As the day finally arrived where we were to leave the variously
reviewed Kibbutz Yechiam the atmosphere was positive with Jerusalem the much anticipated
destination. We awoke bright and early, ingested an underwhelming breakfast,
our last kibbutz meal, consisting of eggs and cereal. After a quick room clean-up
and pack, we boarded the bus, of course not before a group photo, assuming our
positions for the ride to the holiest of cities. Arriving at the Yitzchak Rabin
hostel, our home for the night, we were struck by the overwhelmingly nice
appearance of the place as well as the presence of our ‘cousins’ Aviv Group 2
with whom we had not been reunited for just on a month. After the exchange of
pleasantries we got down to our first program of the day, led by ex-Moriah student
George Schneider who guided our discussions of Judaism and Social Justice
through the introduction of various Biblical texts. It was a rather intriguing
and enlightening program, following which he joined us for a delicious lunch,
which reminded our taste buds of what genuinely appetizing food actually tasted
like.
Following meal time, Amir led us through a program on the
topic of religiosity in Israel and the diaspora, and the differences within.
Again, a program which was greatly enjoyed by most. However, with a big night
in looming, the minds of most switched quickly to the clock and how they were
to create an eye catching costume for the Purim Street parties which we were to
attend. Following pre-drinks on the hostels beautiful roof we headed to the
shuk at Mahane Yehuda where entire streets were filled with revellers and DJs
pumping party music all hours of the night. Needless to say we were in our
element, surrounded by Shnat and IBC Australians amongst Israelis, it was an absolutely
crazy night which was enjoyed by everyone, especially as we fulfilled one of
the mitzvot of Purim in consuming alcohol…
People gradually returned to their rooms in the early hours
of the morning, not looking forward to the minimal amount of sleep they knew
they would receive. At breakfast, which was delicious, photos were reviewed as
most pieced together a long night and laughed at new memories. As we checked
out, cabs were called as we headed to a new hostel for a free day in Jerusalem,
the Abraham Hostel accommodated almost the entirety of both groups. However, I shan’t
outline the details of the day as all went their separate ways and completed
various tasks which needed doing.
Tuesday morning saw multiple groups of people make their way
to our bus departure point, Binyanei Ha’uma, many had trouble reaching this
destination and weren’t shy informing the madrichim of this fact. The bus ride
to Eilat, was proceeded, with a pitstop at Ein Gedi, to take in the sights
therein including not so hot springs and waterfalls whose natural beauty
brought about numerous photo opportunities. Bagels were on offer for lunch and
were gone in record pace. After lunch we re-boarded the bus and headed for our
final destination, Eilat, where we are to stay for the next roughly 5 nights
(to the best of my knowledge). We arrived at the hostel following a small
detour to a historical statue capturing the capturing of Eilat in 1949 through
the iconic image of a soldier hoisting a handmade mock-up of the Israeli flag. Our
lodgings, known as the Eilat Field School, whilst in a frustrating location
away from the city centre, are rather nice and as we learnt at dinner, serves
delicious meals. We are looking forward to exploring Eilat in the coming days.
Another awesome few days down, 104 days to look forward to!
Jake
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