hike...

 A spooky photo in one of the caves

 Taking a break on the hike to learn together.

Bus 1 outside of the Israeli Knesset building!

Overnight: Ramot Shapira Youth Hostel