Thursday, August 6, 2015

Day 24

Thursday 6th  August:

This morning began with the moment we had all been waiting for;  the excitement was palpable... the helicopter ride!!! 
In small groups we got ready to board the helicopter and were taken up in the air for a breath-taking, birds-eye view of Israel.  After travelling the length and breadth of Israel on foot, in water and by coach, this was a unique and unforgettable experience that added another dimension to our Israel tour.







We then went to the Kotel for our final Mincha and a closing ceremony farewell, which was a very powerful way to end Tribe Israel Tour.  

We came at the start of the trip with hardly any knowledge of Israel and Jewish history and we are leaving with a wealth of knowledge and inspired by our homeland.

After an emotional farewell we packed up our thing s and boarded the coach to the airport to begin our journey back to London.


We have had the most incredible three and a half weeks and hope you have enjoyed living our adventures through this blog. 

Day 23

Wednesday 5th August:

Today we were in Tel Aviv and we started our day at the Children’s Museum in Holon.  The Museum runs courses that are actually in story form, allowing us to take part as characters.  The Museum allowed us to touch displays and be part of the exhibit as we followed the story and got a small feeling of what it is like to be blind.
We then had some free time in Carmel Market and Shenkin Street where we were able to spend some of our money and buy some lovely Israeli gifts.

Our day continued with a tour of Rabin Square.  Rabin Square, formally Kings of Israel Square, is the largest public city square in central Tel Aviv and has held political rallies, parades and countless other public events.  In 1995 the square was re-named ‘Rabin Square’ in honour of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who was assassinated there earlier that year  by a right-wing extremist.  This was a thought provoking and powerful afternoon.
Next we headed to Independence Hall, the place where David Ben-Gurion announced the founding of the state of Israel on Friday 14th  May 1948, just before Shabbat began.  It was oddly  nostalgic to see the chairs and table where the declaration was signed and read out, and to imagine all the people crammed into such a small room.  
The juxtaposition between the significance of the moment and the place in which it happened was extraordinary indication of what Israel was like as an Infant in 1948.



Our final stop of the day was Modiin – a relatively  new city that has had a huge influx of Anglo olim (immigrants).  It has a large Modern Orthodox demographic and we had the opportunity to enjoy dinner with some local families.  We heard about what it’s like living in Israel, what sort of jobs they hold and what the Aliyah (immigration) process is like.

After a very busy day we headed back to the hotel and the group got ready for their talent contest – it was a fantastic ending to an amazing trip!


Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Day 22

Tuesday 4th  August:

We began the day with horseback riding in the Carmel.  This was yet another incredible experience with the breathtaking Carmel backdrop. 

We then had a go at archery which although challenging and not as easy as it looked, was a lot of fun.




      
 Next was the Atlit detainee camp, a detention camp that was established by the British at the end of the 1930s.  The camp was established to prevent Jewish refugees known as ‘Ma’apilim’, mainly Holocaust survivors, from entering what was then the British Mandate for Palestine.  We watched a fascinating and entertaining re-enactment of one of the boats sailing to the beach and the Ma’apilim arriving at the camp.
 





We than started our drive back down to Jerusalem where we will be spending the last few days at the Caesar Hotel. 


Monday, August 3, 2015

Days 18 - 20

Friday 31st  July:


It was an early morning for Tribe Tour but it was well worth it!  This morning we woke up at 4.15am (a challenge in itself!) to climb the Roman ramp at Masada in time to see the spectacular sunrise!  The hard walk justified itself when we reached the top and witnessed the beautiful views at dawn.
At the top of Masada the group learnt about the Jewish people's last struggle with the Romans at this site and we discussed their decision to become martyrs, rather than fall at the hand of their enemies.  It was a very contentious issue and it raised interesting points of debate.  We also got to see the remains of the oldest synagogue in Israel, built on the Masada plain.  Having hiked our way to the top, we took a cable car down.











The day continued at a slightly slower pace travelling down to the Dead Sea, to float in one of the most special places and relax a little.  As the lowest point on Earth the Dead Sea can be a pretty hot place, but the group loved floating and taking in the surroundings.

We then made our way to Afik where we will be spending the next four nights to clean off all the salt and prepare ourselves for our last Shabbat of tour.

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom!














Shabbat 1st August:

Friday night was very special for Tribe Tour as it was the last Shabbat together and we were very lucky to be joined by David Collins (Director of Tribe) and Rabbi Gideon Sylvester (Tribe Israel Rabbi).  Our guests helped us to make the incredible atmosphere and our oneg after dinner was extremely fun and thought provoking.

After a  much needed long nights' sleep, our madrichim made sure to arrange wonderful activities throughout the day. We had a challenging Q & A session with Rabbi Gideon.
We really feel like a strong unit, everyone is comfortable within the group which allows us all to have a great time.
We had time to relax and sleep to get ready for the last few days of tour
We had a moving Havdalla from the viewpoint of Kibbutz Afik overlooking the Kinneret and then spent the evening having fun with games and activities.


Sunday 2nd August:

The day began with a  fun river hike near the Hula Valley at Hatzbani.  The group had a cool, refreshing walk through the river and beautiful springs, something refreshing in the morning heat.



After boarding the bus our day then took a more somber turn as we visited the Shear Yishuv monument.  We walked through the Forest of the Fallen and learned the history of the moshav and the 73 people who died in the IDF helicopter crash that occurred above the moshav in 1997.


Following a Meafim lunch in Goshrim we headed back to the Jordan river for a fun-filled afternoon of kayaking.  




Our day ended on a chocolate high with a trip to De Karina Chocolate Making Workshop.  Located on a kibbutz in the Golan Heights De Karina is a successful chocolate factory distributing chocolates around Israel.  We all enjoyed the wide selection of chocolates, both making them and tasting them. 

Friday, July 31, 2015

Day 17

Thursday 30th July

The day began with a visit to Timna Park, just north of  Eilat where we saw some amazing rock and sand formations and learnt about the history of the park, which was especially active during the time of King Solomon when it was mined for copper ore.



This was followed by a trip back to the Ramon crater. The Machtesh ramon is the largest Machtesh in the world – a geological landform unique to the Negev. It was amazing to walk through it and view Israel from a completely different eye line. Even though it was extremely hot, we enjoyed our short walk through the Machtesh.

We then had a camel ride through the desert before experiencing a traditional Bedouin dinner, followed by sweet tea and a history of the Bedouins in Israel.  






The day ended with a bonfire and sleeping in Bedouin tents at Har Hanokdim for the night.







Thursday, July 30, 2015

Days 15 and 16

Tuesday 28th July

We started off the morning with some fun team-building exercises that helped to create even stronger bonds between the participants.  Even though we have now been together for two weeks these activities really strengthened the bonds created between us and we all had so much fun doing them.










Back we headed to Miztpe Ramon were we then climbed
up the crater instead of abseiling down it. This was a tough feat in the hot Israeli sun but everyone enjoyed the climb and the incredible views from the top.

After returning to the bus we then started our long
 Journey down to Eilat - we were all very excited to be able to get to see another very different part of Israel. We headed to Arkadia Hotel,  
where we will be staying for two nights. 

By the time we got to Eilat, it was later than expected so we headed to the mall before we went to the hotel to end another fun packed and exhausting day.


Wednesday 29th  July


We started off the day with an atmospheric davening  followed by a delicious breakfast that was enjoyed by all.  Having filled up on a yummy breakfast we headed to the site Har Tzfachot and began
our three hour hike, where, from the top, we could
see Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.  The
view emphasized how small Israel really is and was important for us to see just how surrounded Israel is, by some not so friendly neighbors'.   

Everyone had a great time on the hike and the madrichim witnesses the group bonding as they sang and chatted their way up the mountain. Madrichim made extra sure everyone was drinking even more than ususal due to the extreme heat in Eilat.
Following this, we headed off to Migdalor Beach where the group went snorkelling in the Red Sea. The Red Sea has one of the most extensive coral reefs in the world, because the sea is so deep (something
very rare for a coral reef).  We then enjoyed beach time and packed lunch on Eilat’s beautiful beaches and went swimming in the sea.
Madrichim made sure to remind everyone to keep drinking and applying sun-cream.

We then made our way to the Red Kanyon which is only 200 metres long but it is deep and is full of beautiful red colours, hence the name. This was an amazing hike as the beauty surrounding us was awesome.
After some relaxation time, the group freshened up.  In the late afternoon the group headed to Har Hizkiyahu and headed on a short hike to an observation point, which looks out onto the desert. 

To end the day slightly cooler than it begun, we went to the Ice Mall and enjoyed the Eilat mall – which has one of the few ice rinks in Israel.

After another exhausting day, we went back to the hotel and headed to bed.


The Tribe Team






















Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Day 14

Monday 27th July:



As we begin to discover Southern Israel we made our way to Sde Boker, where David Ben-Gurion made his home.  Despite his high profile and relative wealth, Ben-Gurion chose not to settle in the heart of Israel, but lived by what he preached by promoting the settlement of the South of
Israel, setting up his modest home on Kibbutz Sde Boker.  His home is now open to the public.

We then started a two hour hike in nearly Ein Ovdat.  Despite the intense heat of the desert, the group donned their hats, slapped on the sun cream and filled their water bottle ready for a hike through Ein Ovdat Canyon.  The hike took us through the largest Wadi (dry riverbed, in the Negev and we were able to cool off in the natural springs and waterfalls.





Everyone had a great time and were really proud of themselves having completed this intense hike.
We then visited Miztpe Ramon, which was to be our home for the night, and made our way to the Ramon Crater.  It was then time to get the adrenalin pumping by abseiling down the rock face of the Ramon Crater – an incredible (but a little scary) experience.



The Machtesh Ramon is the largest Machtesh (Crater) in the world – a geological landform unique to the Negev.  Abseiling down this gave the group the opportunity to see the spring at the bottom of the crater.  Abseiling was a really useful tool in building group dynamics and allow the group to let their hair down a little more.














 



 
 



 


We then went Jeeping - we had such a gorgeous backdrop to this really fun and exciting activity.

After a really tiring, informative and fun day, we made our way back to base camp for a well needed rest.