Sad and Happy All in a Week!

Shalom Chaverim!

I ended my last post mentioning Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'Atzmaut. Last Sunday (April 18th) was Erev Yom Hazikaron. For those of you who do not know, Yom Hazikaron is the national memorial day for fallen soldiers and for those who were killed in terrorist attacks. As a member of the Vad (committee) I helped plan the TRY ceremony. We all sat together and read several stories of fallen soldiers and meaningful poems. Afterwards we watched the video made by Philadelphia Jewish community in memory of Michael Levin, a lone soldier who had made aliyah to Israel, who was killed during the Second Lebanon War. While the movie was very hard to watch, I strongly recommend everyone seeing it. On Monday we went to the Chava ceremony which was dedicated to past students and staff who were killed in war or by acts of terrorism. Even though I could not understand what they were saying, seeing everyone on the campus gathered together silent and all dressed in white really made me realize the significance of this day and how nearly everyone in Israel has a family member or close friend who has been killed fighting in war or while on duty. Later in the day we went to the Underground Museum in the Russian compound in downtown Jerusalem. While originally built by the Russians, the British turned the compound into a prison for the Jewish underground fighters (also Arabs) during British control. There is a lot more interesting information about the prison which I would also like to study!

Right after Yom Hazikaron, which is basically the saddest day of the year in Israel, Yom Ha'Atmaut (Independence Day) begins. We went as a group to a transition service, which began sad and ended as a celebration. After the service, we walked to Ben Yehuda Street where the party had already begun! On the way everyone was singing and cars were honking. The atmosphere was completely different than the previous day. Ben Yehuda was a lot of fun, and I have some funny memories from that night. On Tuesday we went to a beach in Tel Aviv and had a BBQ, which every Israeli does on this day! The beach was very crowded and everyone was grilling. I don't normally like to hang out at the beach, but I had a good time collecting sea shells and getting an uncomfortable sunburn. I really encourage everyone to try and experience Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'Atzmaut in Israel.

On Wednesday we had a normal day of classes, but then left at 1:30 A.M. for a night tiyul in the Negev near Sde Boker, which is where David Ben Gurion is buried and also where we had gone for Gadna. Although completely exhausting, it was a nice experience. I have never seen a clearer sky filled with so many stars. The purpose of this tiyul was to imagine going from darkness to light, as we and the rest of Israel had done the past few days. We walked for a couple hours and did Shacharit during sunrise. The rest of Thursday was a sorely needed rest day.

This past Shabbat I went with my friend Adiel to her great aunt's in Herzliya. We had a delicious Shabbat dinner with a bunch of her family. Saturday afternoon we went to the Tel Aviv boardwalk and walked around. After a nice lunch and ice cream in Raanana, we went to Kibbutz Shefayim for Havdalah. This kibbutz is highly commercialized and has a nice hotel and water park. At the kibbutz there was training for Israelis who are going to be counselors this summer at Jewish camps.
Sunday morning we left early to catch the Tel Aviv bus back to Jerusalem. This week I am really trying to focus on academics, especially AP classes! I am looking forward to next Shabbat as I am supposed to go to a spa with Bri!

Talk soon! Shavua Tov!

xoxo
Hannah

Time Continues to Fly By!

Shalom, friends!

Well, another week has somehow already passed! This past week has not been the happiest of weeks as it began with Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and continued with intensive learning about the Holocaust. I was on the Yom Hashoah Vad (committee), and we organized a ceremony Sunday evening that followed the whole campus' ceremony. While it was neat to be with all the kids, the ceremony was all in Hebrew so I didn't get much out of it. During the "TRY" ceremony several kids told stories of their grandparents and other relatives who were in the Holocaust. On Monday we walked to a busy intersection to experience the siren that lasts for two minutes during which time everyone stops and gets out of their cars to commemorate the Holocaust. It was really powerful to see the whole country pause from their busy lives. On Tuesday we had a Holocaust seminar with our ICC class and watched a very disturbing documentary. On Thursday we spent the entire day at Yad Vashem. First we met with a Holocaust survivor, then went through the museum. I have been to Yad Vashem before, but had never heard from a survivor before. To say the least it was an emotional week, but I learned a lot more about the Holocaust and recognize even more how important it is to remember the Holocaust and "Never Forget".

This past Shabbat I was supposed to go to my Dad's friend Zvi's house, but I ended up getting sick and had to stay on the chava. I never get sick at home, but I have been sick several times already here. So many kids are sick all the time here and the dorms aren't the cleanest places in the world.

This upcoming week is filled with Yom Hazikaron (memorial day for fallen soldiers and those who died in terrorist attacks) and Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day). I will say more about these two days next week!

Have a great week!

Shalom,
Hannah

Let Spring Begin!

Shalom

I hope everyone had a wonderful Pesach! The rest of my Pesach was spent up North with the group. After I picked up the bus in Tel Aviv on Wednesday we headed up towards the Kinneret for Yam L' Yam (Sea to Sea). Although we were technically suppose to hike from the Kinneret to the Mediterranean, we rarely saw the sea. The hike was condensed due to Shabbat. On our first day we hiked (waded) in water up to our thighs. We also helped prepare meals, as you can see by my photo. While I enjoyed hiking on Mount Meron, the evenings were pretty miserable. Even though it was hot during the day, it was freezing at night! I was not at all prepared for such cold weather, and sleeping(or lack of) in tents with only the sleeping bag they provided didn't help the situation. So, to say the least it wasn't the best three days of my life. Friday afternoon we ended our hike and headed to Kibbutz Hanaton for Shabbat and the rest of Pesach. Kibbutz Hanaton is the only conservative kibbutz in Israel and only has around twenty families. After going bankrupt several years ago, the kibbutz is now trying to rebuild itself in the Northern Galilee. I didn't really feel like I was staying on a kibbutz, but more like a close-knit community. During our stay at the kibbutz we went to the Kinneret Cemetery where the famous Hebrew poetess, Rahel, and Naomi Shemer, who wrote Yerushalyim shel Zahav, are buried. We also toured Tel Hai, which was important as an Israeli border outpost in 1918, and went kayaking. On the way back to Jerusalem on Wednesday we had "minority day" and met with Arab teens, visited a Druze village, and spent a short time at the Bai Hai Gardens in Haifa.

I was really happy to finally return to Jerusalem! While I love seeing other parts of Israel, the trips away from campus are always stressful with different roommates and so much time spent with all the kids. After three weeks away from the Chava, It felt good to get back into academics on Wednesday. On Thursday we went to Mount Herzl where we saw soldiers rehearsing for the Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) ceremony. Each unit, including the police, sends one soldier to represent its unit for the ceremony. It was really neat to see them rehearsing and setting up for the ceremony. Mount Herzl looked completely different. We also went to the multimedia museum about Theodor Herzl. In the afternoon we did a zionism project in which we discussed and learned about the different zionism movements throughout history.

This past Shabbat I went again with my friend Bri to Modi'in. First we went to the Shuk (Mahane Yehuda) Friday afternoon. It was so hectic and crowded! My Dad would have been in heaven with all the fresh breads and pastries. The rest of Shabbat I have been working on homework and AP prep. The tests are quickly approaching, and I need to do most of the prep on my own time, which I only have on Shabbat. Next week looks fairly calm with Yom HaShoah on Monday.

More to come next week!

See you all in less than two months!

Lots of Love!
חנה