Days 18 - 20

Friday 31^st  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 1^st 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 2^nd 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.