Shabbat Shalom from Modi'in!
Despite the looming geopolitical problems, the CSL in Israel trip is still going strong. Everyone is in good spirits, and we've had a fabulous week plus touring the northern and eastern parts of the Galilee!We first visited Tzfat and it's artist colony we also learned about the city of mysticism and Kabbalah. We volunteered at an Ethiopian Absorption Center, and hiked Mt. Meiron, which afforded a beautiful view of the surrounding area. As in the south, each day allowed us to explore the geography, history, and culture of the region. We spent time at the Kinneret and in Tiberias, swimming in the beautiful clear water and in the nearby Sachne pools. We journeyed up north to the Golan and to Misgav Am. We learned about Old Gesher, visited the Kinneret Cemetery, and explored the history of early Zionist pioneering. We went ziplining at Manara Cliffs, and learned about the Talmudic era history of the region. We also spent two days at Kibbutz Hannaton learning about the Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel, part of our focus on exploring Israeli religious pluralism in practice, and volunteering. We picked tomatoes for the food insecure via Leket, and helped sort clothing at a distribution center. We did some text study, visited and learned about the only pluralistic mikvah in Israel, and watched a film called Dolphin Boy about the amazing dolphin therapy taking place in Eilat. We finished the week with a journey to Caesaria, and now we're in Modi'in!
We're looking forward to a great next two weeks. We had intended to visit Acco, Haifa, and Rosh Hanikrah, but the small Hamas-supporting fringe group in Lebanon limited that possibility. So we're hoping to schedule those visits for early this week before journeying to Tel Aviv to explore the history of Israel's independence, high-tech Israel, and the culture of this beautiful beach city. We're looking forward to Shabbat on the Tel Aviv pier before concluding our trip with a full week in Jerusalem. A huge thank you to Larry Fine, Hana Sirkis, and Aviva Dvir from the Rochester Jewish Federation and the P2G program in Modi'in for hosting us this weekend! It's so wonderful for the teens to have the opportunity to stay with regular Israeli families, like theirs!, and see what teens their age do here in Modi'in. This visit is particularly important in light of recent events. Life must go on, and the teens are getting to see what that looks like first hand - people going to work, spending time with their families...living!
I've attached a photo of the group on Shabbat by the Kinneret.
Shabbat Shalom!
Joy Getnick
CSL in Israel
