Crunch Time

School's out for summer here at Tzuba. We have many taking their AP Exams, studying for finals in the next few days, finishing papers and sending them in. It's weird to think we'll all be done with school here, but it's weirder to think of the plane ride home. Four months has flown by like no other. I have experienced the many different sides of Israel while being here and I will forever look at this state in a different but supportive way. In a land ridden with conflict, there is so much to learn and experience - the people you can converse with at a Yom Ha'atzmaut dance party in Jerusalem, the food you can try in a neighboring Arab village, the sights you can see as you weave your way through the Judean Hills with your destination set at the always-lively city of Tel Aviv, a symbol of old and new alike. If there's one thing I've learned in all my months of Jewish History (took that final yesterday), it's the Jews' concept of "collective memory." Nothing goes forgotten in Jewish history. From the beginning when Abraham began to wander Canaan all the way to the current time period, our collective memory has shaped the Jewish people and the state of Israel into what we are today. It reminds us of what Jews have been through and how we have survived for thousands of years against many different adversaries to finally posses our own Jewish state and be proud of our Jewish identities. After my EIE experience, I am more than proud of my Jewish identity. I am extremely filled with a sense of responsibility and even a sense of strength to be a Jew. These past four months have been life changing at the least. I'm very happy I got to share my experiences through this blog, but every person on this trip has many more experiences and I'm sure they would love to share.
Just to update you about what we have done the past few weeks:
- School
- the Yoms: Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust day of remembrance in Israel, where we listened to the two-minute-long siren and relived memories from Poland. One week later, it was Yom Hazikaron, the day of remembrance of the fallen soldiers in the IDF. The night before the Yom, we travelled to the Kotel for the national ceremony in honor of these fallen soldiers. There, we heard the President of Israel, Shimon Perez, speak about how many years ago, at the site we were standing on, the paratroopers of the IDF landed and successfully taken over Jerusalem during the Six Day War of 1967. He spoke of their determination and the courage they possessed, just as the fallen soldiers we remember had been the same. After a bone-chilling, emotional singing of Hatikva, we returned back to Tzuba. The next day, in our Jewish History classes, we visited the kibbutz's cemetery, where members of the Israeli independence group palmach were buried, along with two fallen Golani soldiers that grew up on Tzuba. Each year, the kibbutz holds a ceremony for these two soldiers, filled with music and kind words about them. This day was as quiet as the coming night would be loud. In Israel, there is a major transition at the end of Yom Hazikaron into Yom Ha'atzmaut, the day of Israel's independence. We attended (and danced in) Tzuba's transition ceremony, but then were surprised with a special treat - we were going to Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem for the night to have some fun. Dressed up in blue and white everything, we paraded through the flooded street of Israelis to a dance party not too far away. It was definitely one of my most memorable experiences, seeing everyone transition from mourning to intense joy and just having a ton of fun. It made me feel right at home with Israeli culture; now I really understood the importance of a Jewish homeland and that it needs to be celebrated each year.
As things start winding down on Tzuba, we're frantically working to make it the best ending a semester like this can have. We have groups working on designing t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, and more, while other groups are working on skits for the final banquet or putting together a yearbook for us to relive our memories in. More to come in my last blog post, but again, thank you all for reading. I'm glad I could share my stories with all of you and I'll have much more to tell when I get back...but that's not for another week or so - don't rush me.

The "Spring Break" Experience - Gadna, Pesach, Yam l'Yam

Sorry for the late post; there’s been a lot going on since we got back from our two-week vacation (I’m not sure you could call it a ‘vacation,’ but it was definitely a story-filled two weeks). Since we left Tzuba, what feels like years ago, us EIErs have been all over – from the army base of G’oara, all the way down south to Eilat, and all the way up north atop Mount Meron. As we traveled, we grew closer together, as we ran after our mifakdot in the fields, relaxed on the beach, and hiked across the country.

First on our list of excursions came Gadna. Here, we spent a week learning the ways of the army – the hierarchy of commanders, the tactics necessary in the battlefield, as well as the mechanics of how to fire a M16. When we reached G’oara, we were split into our specific tzevetim; little groups that we would have to work with for the entire week. Each tzevet had a mifakedet, or commander, that would order us to run, clean, and stand in formation. Everything we did was determined by the mifakedet, and if we talked in formation or fidgeted in place, we were ordered to do push ups. Just another classic week in the army, of course. I really enjoyed this experience for two main reasons. First off, before we left, we had just begun to learn about the aliyot to Israel and the establishment of a Jewish state in Israel in 1948. At the time of independence, five or so Arab armies had prepared themselves to invade Israel, so the Israeli defense movements had to put aside their differences to form Tzahal, literally “the army for the defense of Israel.” To spend a week in that same army more than sixty years later really hit me – the importance to defend this state was not just to defend Israel, but more to defend the Jewish state of Israel. That statement made me proud to get just a taste of what has kept this state alive for more than half a century. The other aspect of the army that I really enjoyed was the importance of teamwork. As we learned in our tzevet, the members of your group are more than just teammates; they’re your siblings. If one of our members doesn’t finish the task at hand, then you all haven’t completed it. Everyone has to care for each other and there are no exceptions. As the week went on, each one of the members of my tzevet, myself included, began to come closer with eachother. We all joked and relaxed when we could, but when it came time to act serious, we worked together like clockwork, determined to finish the task to its fullest ability with every member doing what they could. By the final night, each tzevet had become a tightly knit group of hard-working soldiers. Gadna was an experience that definitely jogged my mind with the question of returning to Israel at a later age and joining the army for real. At this point in time, who knows? Anything could happen in the next few years to change my mind either in favor or not.

After a long, hard week of army training, it was time to relax. We dragged our bags onto the buses and boarded, all looking forward to the six-hour nap on the way to Eilat. Sure enough, we awoke, groggy, to the sight of the Eilat Mountains on our right and the Red Sea on our left. We rushed off the buses into the Youth Hostel, desperate for a good shower and a nice bed. As our madrichim told us, the next few days were solely for relaxation. We spent hours on the beach, soaking up the sun, swimming in the sea, or snorkeling with the fishes. We wandered the boardwalk, shopping for t-shirts and bracelets, drinking icees the entire way. After a restful Shabbat, we packed up again and drove not too far away to a local Bedouin tent. Here, we devoured a typical Bedouin meal, equipped with delicious tea before and after. We did some desert stargazing, but most importantly (in my opinion), we had the full Bedouin camel experience. Now, camels are not the nicest of animals, but they sure are fun to ride around atop. I can see why people have been doing it for centuries. After spending our night in the Bedouin tent, Pesach had come around (regardless, we had been eating matzah for a few days now). Most of us EIErs piled onto the buses, headed for their host homes, but I was lucky enough to get picked up by my family. It was nice to spend a few days in the beautiful city of Tel Aviv, especially with my family. To Mom, Dad, and Samantha – thanks so much for coming out to visit. It was really nice to spend time with the ones that I love in the land that I love. I’ll see you guys in a month or so, but until then, don’t rent out my room to any strangers.

After the two-day hiatus from EIE, we all gathered at specific stops where we picked up by our buses and driven north to the edge of the Kineret, a.k.a. the Sea of Galilee. Here, we were broken up into three different groups, assigned to different nature guides. This was the start of our four-day excursion across the country from sea to sea – Yam l’Yam. We began by wading in a river that led to the Kineret, slipping over some stones and plunging accidentally into the water. At the end of our hike, I was the one chosen to be responsible for a bottle of Kineret water that we would ‘release’ into the Mediterranean Sea at the other end of the trip. After this water hike, we grabbed clean clothes from the buses, got back on, and drove to our campsite for the night. Here, we split up into tents of our choice, moved our sleeping bags into them, and then went to go prepare and eat dinner. A typical dinner on a Yam l’Yam night would consist of a vegetable soup mixture and then a meat course (unless you’re vegetarian) with the same usual side dishes of Israeli salad or pickles. Lunch meals were usually more fun on this trip mostly because we got to cook them. During the first night, our nature guides gave us backpacks and supplies that we would need throughout the course of the trip for cooking during the day. Fully equipped with our gas burners, our pots and kettles, our rice, and our matzah, we were able to make delicious, hearty meals for each lunch. We continued our hiking – first up Mount Meron, but as the weather began to turn against us, we took our bus to another campsite decently westward on our trail. There, we spent the evening enjoying a beautiful sunset over the Med Sea as well as some ‘nature appreciating’ before the rains began to pour down. The next morning, as all mornings went on Yam l’Yam, we woke up sore and uncomfortable but yet continued to hike. We trudged through a river or two until we reached the peak of Mont Fort, a German crusader tower that overlooked all the hills surrounding it. As we climbed back down the mount, Shabbat was just on its way in, so we hurried back to the campsite to enjoy services and an oncoming day of rest. Saturday we walked back down into the valley surrounding the mount but this time, we paid a visit to a quiet spring, where we ate lunch and swam for a relaxing few hours. We returned to the campsite not long before dinner and not short after did we pass out in our tents. The next day was, in my opinion, the most fun and probably the easiest. Our nature guides presented us all with mountain bikes, and we were all prepared to coast easily downhill towards the Mediterranean Sea and to the beach waiting for us. In what seemed like no time, all eighty-one of us were standing on the beach, swimming and splashing, some making sand castles, most just sunbathing. I triumphantly took my Kineret bottle and dumped it into the sea, feeling a new sense of accomplishment.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. To make things even better, EIE had decided to let us stay 2^nd chag (end of Pesach) in Haifa. Now, to anyone who is reading this regardless if you have been to Israel or not, you must go to Haifa. It is hands down the most beautiful city I have ever experienced. After spending the night in the Mount Karmel Youth Hostel, we piled back onto the buses (man, gotta love those buses) and took a trip to the Bahai Temple. We stood at the top of the gardens looking down at the temple, the city, and the mountains surrounding the greater Haifa area. It was probably one of the most breathtaking sights I’ve ever seen. Afterwards, we wandered around the German colony at the base of the Bahai Gardens, where we found some good food and some better ice cream. We then got back on the buses, returned to the youth hostel, packed up, and went home – to Tzuba, of course. We received our new rooms and roommates (currently I have the pleasure of rooming with Ben from Cali, Noah from Cali, and Dean from Haifa), moved in, and passed out as soon as possible, not ready to wake up for school the next day.

As most of you loyal readers know, this month marks the last one in the EIE Spring 2011 experience. So far, I have no regrets. I don’t regret deciding to come to Israel for a semester; I don’t regret making any of the friends that I’ve made; I don’t regret any of the places I’ve been, the things that I’ve done, the sights that I’ve seen, or especially the foods that I’ve tried. This experience has been life changing – I’ve definitely matured into a new, better person and I’m one hundred percent sure I could say the same about every member of this EIE class. But I’m not gonna say anything just yet; wait about four more weeks.