Siyur in Jerusalem!

My friends and I decided to take a day trip back to Jerusalem during our free afternoon. We spent time at the shuk, ate dinner at my friend's grandmother's house and walked around the beautiful old city at night. It happened to be Earth day so in the Old City was a beautiful exhibit with painted globes all about saving the environment.

We stayed with our friends from yearcourse in Jerusalem and the next day met up with our Zionism class.
This class was talking about the battles that were fought in Jerusalem and why Jerusalem was so important to the Jews during the war of Independence. First, we went to the Castel and learned about the battle that took place there. One of the most chilling moments was when our teacher told us that we were standing on the spot where the Haganah militia became the IDF. Pretty cool huh? We climbed up the mountain and saw all the trenches and tunnels that have been there since 1948. From the top, there was a beautiful view of Jerusalem and all of the surrounding villages.

After this, we went to a kibbutz called Kiryat Anavim. This made me really really happy because this is the kibbutz that my grandparents lived in when they first made Aliyah from Europe. I had never been there before so I was really excited to go. We didn't really make it into the kibbutz, just the cemetery but I definitely want my grandparents to take me there and give me a tour some time. The cemetery there is for military soldiers that had fallen in the independence war.  The average age was around 18 and buried there were Holocaust survivors who fell, and Jews from Yemen, Poland, Hungary etc. We walked around and read the graves and then discussed the stories. I was probably most affected by the Holocaust survivors who were lucky enough to escape death from the Nazis only to be killed when they are fighting for the freedom of their people. And they never got to see Israel the way I am so lucky to see it now. I wrote down some names to remember for next year during Yom Hazikaron.

Camping Trip to Sde Boker

For the weekend, a group of my friends and I decided to go camping in the south at a beautiful National Park called Sde Boker (home to the first prime minister David Ben Gurion). With lots of food, tents, and games, we set out to enjoy a beautiful overnight in the negev. When we arrived, we had to trek down a very steep hill with all of our things (thankfully no injuries). We plopped down the first place we found and OF COURSE once we set everything up, we were told to go to the actual camping area. So we carried the open tents over to the grounds and everyone around us laughed and laughed. We passed the time by walking around looking at the beautiful surroundings and playing games such as cards and lots of backgammon (duh). Later that night, a group of guys invited us to eat with them. They gave us homemade pita and delicious poyke. "Poyke" is a stew that has a bunch of random food in it and somehow it tastes amazing. For example, this stew had coke, beer, vegetables, chicken, rice and a bunch of other things. It was soooo good!!!
We went to bed early so that we could wake up at like 5 in the morning to watch the sunrise. We got up, hiked to the top of a mountain and waited for the sun to come up. It was such a nice moment to sit with six of my closest friends soaking in the gorgeous views around us. Sde Boker is actually so beautiful. We spent the rest of our time exploring and hiking. When it was finally time to go back to the bus stop, we had to go up the hill which was actual death. And then we visited Ben Gurion's grave as well. We were SO lucky because it started to pour just as we were on our way to the bus stop. Yay us :) I'm so happy that we did this and for all the hater throughout our trip that asked why we were all girls, SCREW YOU girls like this kind of stuff too

Yom Hazikaron AND YomHaatzmaut!!!

April was a month of many important days. First was Holocaust Remembrance Day and then a week later, was Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day). In Israel, Yom Hazikaron is a day for the fallen soldiers AND victims of terror in Israel. This is something that is unique to Israel and I think that it is very important to remember the lives of both groups. It started on the 14th of April and the next evening was the start of Yom Haatzmaut which is when Israelis celebrate 65 beautiful years across the country. This is very weird because that means that bereaved families who were remembering their fallen loved ones in the morning were expected to celebrate that evening. The topic of these days being back to back is very controversial and many people think that there should at least be a whole day in between.
To bring in Yom Hazikaron, all of Yearcourse attended a ceremony put on by Masa at Latrun. Latrun is right next to Jerusalem and is land that was annexed by Israel in the Six Day War. Every single Masa program was there (that means any Israel program basically) including March of The Living! The ceremony was very well done. There were performances, speeches by very famous people such as Naftali Bennet and Natan Sharansky and there were five stories told. Four of the people spoken about were not "Tzabarim" (meaning native born Israelis). These were four people who either made Aliyah early on with their families or did it on their own through lone soldier programs like Garin Tzabar. I was crying for the first story until I got to the bus. Each story was so inspirational and heart breaking. We listened to their families talk about their loved ones and you just can't help but feel such pain for these five people. They will forever be in my heart.

The next morning, my section and I went to the military cemetary in Tel Aviv known as Kiryat Shaul. Every year on Yom Hazikaron, bereaved families go to the cemetaries where their loved ones are buried and commemorate their lives. We were lucky enough to speak to a man named Haim Abraham who lost both his son and his brother from war. He told us their stories and I couldn't believe how strong he was. He lost so much and is still able to come to talk to us about it. His son was captured during an operation near Lebanon. No one knew whether he was dead or alive and the government wouldn't disclose any information.  In the end, they swapped many dangerous terrorists only to receive the bodies of his son and his two soldiers. We went to his grave and remembered him and put flowers. 

After listening to Haim's story, we walked around the cemetary handing out water and picking up trash. I noticed that there were soldiers everywhere and was then informed that every soldier was assigned to a grave. This way, everyone resting there has someone watching over them and remembering them. So I walked over to a grave that had only one soldier there and I read the tombstone and took a moment of silence for them. Everyone deserves to be remembered and I think that the IDF is doing a great job of making sure that this happens.

At 11:00, the nationwide siren went off and the whole country shut down. Immediately afterwards, the ceremony began and the Minister of Defense read the "Yizkor" prayer and we sang the national anthem "Hatikvah" as a nation. Being able to witness this with my own eyes was absolutely incredible. The whole nation bands together on this day to remember the victims and it is so special.

Later that night, Yom Haatzmaut began!!!! Our section went out with almost everyone dressed in blue and white. We got to Rabin Square and watched the fireworks while listening to some good ol' Israeli music. After that, 60 of us roamed the streets of Tel Aviv going to all the street celebration that we could find. Such a fun and cool experience that you can only find here in Israel :) Happy Birthday to the best country on Earth! 65 years old and looking better than ever!

After a fun night of partying it up in the streets of Tel Aviv, Sarah and I were on our way to Jerusalem at 8:00 AM the next morning. We have a bunch of friends from BBYO that are on a program called March of the Living. This program spends one week in Poland and one week in Israel. On Yom Haatzmaut, the program was planned to march from the city hall to the Western Wall. One of my best friends got us wristbands and just like that we were in!!! The day started off with a super fun ceremony in Safra Square. Thousands of MOTL participants from Canada, USA, Panama, Mexico, Brazil etc were going crazy celebrating Israel's Independence. Then, the LA delegation was first in the march so we started walking. The whole time, people were chanting Am Israel Chai and singing songs. Everyone had Israelis flags and it was sooo much fun! When we arrived to the Wall, we completely took over the area and all you could see from a bird's eye view was a sea of blue and white. I was so happy to be able to take part in this!!!!

עם ישראל חי

Yom Hashoa (Holocaust Remembrance Day)

On the eve of Yom Hashoa, my section and I had a short ceremony to commemorate it outside of out "Ulpan" building. During this ceremony, a few idiots from the area thought that it would be funny to walk into our circle completely disrupting everything. It was absolutely disgusting. Here we were, trying to be respectful to the people who perished in the Holocausts and these guys are screaming during our moment of silence and yelling over our counselors voices. And for what? A few laughs?  At first, I wanted to stop and go somewhere else but then I realized that then these guys would win. We continued the ceremony as planned ignoring the disturbances around us because that is what our ancestors deserve.
The next morning, I had volunteering very early and missed the siren. In Israel, there is a nationwide siren in the morning of Yom Hashoa and the entire country shuts down. A minute of silence is taken and when it is over, life continues. The most amazing place to watch this happen is overlooking the main highway here. You can see the cars stopping and everyone getting out to pay their respects.

Video of the siren this year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s24x68QNmxQ

The rest of the day was very emotional for me. We had a program and another ceremony led by the scouts. We read testimonies and sang songs doing our best to commemorate the lives that were lost. After visiting Poland this year, my knowledge of the Holocaust grew so much and the whole day I was thinking about my trip. About all the places I went to and all of the stories I read about. One of the stories that we read during the program was a story that was also told to me in Poland. A story that I will never forget. It is of a young couple in the Holocaust that met in Auschwitz and fell in love. One day, she was called to the "hospital" to be sterilized. Of course, the doctor that was doing the job was Jewish. She cried in front of him begging him not to do it but it didn't help. Somehow both she and her boyfriend suvived the war and they got married and made Aliyah to Israel. After a few months, she started to gain a lot of weight and she didn't understand why. The Jewish doctor never sterilized her and because of that, she was pregnant!!! Sadly, the doctor ended up losing his life because the Nazis caught him. But this story always brings tears to my eyes.

NEVER AGAIN.

Bat Yam Volunteering!

Throughout Yearcourse, I have gotten really lucky with my volunteering placements. In Arad at the school and now in Bat Yam. Out of all of the choices that we were given before we got to Bat Yam, there was only one that  caught my eye. That would be Save a Child's Heart (SACH). An organization started by Israeli doctors that brings kids with fatal heart issues from all over the world to Israel and pays for them to stay here and have the surgeries that they need. After the surgeries, they live in a beautiful house in the city of Holon (right next to Bat Yam) until they are healed and ready to travel back. Most of the kids come from Africa but there are also children from China, Romania, Russia and many Arab countries.  My job as a volunteer, is to come for a few hours twice a week to play with their kids and brighten their days. What is better than that? Not only do I get to be part of this AMAZING organization, but I also get to have fun while doing it. The kids are amazing and so grateful to see us and hang out with us. We play outside, do puzzles and play cards. I am hoping that eventually I will be able to go visit the kids in the hospital as well as hanging out in the house. I have already been around to see a few kids go home because their surgeries were successful. Although I was sad to see them go because of the connection we had, I was so happy to know that they would be going to their hometowns healthy and happy.
Everyday has its own fun story and I am SO excited and grateful to be a part of an organization that is so incredible.

Fatma

Monika and Nema

Nema

Fatma

Yamarium

Sulha

On the one day of the week that I don't volunteer at Save a Child's Heart, I go to the local soup kitchen here in Bat Yam. It is called "Fat Meir's", named after the owner. This kitchen is unique because it is specifically for children. We make sandwiches for them to bring to school and provide lunch for them to eat once they get out of school. The owner, Meir is an absolute inspiration. He used to be a lawyer but about ten years ago, he suffered from a stroke that paralyzed one whole side of his body. After physical therapy he was able to move and talk again, but he wasn't the same so he decided to work at a shelter for homeless kids as a cook.  After a few years, he realized that helping kids was his passion so he opened Fat Meir's to help feed the hungry children of Bat Yam. He is such a nice man and everything he does is for these kids. He could have easily retired after his stroke but instead he is using it for the better. It's stories like these that really make me believe that everything happens for a reason. This was his fate.
At the soup kitchen, they feed us breakfast when we arrive and lunch before we leave. For example, today he made us omelets for breakfast and stir-fry for lunch YUM. We prepare and package hundreds of sandwiches every morning and then help prepare food for the kids that come to the kitchen to eat lunch.

I am so excited for my volunteering for the next few months. At both places, I really feel like I am making a difference and that makes me so happy!!!!

My overnight with the Scouts!

On my program, there are Israeli kids who only live in Bat Yam. They are part of a youth movement called the "Tzofim" (Israel Scouts). They are all really great kids and it is super difficult to get chosen to this program (they are the best of the best).  A few of them had to go to a seminar for the Scouts that are going to America this summer. This delegation is split up into two groups: the counselors and the Caravan! The counselors go to different Jewish camps across America and work with the kids and the Caravan is a group that travels America singing songs about Israel. My camp, JCA Shalom has scout counselors and the Caravan every summer!!!! The Caravan is easily my favorite night of camp hehehe. 

As a favor to my friends, I went to help out for one night. My job was to be an American. I could only talk to them in English and they practiced programming on me and asked me questions about American camps and the campers. It was very fun for me to pretend that I don't speak Hebrew. I got to eavesdrop on their conversations about me. Apparently they thought that I thought that they were really weird. I didn't!!!! They were all super sweet and made it so fun! That night, the Caravan performed for us and that was sooooo exciting!!!! I'm a Caravan Super Fan! Before I left the next morning, I informed my group that I speak Hebrew fluently. Their jaws dropped!! Some claimed they knew but I doubt it. Every single person who hears me speak Hebrew for the first time is completely shocked. It was fun tricking them for a while though ;)

I'm really excited for these kids and hope that they have a fantastic summer!

Siyur to the BEAUTIFULLLLLLL Kineret!!

So after weeks of being sick and staying home watching T.V online (not how I wanted to spend my last week of break and first full week in Bat Yam), I have started to feel better and I got to go on a beautiful hike with my section!  Now that we're in Bat Yam, we take a course on Zionism and our first siyur was up North to go visit the Kineret (Sea of Galilee).  This is linked to Zionism because the first Aliyahs were to this area and this is where the first Kibutzim were established.
We visited the most beautiful cemetery called the Kineret Cemetery. It is overlooking the water and is home to the graves of many famous Zionists such as Berl Katznelson and Naomi Shemer (writer of Jerusalem Shel Zahav).

After we learned about all of these amazing Zionists and how hard they worked to make this land ours, we hiked the gorgeous Mount Arbel. We took in the amazing scenery and just appreciated the views in front of us!!!

an ancient castle built by King Herrod:

Israel, you're pretty.