Lippman Israel Trip Blog 2010

On the last day with Tuvia

2010-04-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

April 22- last day of a great trip

2010-04-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

April 22

On our last day we started with tree planting in a JNF Forest. We each had in mind someone that we were planting our tree in memory or in honor of, which made it even more meaningful. Then we went to Latrun, where there is a Soldeirs' Memorial and Museum for the Artillary (tank) Division. Our Israeli counselor, Guy, served in the Tank Corps and he shared with the students some memories of his commander who was killed in the Second Lebanon Campaign. He also answered many questions that the students had about operating a tank. There were many tanks that the children were able to climb on and one was the kind that Guy had trained on.

After that we drove to another forest and memorial for our closing educational lesson with our guide Tuvia. Many of the students shared personal feelings about their trip to Israel and it was very moving. Then everyone shared words of thanks to each other- all 46 stduents and five staff, and the genuine warmth and friendship expressed was very special.

We had a final Bar B Q dinner at the Alexander Muss Campus, with visits from two more shlichim families who lived in our Akron community-first Maya and Lior with their son Eli and then Maayan and Gur with their three children. We started our visit two weeks ago with a visit with our shlichim (Lihi and Aharon) and now we ended our trip with visits from 4 more shlichim all of whom did so much to bring Israel to our Akron community and still feel a warm connection with Akron.

It seems that two weeks has flown by. We did, saw and learned so much! As we loaded the bus to head for the airport to fly home, we were sad to say goodbye to all of our new friends from the Donna Klein School and sad to leave a place where we felt so at home- Israel. Each student really had a chance to make their own personal connection with the land and people of Israel and to have some very meaningful experiences. Tuvia asked them each to think of three meaningful experiences that they had during the two weeks and I am very happy to be able to share them with you:

My three most meaningful experiences on this trip:

Justin Bober
• Meeting new friends because I love meeting new kids and hanging out with them
• Praying at the wall because I felt like I had a spiritual and powerful connection with G-d and also I got to be able to pray for my family at the holiest site for the Jewish people
• Being able to experience this trip with friends which is a very rare moment in life to do

Lani Skelley
Every moment of this trip was so amazing it is hard to choose just three. But if I had to I would start with Ein Gedi. Ein Gedi was my favorite place that we went. The waterfalls, animals, and nature in general were all beautiful. My second choice would be Yad Vashem. I was most nervous to go there and almost didn’t but now I am so glad I did. It made me very proud to be a Jew . Last but not least, making new friends. Making friends can be hard sometimes but the Donna Klein kids just clicked with us. It only took three days for friendships that could last past this trip to form. Overall I will never forget my 8th grade Israel trip.
Alyssa Katz
• Praying with beautiful scenery in the back ground:
We had lots of different places to pray. We prayed in the desert. We prayed in the mountains. We prayed next to the ocean. We prayed in beautiful synagogues.
• Meeting more Jewish kids our age:
We met lots of kids, both Israeli and American. I made some really nice friends.
• Being in a land for the first time that I have been learning about for a long time. I also thought
it is really cool to see monuments. We have seen in lots of pictures throughout the years and now we saw it all in person.
Alisha Crane
I really liked seeing things my sister told me all about from her Israel trip! It will be fun talking with her about the trip when I get back. It would be great if my parents would take us on a family trip together, especially since we have nice family in Israel.
I liked trying new things like kayaking, visiting Israeli family I haven’t seen in five years, being with forty more eighth graders than usual, and walking through tunnels.
On many occasions I pushed myself to new limits, especially on the hike and home hospitality with strangers. I was determined to do as much as I could and I did!

Jonathon: My three most meaningful experiences were: When I went to the wall and all of the guys were dancing with rabbis and Israeli soldiers. My second one was when we went kayaking and my group was with people from the other school. Their names were Harrison, Jared, Eli, and Mrs. Young. We were in first place. The final one was climbing Masada to watch the sunrise. It was very beautiful and I got it all on video in HD. I will miss everyone from the other school and our guides Tuvia, Guy, and Ainav.

Jillian: My three most meaningful experiences we did on the trip were: Being in Jerusalem for Shabbat and going to the Kotel. My second one was being on my own and meeting a whole new group of people that was really meaningful (plus the kids at the other school are all really nice!) Then climbing Masada was so cool. We got to learn about everything that happened up there. When we were up there we saw fighter jets fly over and tip their wings to salute Masada because of the tragedies that happened there. And if I could add a fourth thing it would be planting a tree in honor of my family. I had a great trip and I will miss everybody!!!

Up north- with a penpal in Akko and at Rosh Hanikra

2010-04-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

In the Golan Heights

2010-04-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Our last full day and night in Israel

2010-04-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

April 21

Today was our day in the Golan Heights. We learned alot about the battles in and for this region. Then we went on a beautiful , but challenging and difficult, hike in the Golan. In the evening we had a final activity with our counselors and made some crazy skits spoofing different parts of the trip. Everyone seemed to enjoy poking fun at our guide Tuviah, who has been absolutely amazing to us.

Our Israel trip ia almost over and everything has gone so well! The kids have really made the most of the whole experience and I am proud of them! Don't be surprised if they come home totally exhausted- as you can tell from our itinerary or blog, we have been on the go from early morning till night for two weeks. I'm not sure if I'll have time to write tomorrow before we go to the airport, so---I'll see all of the parents at the airport on Friday morning around 10:15!! I'll post a final reflection over the weekend and get the students to write some final reflections on our trip home, which I'll post over the weekend as well.

SHALOM!!!!

Independence Day -Yom Haatzmaut

2010-04-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

April 20

Yesterday we started the day in Akko at the Weitzman School. We went into a few classrooms and met the 6th and 7th grade penpals. I went into a class from every grade and delivered the beautiful Independence Day Cards that the kindergarten through 6th grade from our school had sent with us. The children in Israel were so excited and the teachers were delighted!!We joined the students outside for recess, and then they performed their Memorial Day program for us. We also did a project with the penpals in their classrrom and then we had falafel together.While we were doing the project the memorial siren went off at 11:00 and we all stood for two minutes of serious silence in memory of the fallen soldiers of Israel. At 12:00 school got out early and we were picked up by our driver.

Our next stop up north were the beautiful grottos at Rosh Hanikra. What a magnificent view of the Mediterranean coast and the grottos. From there we went to the city of Tzefat, best known for being the place where Kabbalah and Mystical Judaism first developed. We visited some famous sunagogues, did some Jewish meditations lead by our guide, Tuviah, and di some shopping in some very stores with Jewish art and gifts. Tzefat is also known for its Artist Colony.

At night we joined in with the festivities for Israel's 62nd year of Independence with at least half of the families from Tiberias at a big outdoor park with a concert and fireworks. It was festive like a carnival and we had a really good time.

This morning we drove up to Kfar Giladi to learn about Hashomer, the early guards and defenders of the land of Israel before the State was declared. The highlight of the day was the awesome kayaking we did on a tributary leading to the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. The kayak was really a large inflatable boat/raft, so there were six of us in a boat. We had fun floating with the current, getting stuck, splashing, slipping out of the boat to get wet, and doing a terrible job steering the boat with our oars:) The kayaking is always one of my favorite parts of the trip. We ended Yom Haatzmaut with another boating experience- the "Disco Boat." The music was way too loud for this old teacher, but most of the students seemed to love it!

Tomorrow we go up in the Golan Heights and learn about battles and security. We have a challenging hike planned in the Golan to a waterfall.

e

Israel Memorial Day (Yom Hazikaron) in Akko with Pen Pals

2010-04-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

2010-04-19T13:28:00.001-07:00

April 19

Alisha: Our home hospitality trips were really good. The families were so sweet. I loved meeting my pen pal and she is so sweet. The Weitzman School was very nice and all the kids were very friendly and welcoming.

Lani: At our first home hospitality, Alyssa and I stayed with a family that was religious. They were very nice and welcoming. The kids in the neighborhood were very nice too. We all made new friends. On Sunday night the kids invited us to a thing called a Poyke. That’s where you bring a bunch of different kinds of foods and drinks and cook it all together in a big pot on a bonfire. It tasted very good! 

2010-04-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

April 19
Jillian: We only have 3 days left!! This trip is amazing- we got really lucky. The school we are traveling with is so nice, every kid is so welcoming. We just met our Israeli pen pals that we have been writing to this year. We had lunch with them. Last night we went to the Yom Hazikaron ceremony for the soldiers that have died. Earlier this week we went to an archeological dig. I found some pot shards. It was really fun. Then at the same place we went caving it was so cool. It was lit up by candles and we had to crawl through these small spaces. I got really dirty! I am having a great trip!

Alyssa: Yesterday we met our Israeli pen pals! Little did we know that she was my brother Noah's pen pal last year! Tonight we are going to hear the Israeli singer Rita perform. She is a popular Israeli singer! It is a free concert so I bet it will be crowded. I am so sad for the trip to end. At the same time I am very excited to live with my cousins in Israel for a couple of days

April 16- 18, Shabbat through Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day)

2010-04-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

April 18

Our Shabbat visit at Yishuv Eshkhar was wonderful! My girlfriend Ricki and her family and the host families made everyone feel so at home. Our Shabbat was so pleasant- we played games, took a long walk and met lots of Israeli kids. Saturday evening they were with the Israeli kids until late at night. They had an interesting stew cooked in a big cast iron pot on an open fire, called a Poyke (that some of the students enjoyed and others didn't... but noone went hungry with all of the food my girlfriend cooked and baked for them!)

This morning we met up again with the Donna Klein group near Haifa. We visited the Moshav where the grandparents of one of Donna Klein students live. We saw their chicken coops with thousands of baby chicks (they raise 24,000 chicks) and we saw their neighbor's sheep barn with lots of baby sheep. Then we went to the Mediterranean beach for some fun learning. The water was pretty cold but everyone went in!

Our next stop today was the city of Akko, Akron's partner city. We met some of our penpals at the Weitzman school, they joined us with their teacher for lunch in Nahariya at a great restaurant. Then we delivered some tile mosaics, that we had made with Akron artist Bonnie Cohen, to the artist at Kibbutz Yechiam that she is doing a project with. This project is another way that we are building connections with the Western Galilee. Our mosaics will be part of a mosaic walls made by people from the Western Galilee and Akron that Bonnie designed for the Community Center in the area and in Akron. The theme of the mosaic wall is Planting For Peace. It was fun seeing the artist in Israel's studio because there were lots of really cool mosaics on sculptures.

Next we returned to Akko and went back the the homes of our Akko host families. Everyone was so nice to us- the kids and their parents and families. That evening we met to go together to the Akko Memorial Day Ceremony. We helped place a flower wreath on the Memorial for all of the fallen soldiers. We stayed for the ceremony and then went back to our host homes. Tomorrow we visit the Weitzman school in the morning before rejoining our big touring group.

Tel Aviv and Breakfast at Eshkhar

2010-04-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

April 16

2010-04-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

April 16, 2010
It will soon be Shabbat so I’ll do a quick entry. Today we spent in Tel Aviv touring and shopping. We are now up north at the home of a close friend of mine who lives in a town called Eshkhar. If you are looking on a map of Israel we are near the city of Karmiel. The boys are staying at my friend’s home with me (she has three sons, one is in middle school) and the girls are in 2 homes just a few houses away. We will soon be going to Shabbat services together and then my friend has prepared a beautiful Shabbat dinner for us all. Wishing all of our blog followers a Shabbat Shalom!
And now a few words from the students:
Jonathon: Recently we climbed Masada. It was a lot easier than I expected. It was actually a lot of fun. We also got to watch the sunrise and it was very beautiful. The climb down was so hard though. We went down the snake path and it hurt my knees. After that we went to the Dead Sea! It was so much fun! It’s so hard to swim without getting the water in your eyes and that hurts! Well its almost Shabbat so this is the highlight of the past couple days.

Justin: When we got to the Dead Sea I was so excited to go in and just lie down and float. I walked in and it was surprisingly warm. There were a lot of rocks beneath the surface. I fell back and the next thing I knew, I was floating! Later I got my friends from Donna Klein School to get some Dead Sea mud and rubbed it all over! After it dried we all ran in the water and got it all off! My skin felt so smooth! It was awesome!!!! 

The Whole Big Group: Lippman and Donna Klein

2010-04-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

With our bus driver

2010-04-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday April 15th

2010-04-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

We have reached the halfway point on our trip and the students have done so much! Yesterday morning we took a great hike in the desert in Ein Avdat. I'm not sure which was more beautiful- the view from the wadi down below looking up, or the view from the top of the mountain looking down. The students then went on very bumpy jeep rides in the Ramon Crater. Then we headed back to Hod Hasharon to the Alexander Muss School campus for two nights. We had dinner and free time on the streets of Hod Hasharon.

Today was our "dirty day." We went to Beit Guvrin and dug in a real archeological site from the historical period of the Maccabees. We also had a fun caving experience lit by candles through some very small and narrow openings to crawl through. And if we weren't dirty enough by then, we drove to some vegetables fields near Rehovot to pick potatoes for another organization that feeds the poor called Table to Table.

Tomorrow is our Tel Aviv day and then Shabbat...I could sure use the rest...

In the Desert

2010-04-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

April 14th
What a day yesterday was!! We woke up at 4:15 in the morning, it was cold and dark as we set out at 4:45 on our journey to climb Massada. We arrived at the bottom of the Roman Ramp and were on top of the mountain by 6 am to see the sunrise at 6:10. We spent the next 5 hours learning and discussing the story of Massada and what it can mean to us today. Two of the highlights were: seeing Israeli jets fly overhead and to see them do the “traditional” tilt of their wings as they zoomed by, to signify a “salute” to Massada; and hearing an amazing echo from a special spot on Massada as we shouted, “Massada will not fall again! The nation of Israel lives!” Then we climbed the (challenging) snake path down the other side of Massada.
Next were went swimming in the Dead Sea. Some of the kids were daring and put Dead Sea mud on their bodies, everyone enjoyed floating and had lots of fun!
Our next hike was in Ein Gedi, an oasis in the desert by the Dead Sea. We saw lots of desert animals- ibex and some desert rabbit with lots of little babies. The hike was beautiful and the fresh water pool with the waterfall was so refreshing to swim in!
When we arrived at Sde Boker, Lippman graduate, Lonia Friedlander, met us for dinner. She is getting her Masters at the School in Sde Boker in Water Management. She spoke to the group and shared with us what her thesis and work are about. Then everyone had some free time before bed and amazingly had lots of energy, even after such a long day!

Lani: This trip has been SOOOO amazing!! All the sites and things we have done so far have been really cool. Besides the trip being amazing the people on it are too. Our tour guide’s name is Tuvia. He is originally from Canada but moved to Israel because of his love for it. He is a very good and interesting tour guide and a very fun person. Our two Madrichim (counselors) are Einav and Guy. They are both really cool and nice. Our medic’s name is Or. He is very nice too. The kids and teachers from Donna Klein are also amazing. I have made so many friends in such a short time. I know that the “other school” was something everyone was worried about. Now that we are here we all agree that we had NOTHING to worry about. Our bus driver’s name is Shalti. He is a very cool person. He plays loud Israeli music and American music on the bus. I must say he has very good taste in music. He also bought us a special kind of sesame bagel that they eat in Jerusalem. It has a special spice that you eat with it called Zatar and it’s very good. It almost tasted better than Macaroni Grill bread. ;)

April 14
Alyssa: Wow! We have been keeping very busy! Today we climbed a mountain in the desert near Sde Boker called Ein Avdat.. There were very steep steps and we managed to get all the way up. There were even ladders we had to climb! Then we went on some jeep rides. It was very bumpy, you will never imagine what we went over in the jeep (tons of pretty big rocks). Yesterday we went to the Dead Sea! I was very excited to see if I could float easily. I could! I kind of thought that my water shoes were making me float but it was definitely easy to float! The mud definitely felt so weird. I thought it felt like lake mud. I hope it helped my skin! Then right away we went on a hike in Ein Gedi. I was very pretty, we went under a water fall. It was beautiful!!

On Our Minibus

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Looking back at the beginning of the week

2010-04-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

April 12, 2010

Jonathon: This trip is so much fun! Yesterday was probably my favorite day so far. The first thing was that I got a little special something for my mom.Then we went into Hezekiah's Tunnel where you had to go through little tunnels with cold water up to your waist at certain times. It was so much fun!! The climb up after was so hard!!! Then later we went to the wall to take pictures and on the guys side we all danced with rabbis and Israeli soldiers. The one right behind me patted me on the back. It was so much fun. The weather yesterday was really bad. It was like a dust storm almost and it was very hot and hazy. Also I have made lots of new friends with the other school and they are all very nice. That’s why yesterday was my favorite day so far.

Justin Bober: I had the most amazing experience ever at the Kotel! All the boys and I danced in prayer singing! Everyone was staring and even videotaping and also taking pictures. Random people and soldiers joined in. This was so spiritual and I had a holy yet a powerful feeling running down my body! I even started to dance with a Hasidic man! My favorite song was Am Yisrael Chai “The Nation of Israel Shall Live!”

Alyssa Katz- Today was more of a memorial day. We went to a couple of museums. First we went to the Herzl Museum, which was very nice. It was Yom Hashoah today. We watched the cars stop and the people got out during the memorial siren. It was very nice to see people paying their respects. After that we went to Yad Vashem. It was very interesting.

Alisha: The trip has been very fun so far, although it is only the fifth day. Our guide, counselors, and bus driver are so nice and the bus is really cool. We have done so much including Hezekiah’s Tunnels, Herzel Museum, and more. I can’t wait to do more fun things.

2010-04-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

Jillian: So far this trip is AMAZING!!! We went to the Kotel for Shabbat. Then we also went and prepared food for the poor. Also we went to the City of David, and went through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Then we went back to the Kotel to take pictures. Today is Yom Hashoah. In the morning we went to Theodore Herzl’s grave and saw Yitzchak Rabin’s grave too. Then we went to Yad Vashem the Holocaust memorial site. I cried a lot! Now we are heading down to the desert! I am having a great time and making a lot of friends.

Lani: This trip is soooo much fun!!! My favorite thing we have done so far is going to Hezekiah’s Tunnel. It was really cool walking through the tunnel with a few flashlights as our only light. The water was very cold but after awhile you couldn’t notice it any more. It was really cool to see the different levels of water and the different ways that people carved the rock out. And as an added bonus after we were done in the tunnel we got an AMAZING workout walking back up from the tunnels. ;)

2010-04-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

April 11- Volunteer work in a Soup Kitchen/ Praying at the Wall

2010-04-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

The kids performed a wonderful mitzvah working in a soup kitchen this morning called, Hazon Yeshaya. This is an amazing organization that does so much for the poor in Israel. The kids really enjoyed helping out and would have been happy to stay and work some more. They peeled beets, cucumbers, sliced celery and tomatoes and helped in the food warehouse.

Then we went over to the City of David, the part of Jerusalem that was the original capital from the time of King David. Below the city are tunnels built during the time of King Hezekiah to bring fresh spring water into the fortified city and to make sure that the water was held secure from enemies. Today fresh spring water still flows through Hezekiah's Tunnels and we all had a fun forty minutes walking through the dark, narrow tunnels (with flashlights), with the cool water up to our knees.

The next stop was the Old City of Jerusalem for a pizza lunch and then a chance to learn about the Southern Wall excavations and life during the period of the Second Temple. It was very hot and moggy because some winds were blowing in from the Sahara Desert and it really made us all feel hot and tired.

Before returning to the hotel we went again to the Kotel. This time, since it wasn't Shabbat, we were able to take pictures and put all of the notes with prayers that we brought from the students at Lippman. The boys had a special service on the men's side of the Wall that ended with some VERY spirited singing and dancing, and there were even some Hasidic men and soldiers who saw and were drawn to join in with the singing and dancing with them.

This evening after dinner some of the students lead us in a Holocaust Memorial Service that they organized and wrote. Thanks to Alyssa and Jonathon for volunteering to be part of that committee. Tomorrow we will be at the Holocaust Museum in the morning, after we go to the Herzl Museum.

All of the students are doing very well and I am enjoying seeing how well they are handling themselves and getting along with everyone!

2010-04-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

On Ben Yehudah Street

2010-04-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

Shabbat in Jerusalem

2010-04-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

April 9 and 10

We had a wonderful Shabbat in Jerusalem! First we lit Shabbat candles and then walked through the Old City of Jerusalem down to the Kotel. We were there for over an hour, experiencing Friday night at the Kotel: the praying, all of the people, the large groups of people singing and even some people dancing, as they welcomed the Shabbat in this holy place. We then walked back to our hotel for a delicious Shabbat dinner and then, very exhausted, the kids went to bed.

Saturday morning the kids had a choice of three different synagogues to attend. Some of our group went to the traditional Conservative shul where we found the congregants and Rabbi to be very welcoming. The other students went to The Great Synagogue of Jerusalem, which is famous for its Men's Choir, and they were impressed with the large beautiful building. There was time for resting after lunch and then we walked over to a really nice park where the kids played some organized games (lead by our Israeli counselors) as well as some free time together playing soccer, frisbee, assorted other games, and just hanging out talking with old and new friends.

After dinner we ended Shabbat with some stories told by our guide, Tuviah, and a Havdalah service outside. Then we walked over to Ben Yehudah Street (pedestrian mall with gift shops, food, and street performers) for a fun night of shopping.

Tomorrow morning we start a busy full week of touring. Breakfast is at 7:00 am! Then we're off to do some volunteer work in a soup kitchen in Jerusalem called Hazon Yehaya.

Our guide, Tuviah, is an incredibly upbeat, kind, fun and warm person. His wife and two young children joined us for Shabbat in Jerusalem as well. Our counselors are
also wonderful with the kids. The children and teachers from the other school are very nice and the kids are starting to make some new friends. I am delighted with how the kids are doing and how well everything is going!

Friday late afternoon

2010-04-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

I just have a few quick minutes to write before we meet to light Shabbat candles. We had a wonderful day. The weather is beautiful, the kids are all healthy and getting along great. Our guide is amazing and the other school has some very friendly students. We arrived in Jerusalem after a picnic lunch in the hills outside of Jerusalem. We drove to one of the vantage points of the New and Old City of Jerusalem and then we went shopping in a bustling outdoor Jerusalem marketplace called Mahane Yehudah. There were vendors selling fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, flowers, challah, baked goods and gift items. It was loud and fun. Then we checked into our hotel/hostel in Jerusalem, which is around the corner from the Old City. We are looking forward to experiencing Friday night at the Kotel and then a big Shabbat dinner. I will blog again Saturday night. Shabbat Shalom!

2010-04-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

2010-04-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

Friday morning April 9

2010-04-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

April 9th morning report

Lani: The plane ride wasn’t as bad as you might think. Except for the food. It was all left over Kosher for Passover and frozen. It was disgusting! But to make up for it there were good movies. 

Alisha: It is really pretty and we are having a lot of fun!

Justin: This is awesome! Last night we ate at Lihi and Aharon’s place and the food was amazing especially the shawarma. The place we slept was at the Alexander Muss High School and it is very nice. I'm very excited to see the rest of Israel!

Jillian: We are here! It is warm! The flowers are really pretty and we are having a lot of fun!

Alyssa: I have good news! They found my suit case!! I am very excited. Tonight in Jeruselem!

Jonathon: Our flight down here was long and painful but they did have a good choice of movies including Avatar, which isn't on DVD yet. We spent last night at Alexander Muss campus and my room was freezing. We had dinner at Lihi and Aharon's and the food was delicious. The weather is beatuiful and so are the trees and plants. We are going to pick up the other school at the airport!!!!! We are having a lot of fun. .

2010-04-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

2010-04-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

We've arrived!

2010-04-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

Thursday night April 8th

After an eventful beginning at Akron/Canton airport, everything started looking up when we all got together in Atlanta and boarded our flight to Israel. The Delta flight attendants were very nice and helpful and, except for the flight being 11 hours, everything went smoothly. Another unexpected complication happened when we went to pick up our luggage in Israel and one suitcase was missing. Hopefully we will get the missing suitcase delivered to us tomorrow in Jerusalem, otherwise we will have to do some early shopping :)
At the airport we were greeted by our Israeli counselors Ainav and Guy (a boy and a girl in their twenties)and our guide from two years ago (David Mitchell). We climbed into our fabulous little bus and drove to the Alxander Muss Campus in Hod Hasharon (near Tel Aviv), met our guide for this year- Tuviah, put our bags in our rooms and drove over to Kfar Saba (about 15 minutes away) to visit Lihi and Aharon, our shlichim who lived in Akron for two years. How great it was to see them!!! I can't think of a better way to start our trip than with real Israeli home hospitality! The dinner was delicious. We ate seconds and thirds and then the dessert was amazing too (some Morrocon specialty that Lihi made and Turkish coffee.) We got to see a little bit of Israeli TV, and we also we had an interesting discssion about Israeli life, particulary in the Tel Aviv area. We brought the DVD of our Hebrew play, which Lihi and Aharon were very excited to be able to watch. We only showed them about 10 minutes of the play but they were so excited to see all of the students fron Lippman and how much they had grown.
The we rode back to the Alexander Muss Campus with Israeli music playing on our bus and our driver singing along. We knew we weren't in Akron, Ohio. The students all took showers and I hope they all sleep well because they are sure tired- tired but happy.
Tomorrow wakeup is at 7:30 and breakfast is at 8. We start off the morning picking up the other school we will be traveling with (Donna Klein Jewish Academy) around 10:30 from the airport and then it's off to Sataf, in the hills outside of Jerusalem to learn about ancient agriculture and irrigation. We will then be driving to Jerusalem for three days. But more about that in the next post.

Welcome

2010-04-04T04:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 8th grade Israel blog! This year we have six students traveling to Israel from our school. This is The Lippman School's 14th eighth grade to travel to Israel. We are very excited about learning from our guide/teacher from the Alexander Muss High School in Israel for the next two weeks. We also look forward to making new friends from the other eighth grade class that we will be traveling with, the Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, Florida. We will try to post under the blog everyday. If we miss a day it is probably because we have trouble getting internet access.