The last time I wrote I was about to embark on our journey to the Negev Desert. We started by visiting the settlement of Revivim, one of the original settlements of the Negev. We learned about David Ben Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister and the intense connection he felt to the Negev. He believed it to be one of Israel's most treasured possessions and strongly encouraged people to populate the Negev. The picture below is of a flower bed in the settlement, which our teacher explained is the reason for Israel getting the Negev. UNSCOP, the United Nations Special Commission on Palestine, visited Revivim in 1948; because of seeing that Jews had gone to the effort of not only settling the Negev, but also planting flowers in such an unsuitable climate as well, assured them that the Negev rightfully belonged to the Jewish people.





Our next stop was to Sde Boker, an Israeli Army Base where we spent five days experiencing Gadna. Gadna, a program run by the Israeli army, allows students to live as a soldier. Our M'fakdim (commanders) led us throughout the week, where we learned about the history of Israel and its army. We dressed in uniform the entire time, lived in tents, and had very strict times for meals, breaks, and bedtime. In addition, we had cleaning responsibilties around the base and engaged in physical activity. We spent a day in the field, where we ran and learned the various crawls and walks Israeli soldiers use. Most excitingly, we each had the opportunity to shoot an M16. Most everyone was very hesitant to go to Gadna but all ended with the experience of a lifetime, one that has made me realize even more than before how important the Israeli army is. During one of our conversations, we viewed pictures from the Holocaust and then talked about Israel and the army. Israel's security is not guaranteed. She faces threats from Iran, Hamas, Hizbollah, and others throughout the world. Consequently, we need the Israeli army to ensure Israel's survival, so that a tragedy as horrendous as the Holocaust will never happen again.









Also located in Sde Boker is the home of David Ben-Gurion as well as his grave. His house was no different than any of the others located on the Kibbutz; it says a lot about his character that even after being the first Prime Minister, he continued to consider himself one of the people.





We continued our journey in the Negev spending the night at a Bedouin tent. One of the reasons I love this program is that we are exposed not only to Jews, but also the minorities of Israel. In my last blog post, I wrote about Minorities Day in Israel, in which we heard from an Arab Israeli and spent the evening at a Druze village. We had so much fun riding the Bedouins' camels and were treated to an elaborate Bedouin meal.



The next morning, before arriving in Eilat, we went to a beautiful area in the Negev, full of sand dunes. We jumped off sand cliffs, rolled each other through the dunes, and basked in the hot Negev sun! We spent a very relaxing Shabbat in Eilat at a beautiful Kibbutz in the area. In our two nights there, we hung out on the boardwalk at night, went snorkeling in the exquisite coral reef, and visited the Eilat Stone factory. We ended our visit in Eilat hiking up a local mountain. When we reached the top, we were able to see Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia!



A recent tiyul was to Jerusalem on Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). This day marks the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six Day War in 1967. Being 2007, this was the 40th Anniversary of the historic event! We went to Ammunition Hill, the site of a key battle in the Six Day War. Afterwards, we intended to go to the official state ceremony, attended by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, but pouring rain unfortunately changed our plans.

After a week of classes, we traveled once again to Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot, commemorating the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Our entire group woke up at 4:30 in the morning and walked to the Western Wall. It was an amazing sight to see the Kotel packed that early in the morning. Seeing the sunrise over thousands of people praying at the Kotel was something I will never forget. The rest of the trip was spent relaxing and walking around the old city of Jerusalem with friends.

Until then, L'hitraot v Shalom!