We have had a busy few days! As you could see in yesterday’s post, we commemorated Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) with students from the ORT School in Ma’alot. We did some ice breakers, played games, watched the Yom Hazikaron Ceremony and enjoyed lunch together. The students quickly connected with their colleagues from Israel and before we knew it, the roots of new friendships had been planted. After traveling north to see the grottos of Rosh Hanikra, we settled into Kibbutz Yehiyam for the evening. We had a celebratory Yom Ha’atzmaut dinner, and then went “to town” at the Ma’alot Yom Ha’atmzaut celebration, where most of the ORT students were to reunite with our students.
The next morning, May 2, we travelled north and enjoyed an incredible hike down the Arbel mountain. For some reason, I don’t have any pictures from this hike (perhaps because it was incredibly steep and I decided to hold on for dear life.) The kids were great and helped/cheered each other along the way. After the Arbel, we travelled to see the Hamat Tiveria Mosaic, a beautifully preserved mosaic near Tiberias, and then continued on to the Golan Heights. We checked into the Kibbutz Hotel Gonen, and were pleased to see a basketball court and large pool that we are able to use. (Basketball court was a must).
Today, we headed out at a more relaxed pace (7:30 wake up/9:00 departure) for the mystical city of Tzfat. We toured several synagogues and talked about the origins of Kabalah. After lunch in Tsfat, we got to rafting on the Jordan River, which is not nearly as fast and furious as the Rogue River is in Ashland!
Tomorrow afternoon we head to Jerusalem. In the words of Sammy Packer after hearing we are going to Jerusalem, “Hallelujah!”
Rosh Hanikrah- Monday afternoon 
