Days 4 - 6

Friday 17^th July

Friday started off with a tour of the artist’s quarter in Tzfat, which was extremely beautiful and quaint.  We then had the opportunity to meet with some amazing local artists and hear about their specific art specialties and what inspires them to produce such wonderful pieces of artwork.

Afterwards we went on a magical & mystical tour of Tzfat.  Tzfat is a very well-known and interesting city.  The city is most closely associated with Jewish mysticism, the kabbalah, whose foremost teacher, Rabbi Isaac Luria, lived and taught there.  Known as “Ha’Ari” (the lion), Rabbi Luria had come from Egypt to Tzfat in 1569 and died just three years later.

Besides from the Kabbalists, Tzfat also attracted numerous other Jewish scholars and spiritualists, including Joseph Caro, the author of the Shulchan Aruch, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero and Solomon Alkabetz, composer of the Sabbath hym Lecha Dodi.  We heard their stories and visited some of the beautiful shuls, all decorated in blue.

After having our first Pizur lunch, (where we are given money and choose what we want for lunch from a range of restaurants, we spent a little time shopping and then began our journey south to Kibbutz Ein Tzurim where we will be spending our first Shabbat as Tribe Tour 2015.

Yonina Isman: I loved the artists market. Tzefat is a beautiful city and it had really interesting history. The food was also amazing, the felafel was great. Tour has been very fun and enjoyable so far and cant wait for it to continue"

Shabbat Shalom from Israel!

Shabbat 18^th July

Shabbat is always a highlight of Tribe trips and especially of Tribe Israel tour.  Being the first Shabbat of Tour, it was bound to be extra special.  Shabbat was welcomed with a tuneful and uplifting Friday night service, the whole group looking smart and refreshed after the first few days touring.  An amazing atmosphere was created through singing, dancing and clapping, not just during the Friday night service, but at meals and other services too. This was even more fun as there was an American Bnei Akiva group also staying on Kibbutz, so there was lots of competitive singing and dancing. It was a good opportunity to meet new people our own age from a different country.

After a well-earned rest, it was time to enjoy the rest of Shabbat on the kibbutz.  Following davening (prayers) and lunch, we had some free time to bond more, as well as this the madrichim led some games and discussions and the group were given a tour of the kibbutz.  During this tour, the group learnt about the origins of kibbutzim, the communal ethos and the importance of all the production that goes on at Ein Tzurim. I think we will all remember the smell of the cow sheds for a very long time to come!

In true Tribe style, Shabbat ended with an inspirational Havdalah with everyone singing and swaying arm in arm. Everyone had a really relaxing and bonding Shabbat.

Following the end of Shabbat, we were given a challenge. We were divided in to groups and  Find the flag began. This was a huge amount of fun, getting the groups strategically planning how to win the flag of the other team in the dark kibbutz land. Well done to the Blue team for winning!! Everyone had a great time!

David Dwek: "Shabbat was really inspirational with a lot of ruach. We joined with an America tour for Seudah and it was a great experience to meet Jews from all over the world and to be able to sing the same songs which everyone really enjoyed."

Sunday 19^th July

After Shabbat we began our day by driving to an observation point where one can see the border with Gaza.  This helped us to understand the reality of living near Israeli borders.

One town that has particularly felt the effects of the security issues Israel faces is Sderot.  Sderot is in Southern Israel and near Gaza.  We were given a tour of the town and were shown the effects of the rockets that have landed there in the past.  One of the police officers explained the situation and what they do to combat it, such as the Iron Dome missile defense.  Hearing the same brief that the press who visit hear, the group gained a deeper understanding of the political context and the threat residents have faced for the last thirteen years.  The group acted in a really mature fashion and asked some astute questions when given the opportunity.

Seeing the school with its huge concrete canopy which creates a buffer zone from any rockets was another affecting moment, as was seeing the play areas around Sderot, whose facilities include bomb shelters – some designed in child-friendly shapes like giant caterpillars.  Despite it being an emotional day, the group acted responsibly, were extremely sympathetic to the situation, and we left feeling pride in the stoic residents who live on the front line in Sderot.

Visiting Sderot, gave the group a better understanding of the day to day life that has been interrupted by the rockets. We then headed off to our next destination, Orchan Yoav, where we will be spending the next two nights.

 

 

Daniel Robert: "Sderot - it was very interesting. We saw rockets that had been fried in to Israel! Being close to the border really mademe think how scary it would be to only have 15 seconds to run for cover and I dont think I would want to live there. I did however feel safe there knowing that the Israeli army was protecting me"

Take a look at the regularly updated Tour pictures coming through! www.ujia.org/tedontour and www.ujia.org/see-ujia