Aviv: The Penultimate Post (Sderot, Raphsodia, ATVs and final Shabbat)

As I stared up at the kotel for a final time, I received a sudden burst of reality, an epiphany-style realisation that I would be departing the amazing country that is Israel on Monday following an unforgettable 5 months. It has been one unbelievable journey which has passed ridiculously quickly – most can still remember stepping off the plane! However, as a group, this final week has been about each other and been dedicated to the memories and friendships and more which have been realised and nurtured in a 5 months where we learnt just as much if not more about ourselves as anything else. A gap year is a special occurrence, one which most do not have the privilege of undertaking, and I believe it is important for each and every one of us to not take this experience for granted and use it as an opportunity to better ourselves, others and the world.

This week saw us visit Sderot, a town which has been ravaged by rocket fire from nearby Gaza for over a decade. It is a town where local playgrounds, schools and almost any other building you can think of also functions as a bomb shelter, a sad reality, and one which we learnt has hugely psychologically damaging effects on the population. We were guided through the area by an organisation known as ‘Kol Voice’ who work to ensure that both sides of the conflict are heard by groups and individuals both in Israel and all over the world. We were afforded the perspectives of both sides before and after viewing what like is like in Sderot, at one point we stood just a few kilometres from Gaza itself, a somewhat worrying thought. A large amount of discussion came from this, as all attempted to ingest the politics and reality of the situation with which Israel is faced, something which I found hugely positive. Sderot really gave me the reality of the situation on the ground, and that is the fact that people are being injured and for some bombs, death and destruction are the reality. Something that is unacceptable and must be stopped by any means – short of mutual death and destruction.

That night we watched the Socceroos be comprehensively beaten by Spain as Australia tumbled out of another world cup, however I wanted to document my pride in them on the internet… well done boys, you did your country proud, keep your heads high and come back stronger in 2018!

The following day we headed up north to the Kinneret where we met up with the other Australian gap year programs for the ZFA’s first annual Raphsodia, an event where we were to build a raft and sail across the Kinneret. Aviv one managed to build their raft and get it in the water with a few indiviudals doing the bulk of the work… I shan’t name names. Nevertheless, we eventually got our raft together and she was more than seaworthy, we boarded and sailed three hours across the Kinneret before arriving at Golan Beach! Raphsodia was a great opportunity for team building during the construction process as well as an amazing chance to say a final farewell to our friends, new and old, from other programs some who we won’t be seeing for a number of months if not years.

Leaving raphsodia we headed to Jerusalem, our final accommodation of Aviv, arriving late at night and heading straight to bed. The next morning we awoke bright and early, much to the derision of my roommates Jason and Toby, and headed to the Judean Desert for a spot of ATV driving. This activity was exceedingly enjoyable as everyone harked back to five months ago, the last time we had all driven anything even resembling a car! After this we were afforded a few hours in the city centre to run our final errands.

Friday night saw our final Shabbat of Aviv and we fittingly headed to the Kotel, our first and last group Shabbat there. Of course being a group of Australian teenagers, a flurry of photography ensued, but following this we headed off into the wall itself where the boys conducted our own little kabbalat Shabbat service. It was an incredibly fitting symbolic end to the program as we all sang and linked arms for a final time at the amazingly spiritual place that is the Western Wall.

That night we gathered and voiced our first memories of Aviv as well as our concerns for the future, knowing our time together is now running out. Our final three days will no doubt yield more amazing memories and nostalgia from the past five months.

\This is my second last blog post Israel, it has come to the point now where almost everything I undertaken is the last time I do so. This is a scary thought, one which seemed millennia away months ago, but it has now arrived and it is incredibly bittersweet. A summary of my feelings on the entirety of Aviv shall feature in my final Israel blog post.

Another awesome few days down, 3 days to look forward to!

Shabbat Shalom,

Jake

Aviv: Masa Seminar, Home Hospitality, Masada and the Dead Sea

The past week has seen a return to the constant intensity experienced at the outset of the program. In the past week alone we have spent a few days at a MASA seminar for all Australian gap year programs on the subject of Israel Advocacy, some of us visited Modiin for home hospitality and in the last day or two we have learnt about the Bedouins who reside in the Negev and their history and culture, and finally climbed Masada and visited the Dead Sea, much to the delight of Instagram enthusiasts everywhere.

As we edge towards the final days of our stay in Israel one question must begin to enter the psyches of all Aviv participants, how will our Aviv journey help us to return to Australia and make a difference in our respective Jewish communities? This exact question was addressed in our latest MASA ceremony, co-ordinated by the ever so familiar George Schneider, we were encouraged to explore our own Zionistic thoughts and the ways in which we intended to engage our new skills and thoughts learnt in the holy land in a beneficial way in our Jewish communities at home, whether it be Sydney, Melbourne, Perth or even the perpetual Aviv joke that is Toowoomba’s J-Com. Throughout the 3 day seminar spanning from Tuesday to Thursday afternoon we heard speeches from Jewish people in various fields such as peace and negotiation, education and the Zionist communities back home. In addition to this, MASA generously scheduled time for the entire seminar to view the Socceroo’s epic clash with the Netherlands in the world cup which we came oh so close to grinding out a result in, however the same cannot be said about the state of origin… just ask Toby and Ellison.

We were allowed the opportunity to choose between a few skills sessions, of which I decided to attend one wherein I learnt the ins and outs of interviews and the tactic of speaking with a purpose to one’s agenda as is so elegantly practised by our politicians and ambassadors. Other interesting sessions were also on offer such as ones about advocacy at university and media within the IDF. The seminar offered an opportunity to engage in an Israeli Frisbee prototype known as ‘Patriot’ which is a cross between baseball and Frisbee using a magen david shaped disc, it was odd to say the least. The final session saw state time ensure, wherein we split off into small groups and discussed possible solutions to already present issues within our respective Jewish communities. All up the seminar was fruitful and as well as providing a forum for improving advocacy it allowed people to nourish and begin friendships with indiviudals who they had yet to really meet.

The weekend saw roughly 20 of us head to Modiin where we were paired up with a family for the home hospitality segment of the program. Robbie and myself were hosted by the Ottolenghi family who had three children, Noam (19), Shay (16) and Shalev (10). This weekend really allowed us to become immersed in real Israeli family life and sample some of the everyday fun Modiin had to offer. We were taken to the local swimming pool, the movie theatre, a bar and as well as this we enjoyed delicious home cooked meals for two whole days! Something we had not even had one of in the past 5 months! Needless to say, this experience really made me miss home! It really was an amazing weekend, an experience which I wish the entirety of Aviv had joined us on.

On Sunday the entire program reconvened at Modiin train station and headed south towards the Negev to learn about the Bedouin peoples who reside therein. Our guide Amir informed us of the plight of the Bedouins as well as their history within the land of Israel as a sort of quasi-indigenous peoples who were previously nomadic before the establishment of the modern state who require them to have a permanent residence in order to pay the necessary taxes. It is a plight similar to that of Australia’s native people, the aborigines. We travelled around and were shown Bedouin villages and shanty towns and learnt of their living conditions. Finally, we visited the home of a Bedouin woman who was a prominent artist who regaled us with the tale of her family and herself and the struggles which they had been through, it was fascinating.

The next day we awoke at 4:30 AM, yes that’s right AM, and hiked up at varying speeds to the top of Masada, a mountain which means oh so much historically to the Jewish people. It is the home of the remains of King Herod’s palace as well as the site of perhaps the most famous mass suicide in history where the Jewish people sieged at the summit decided to end their own lives rather than take their chances with the Romans who surrounded them, whether or not they made the correct choice is up to the individual. We made it up to the peak for a truly magnificent sunset which almost made it all worth it. Almost. Jokes aside, it really is a humbling experience which I would recommend as a must do to all travellers in Israel. Following a tour around the historical ruins which were, like every other historical site in Israel, inundated with American Taglit participants, we took the cable car back to the base and ate a quick breakfast before heading off to the Dead Sea. The dead sea really was relaxing, refreshing and fun… before I managed to get salty water in my eyes, mouth and cut myself on a rock, needless to say I was in blinding agony. Again, it was a great experience which everyone must do!

Another awesome week down, 7 days to look forward to!

Jake

Aviv’s Expurgated Northern Tiyul

As Aviv slowly winds to a close we have been promised the best few weeks of the program, in which we complete our thorough sightseeing tour of the land of milk and honey, this week we embarked on tiyul in the north, to sample the metaphorical  gems possessed by places such as the Golan Heights, Tiberias and Tzfat. However, somewhat disappointingly, our tiyul was cut to just 2 days owing to a MASA seminar which focuses upon Israel Advocacy.

On Sunday the bus headed off from Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station and following a roughly three hour bus ride we arrived at our initial stop, a Golan Heights lookout over our neighbour’s Syria. The point was formerly a Syrian army base but was converted into a tourist location where one can get an idea of the lay of the land in Israel’s northeast. We were afforded a prime view of Mt Hermon, Israel’s tallest peak, a mountain which it shares with Lebanon and Syria. Much like everywhere else we go in Israel, we were not the only group present, as American taglit groups engulfed much of the site. However, they managed to provide a level of entertainment, as one stereotypical American boy attempted to throw a Frisbee to another it was taken by the wind and hurled at an alarming speed off the side of the mountain, as we all chuckled, they proceeded to look for it despite the fact that it had fallen roughly 200 metres…

Anyhow, we next headed to lunch, a delicious pizza stop enjoyed by all, aside from birthday girl Daena who isn’t exactly the world’s biggest pizza fan. Food-wise, the day just got better and better for junk food lovers such as Zoe and myself as we next headed towards De Karina Chocolate Factory where hey handcraft various forms of chocolate. We played witness to the making of the chocolate before entering the tasting room where our fears that we weren’t going to be allowed to consume any chocolate were relieved. We tasted dark, milk and orange flavoured chocolates, each more delicious than the next. The following room was even more enjoyable as we were let loose with dark, milk and white chocolate and allowed to create and take home our very own customised chocolate bar. Artistic types prospered, chocolate lovers salivated, all enjoyed.

The day was ended by a disappointing water spring, it was cold, tiny and shortly after our arrival populated by numerous only underwear-clad army gentlemen. The only swimmers were Grant and Oded. We soon arrived at our accommodation, known as Poriya, some questioned whether the ‘s’ should be present in its name (hotel or hostel?). 

The following day we awoke bright and early and headed into the spiritual centre of kabbalah, Tzfat. We first visited a fort used in the 1948 War of Independence, Oded informed us o its significance as well as the spiritual and demographical makeup of Tzfat. We strolled around the city, stopping to learn about various kabbalist rabbis and their synagogues as well as numerous other sights. Lunch was consumed in Tzfat’s more touristy area, needless to say my shwarma was delicious.  

Next we headed to the most adventurous of our activities, at Mennara, where we took a cable car up and down a mountain as well as going high speed tobogganing. It was great fun. Finally, the day ended off with the most controversial of lectures we have received in out four and half months in Israel. We headed to Kibbutz Misgav Am where were spoken to by a veteran of 4 of Israel’s most fierce wars, whose opinion could only be classified as an extremist right-wing view of Israel’s political, historical and geographical background and present situation. His speech angered some, challenged others and all in all presented an opinion which until now we had not been privy to. He did not allow our opinions to be voiced and denied us the right to discussion or debate, something which greatly annoyed me. Education is something which cannot be one-sided nor coercive, in my opinion, all should be afforded the forum to express their thoughts and challenge others, and we were not provided this. Luckily, the debate took place between Adi, Grant, Harry and myself on the bus. On the plus side, this ‘educator’ who I personally consider a jaded raving lunatic, managed to help me solidify my own political opinion on Israel and the world, and I thank him for that.

Following this we headed back to our accommodation where some us enthusiastically viewed the night’s world cup games, and were not disappointed by the action. Come on the Socceroos!!

Today we head to a 3 day MASA ceremony with Australia’s many other gap year programs, before going to Modi’in for home hospitality.

Another awesome few days down, 13 days to look forward to! (That number is getting dangerously low…)

Thanks for reading!

Jake

Aviv: Yam le Yam

Following an almost superfluous chofesh which began June, the group reconvened in Tel Aviv before boarding a bus to the far north of Israel where we were to begin our journey from ‘sea to sea,’ beginning with the Kinneret. Our first and undeniably not last hike of the week was a water hike which entailed wading through various water levels in an inlet which led into the Kinneret, our opening first ‘yam.’ It was perhaps the most enjoyable hike of the week as we were cooled thanks to some chilly water temperatures, allowing us to all but cancel out the hypo-30 degree weather which taunted and terrorised us for the rest of the week. However it seemed as though yam le yam had not truly begun as we stopped at a shopping centre on the way to our first camp site. Some poor decisions were made there as Adi, Grant, Toby, Robbie and myself decided to indulge in a burger offered for the too good to be true price of 10 shekels, and it was indeed just that as our stomachs took a beating that night. We arrived at our campsite in the afternoon and began settling into our cold ant-filled beds at a reasonably early hour, aware of the upcoming days of “struggle” which our guide had promised us. We were supplied a reasonably delicious dinner of burger patties and pasta which as surprisingly tasty, and much better for our stomachs then our 10 shek burgers...

The next day we began bright and early at 6AM and headed off on the first leg of our five day hike across Israel heading towards the Mediterranean Sea. The first day was as the guides warned us, the hardest, we hiked 15Km the vast majority uphill with multiple people struggling through, our only casualty Emma with a sprained wrist however she valiantly continued to the end and completed yam le yam. The day really took its toll on most, many carrying quite heavy backpacks throughout the entirety of the trek, including food preparation equipment and supplies as well as their own personal needs. We were separated into three groups of 7 for cooking, in which we had to carry all of our necessary supplies such as stoves, foodstuffs, and cups, bowls and cutlery amongst other things. We tended to indulge upon the same things daily for lunch and breakfast, whilst dinner was prepared for us by the staff, something we were quite thankful for after a long day of hiking. Breakfast consisted generally of cereal sans milk as well as porridge cooked from semolina, and sometimes an apple. Lunch stereotypically featured smoked tuna, rice, vegetables and canned tuna salad. We managed to cook ably for ourselves and thankfully no one got anywhere near a state of malnutrition.

It only got easier after that first day of hiking which included the literal climbing of rocks for a portion, from the second day onwards we conquered mostly flat and downhill tracks, something most where very thankful for. Our guide Henry was very helpful and friendly whilst navigating us to our campsites and teaching us various lessons about nature along the way such as collecting water from plants. Speaking of nature, there was much talk about our lack of bathrooms and as such we had no choice but to ‘take care of business’ in the great outdoors, something which whilst not all that pleasant soon became second nature (excuse the pun). Although the state of some people’s bowels soon caused them to be unable to complete the entirety of our journey, I shan’t name names for obvious reasons. The nights were often cold and ant-infested, with one particular incident springing to mind as Zoe woke up on our third morning covered in ants and spiders after accidentally bedding down on top of an ant colony, needless to say she was unimpressed however she handled the situation much better than expected.

The third day continued along the lines of the second, a majority flat or downhill trail in which we continued crossing the nation, completing roughly 15Km in the day. Sleep continued to be hard to come by in the nights, and our state of hygiene continued to deteriorate with a distinct lack of bathrooms and showers. The final day differed as we switched from foot to bike and completed our journey, we biked down to the Mediterranean, and as it entered sight a cheer went up from the group. We completed our journey with only roughly 10 injuries and as a much closer group than when we began it. We had an unbelievably cleansing swim in the final sea and a nice falafel lunch and soon we boarded the bus to Tel Aviv for our final free weekend. I consider Yam le Yam just about my favourite week of the program so far, we are truly in the run-in to the end now. As I write this we are inside the final three weeks of a program which feels like it began yesterday, an unbelievably scary thought.

Another awesome week down, 17 days to look forward to!

Jake