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| Israel trip - day 11 |
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| israel trip - day 12 |
Monday, April 26, 2010
Pictures from the last few days
Here are some pictures from the last couple days of the Israel trip that I wasn't able to upload while there. There are a couple of group shots in there, plus: Masada, Dead Sea, Hezekiah's water tunnels, archaeological dig next to Western Wall, and other parts of Jerusalem.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Details
Up until this point I've been mainly focusing on the highlights of the trip, things that the parents, at least, already knew that we'd be doing. I know, however, that the little details are often what make-or-break a trip. You've seen some detail in the pictures and videos ("a picture is worth a thousand words"), but here's a little of what you might not see.
Weather: It's been relatively mild, for the most part. Even Masada and the Dead Sea were on the cool side. Tel Aviv was barely warm enough to go swimming--in fact, some of the kids merely dipped their toes in the Mediterranean. Consequently, there hasn't been an issues with sunburn at all. We all have a bit of a farmer's tan, but that was to be expected. The biggest weather-surprise was when we re-entered Jerusalem Thursday evening and it was raining! The temp that night was in the 50's (F), and the high Friday was only 66 and windy. Average temp this time of year is 72. We just about froze at the Kotel last night.
It turns out Tehiyah students' skin does not like Israeli mosquitoes. The first few days up in northern Israel made this clear! The hydrocortisone cream has been in steady use.
Everyone loves the Israeli ice cream man. We can't pass by a place that sells ice cream pops without someone wanting to stop.
The food at the hotels, for the most part, has been excellent. Everyone seems to agree that the Marina Hotel in Tel Aviv was one of the best. The kibbutz in Gonen was also very good, especially the breakfast, which had just about every breakfast food imaginable (except bacon and ham). The Druze meal and Bedouin feast were also highly praised.
No one has lost an iPod, but quite a few clothing items have been lost/left behind at hotels. For a few students, this has been almost an everyday occurrence, so we always double-check their rooms.
Some of the boys have gotten into the billiards game Snooker, as it's played all the time on an Israeli TV sports station. I don't think any of them have figured out the rules yet. Kind of like Curling.
We're all tired today, our last day. We'll spend a part of the day packing, then we'll head off to the airport and head home. I'll post the rest of the pics and video that I have taken when we get back and have a better internet connection. Parents, I'm sure you'll see plenty of your kid's own pictures by then. Let me know if you'd like a higher resolution version of any of the photos that I've posted in picasa.
Weather: It's been relatively mild, for the most part. Even Masada and the Dead Sea were on the cool side. Tel Aviv was barely warm enough to go swimming--in fact, some of the kids merely dipped their toes in the Mediterranean. Consequently, there hasn't been an issues with sunburn at all. We all have a bit of a farmer's tan, but that was to be expected. The biggest weather-surprise was when we re-entered Jerusalem Thursday evening and it was raining! The temp that night was in the 50's (F), and the high Friday was only 66 and windy. Average temp this time of year is 72. We just about froze at the Kotel last night.
It turns out Tehiyah students' skin does not like Israeli mosquitoes. The first few days up in northern Israel made this clear! The hydrocortisone cream has been in steady use.
Everyone loves the Israeli ice cream man. We can't pass by a place that sells ice cream pops without someone wanting to stop.
The food at the hotels, for the most part, has been excellent. Everyone seems to agree that the Marina Hotel in Tel Aviv was one of the best. The kibbutz in Gonen was also very good, especially the breakfast, which had just about every breakfast food imaginable (except bacon and ham). The Druze meal and Bedouin feast were also highly praised.
No one has lost an iPod, but quite a few clothing items have been lost/left behind at hotels. For a few students, this has been almost an everyday occurrence, so we always double-check their rooms.
Some of the boys have gotten into the billiards game Snooker, as it's played all the time on an Israeli TV sports station. I don't think any of them have figured out the rules yet. Kind of like Curling.
We're all tired today, our last day. We'll spend a part of the day packing, then we'll head off to the airport and head home. I'll post the rest of the pics and video that I have taken when we get back and have a better internet connection. Parents, I'm sure you'll see plenty of your kid's own pictures by then. Let me know if you'd like a higher resolution version of any of the photos that I've posted in picasa.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Day 6 Video: Israeli Museum
Click on the video below after it starts playing if you want to watch it in HD.
Day 5 Video: Mt. Herzl Cemetary
Click on the video after it starts playing if you want to watch it in HD.
Day 4 Videos: Northern Israel, Entering Jerusalem
Enjoy the videos below from day 4. Click on the video after it starts playing if you want to watch it in HD (brings you to youtube).
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Day 10: Camels, Science, and Archeology
This was probably our biggest/longest day of the trip. We started early in Tel Aviv and ended up in a Bedouin tent in the Judean Desert near Masada and the Dead Sea. Highlights:
- Left Tel Aviv to visit the Clore Gardens (an outdoor Exploratorium) at the Weizmann Institute of Science in the city of Rehovot.
- Continue our focus on hands-on learning with a real archeological dig in the Bell Caves of Beit Guvrin, all carved from stone over 2000 yrs ago. Everyone found pottery shards that had not been seen by human eyes for 2200 years!
- Drove to Bedouin tents in Judean Desert and had a traditional Bedouin meal. Everyone slept in one giant tent that night--don't worry, Bathea and I slept in between the boys and the girls. We have a wake-up time of 3:45am so we can get to Masada to see the sunrise.
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| Israel trip - day 10 |
Day 9: Israeli Independence Day (Yom Ha-Atzma'ut)
Shorter day today because a lot of the main attractions were closed. It was a lot like July 4th in the U.S. with going to the beach and barbecues, except the stores were closed instead of have special "Fourth of July Sales!!!" like in the States. Many kids noted how almost all Israeli's recognize the importance of these last two days (Israel's memorial and independence days), partly because of two things: Remaining an independent and safe country is an everyday concern, and Israel's independence was declared only 62 years ago.
Highlights of the day:
Highlights of the day:
- Took a short drive to the Hall of Independence where Israel declared its statehood in 1948.
- Visited Old Jaffa, a much older city than modern Tel Aviv.
- Rabin Square, where Keren told us the story of how Yitzhak Rabin was murdered.
- Swam in the Mediterranean the rest of the afternoon. Weather was mild, and the temperature started to drop in the late afternoon into the low 70s. That didn't stop the kids from getting in the water!
- Walked the promenade along the water after dinner and got some ice cream. Early day tomorrow, so early night tonight.
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| Israel trip - day 9 |
Day 8: Yom Hazikaron, Erev Yom Ha-Atzma'ut
Highlights:
- Spent night in a hotel on the hills of Haifa, overlooking the Mediterranean. A Hebrew Day School from Florida was also staying there, but our kids were much better behaved!
- Early wake-up call, big day beginning with joint Yom Hazikaron activities with ORT School 8th graders in Ma'Alot.
- Lunch in Nahariyya (we ate here on day 2) again with a little free time.
- Caesarea in the afternoon where we toured the ancient ruins--very cool!
- Headed south down the coast to Tel Aviv to stay in the Marina Hotel, right on the Mediterranean Sea!
- We had time to relax for a moment before heading out for Yom Ha-Atzma'ut celebrations (Israeli Independence Day). We were about 10 blocks from Rabin Square where some of the largest celebrations in the country were taking place. The square was packed (as you'll see from the pics), but security was tight.
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| Israel trip - day 8 |
Day 7: Leaving Jerusalem, heading north to Haifa
I'm going to keep this short as we have been out of decent wi-fi access and very busy. Here are the highlights of day 7 of the trip:
- Shopping in the Old City of Jerusalem
- Drive north to Druze village near Mt. Carmel for lunch and explanation of Druze religion
- Drive to the northern port city Haifa, visiting the Kibbutz where Keren (our guide) spent her teenage years. Her parents still live there, and we took a short hike.
- Drive to Haifa to check into our hotel with a great view of the Mediterranean Sea
- Attend Yom Ha-Zikkaron (Israeli memorial day) ceremonies at Naval Training Base in Haifa
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| Israel trip - day 7 |
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Day 6: Shabbat
We let the kids sleep in until 8am this morning. Some of them needed the extra sleep, but most of the 8th graders have been getting up even before the wake-up call. That’s made the job of the chaperones a whole lot easier!
After attending Shabbat services at a conservative synagogue a few blocks from where we were staying in Jerusalem, we had lunch and relaxed at the hotel for a little bit. The afternoon consisted of a walk to the Israel Museum. The museum has a scale model of the Old City of Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period. Also, portions of the Dead Seas Scrolls were available for viewing.
Right across the street from the museum is the Knesset (Israel’s legislative building) and the Rose Garden park, so we stopped by for a look.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of a meet-up with Brandeis Hillel Day School (from San Francisco and Marin County, also touring Israel) for joint activities and Havdallah. We topped off a more relaxing day with dinner and free time on Ben Yehudah Street once again.
After attending Shabbat services at a conservative synagogue a few blocks from where we were staying in Jerusalem, we had lunch and relaxed at the hotel for a little bit. The afternoon consisted of a walk to the Israel Museum. The museum has a scale model of the Old City of Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period. Also, portions of the Dead Seas Scrolls were available for viewing.
Right across the street from the museum is the Knesset (Israel’s legislative building) and the Rose Garden park, so we stopped by for a look.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of a meet-up with Brandeis Hillel Day School (from San Francisco and Marin County, also touring Israel) for joint activities and Havdallah. We topped off a more relaxing day with dinner and free time on Ben Yehudah Street once again.
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| Israel trip - day 6 |
Day 3 Videos
If you want to watch in HD quality, click on the video after it starts playing to bring you to YouTube. Enjoy--more videos to come!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Day 5: Yad Vashem, Mt. Herzl, and the Wailing Wall
We began today at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial and Museum in Jerusalem. It’s obviously a somber place to visit, much in the same way the Holocaust Memorial in Washington, D.C. was for these same students last fall. Before we started our tour, we listened to a holocaust survivor, Hannah Goslar, talk about her experiences. As her story unfolded with details about growing up in Holland, we were amazed to find out that she was a childhood friend of Anne Frank! It was truly a bittersweet treat for all of us to hear her story. We had a guided tour through the memorial which helped us to focus our attention on certain aspects of the holocaust.
After having a large lunch at Yad Vashem, we took a short bus ride to Mt. Herzl, an Israeli national cemetery which is similar to Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C. It contains the tombs of soldiers that have died in the Israeli Defense Forces, as well as former prime ministers. Theodor Herzl, the father of modern political Zionism, is also buried there, the cemetery bearing his name.
We traveled back to the hotel to change into clothes appropriate for welcoming Shabbat at the Wailing Wall. We walked through the old city and arrived at the wall as the sun was going down. We had a short Kabbalat Shabbat service with Rabbi Tsipi leading, and then let the kids go to the Kotel. The whole experience was in stark contrast to the somber mood earlier in the day, as there was a lot of singing and dancing at the Western Wall. Everyone was very welcoming, allowing our students to join in with their celebrations.
After having a large lunch at Yad Vashem, we took a short bus ride to Mt. Herzl, an Israeli national cemetery which is similar to Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C. It contains the tombs of soldiers that have died in the Israeli Defense Forces, as well as former prime ministers. Theodor Herzl, the father of modern political Zionism, is also buried there, the cemetery bearing his name.
We traveled back to the hotel to change into clothes appropriate for welcoming Shabbat at the Wailing Wall. We walked through the old city and arrived at the wall as the sun was going down. We had a short Kabbalat Shabbat service with Rabbi Tsipi leading, and then let the kids go to the Kotel. The whole experience was in stark contrast to the somber mood earlier in the day, as there was a lot of singing and dancing at the Western Wall. Everyone was very welcoming, allowing our students to join in with their celebrations.
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| Israel Trip - Day 5 |
Video from Day 2
I'm going to try to upload some of the HD video clips I'm able to take on my Samsung camera and post them here.
TDS Israel Trip 2010 - Day 2 from Joel DeFauw on Vimeo.
TDS Israel Trip 2010 - Day 2 from Joel DeFauw on Vimeo.
Day 4: Arriving in Jerusalem!
We started today with another hike in northern Israel, this time in the Gilaboon Stream. Along the way, our guide Keren told us the story of Israel’s master spy, Eli Cohen.
Highlight of the day was kayaking on the Jordan River! It wasn’t running too fast, so no major spills. Nevertheless, a few of the kids found ways to fall into the water. (not many pictures of this, didn’t want to get the camera wet)
After drying out, we got back into the bus and drove south along the Jordan River Valley towards Jerusalem. This area reminded me a lot of California’s central valley along I-5. There’s a great deal of agriculture, cattle, and mountains on both sides of the valley. Oh, and it’s hot!
We entered Jerusalem from the east. Students were awed by the city at sunset. After a quick stop at a scenic outlook, we made our way to our hotel, Montefiore, which is very close to Ben Yehuda Street and the Jaffa gate to the Old City.
For dinner, we took advantage of our close proximity to Ben Yehuda. The kids really enjoyed the freedom of finding their own food and exploring the night life of this busy pedestrian street. People of all ages and from all sorts of countries were out and about, as well.
This was a late dinner, so we walked back to the Montefiore Hotel and settled in for the night.
Highlight of the day was kayaking on the Jordan River! It wasn’t running too fast, so no major spills. Nevertheless, a few of the kids found ways to fall into the water. (not many pictures of this, didn’t want to get the camera wet)
After drying out, we got back into the bus and drove south along the Jordan River Valley towards Jerusalem. This area reminded me a lot of California’s central valley along I-5. There’s a great deal of agriculture, cattle, and mountains on both sides of the valley. Oh, and it’s hot!
We entered Jerusalem from the east. Students were awed by the city at sunset. After a quick stop at a scenic outlook, we made our way to our hotel, Montefiore, which is very close to Ben Yehuda Street and the Jaffa gate to the Old City.
For dinner, we took advantage of our close proximity to Ben Yehuda. The kids really enjoyed the freedom of finding their own food and exploring the night life of this busy pedestrian street. People of all ages and from all sorts of countries were out and about, as well.
This was a late dinner, so we walked back to the Montefiore Hotel and settled in for the night.
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| Israel trip - day 4 |
Friday, April 16, 2010
Day 3: The Mystical City of Safed and the Golan Heights
After saying goodbye to Kibbutz Yehi'am this morning, we went to Kibbutz Hanita near the Lebanese border. Here we did some community service working in the fields planting avocado trees. It was hard work, but the kids really enjoyed getting their hands dirty.
We then traveled to the artistic and mystical city of Safed. We went to two ancient synagogues with rich histories (see the pics). There was great shopping here for Jewish art.
Afterwards, we drove to an old IDF outpost in the Golan Heights on Mt. Bental where Keren filled us in on some details concerning the strategic significance of this area for both security and agriculture. We could see for miles from this vantage point, all the way into Syria.
We stayed the night at Kibbutz Hanita in Gonen, where we also stayed on last year’s trip. Dinner here was excellent, and the rooms were likewise. Another busy day in the books!
We then traveled to the artistic and mystical city of Safed. We went to two ancient synagogues with rich histories (see the pics). There was great shopping here for Jewish art.
Afterwards, we drove to an old IDF outpost in the Golan Heights on Mt. Bental where Keren filled us in on some details concerning the strategic significance of this area for both security and agriculture. We could see for miles from this vantage point, all the way into Syria.
We stayed the night at Kibbutz Hanita in Gonen, where we also stayed on last year’s trip. Dinner here was excellent, and the rooms were likewise. Another busy day in the books!
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| Israel Trip - day 3 |
Day 2: A Hike and Mediterranean Sea Caves
Today began with a beautiful nature hike in the hills near the Kibbutz where we stayed. Some of it was pretty tough, but everyone enjoyed the great scenery and the river we hiked next to for much of the walk.
From there we went to Rosh Ha'Nikrah for lunch before taking a cable car ride to the sea caves near the border with Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea. The wind and waves have ground out caves along the cliffs in this area. We spent some more time at the beach before travelling south to Nahariyya for ice cream and free-time walking the city. This is a city that is not usually visited by tourists, so it was a different experience for the kids compared to what they'll see later in the trip in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. One student said (paraphrasing): "I felt like people were looking at us in the same way that we would look at a group of, say, German tourists speaking only German on the street in America."
We were all pretty much bushed at this point, so we headed back to the kibbutz to clean up, have dinner, and talk about what's in store for tomorrow.
From there we went to Rosh Ha'Nikrah for lunch before taking a cable car ride to the sea caves near the border with Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea. The wind and waves have ground out caves along the cliffs in this area. We spent some more time at the beach before travelling south to Nahariyya for ice cream and free-time walking the city. This is a city that is not usually visited by tourists, so it was a different experience for the kids compared to what they'll see later in the trip in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. One student said (paraphrasing): "I felt like people were looking at us in the same way that we would look at a group of, say, German tourists speaking only German on the street in America."
We were all pretty much bushed at this point, so we headed back to the kibbutz to clean up, have dinner, and talk about what's in store for tomorrow.
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| Israel Trip - Day 2 |
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Day 1: Travel and Arrival
We left San Francisco International Airport bright and early Sunday and arrived without a hitch at LAX for our connecting flight to Israel. The El Al Airlines security was very thorough, some of us being questioned for over 5 minutes. The flight left on time. We flew over the arctic circle through Greenland an north of Iceland--some of the students were treated to a dazzling display of the northern lights! Total flight time was 14.5 hours, which seemed like a long time for most of us who who don't sleep well on planes. Still, it beats walking!
When we arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at around 2pm Israel time, we were greeted at the baggage claim by Amnon from Oranim (our tour company). Everyone got their luggage (whew!) and we were on the bus and traveling to a neaby town for quick orientation and dinner. All in all, total time from when we entered SFO to when we left Ben Gurion was around 22 hours.
After dinner, we traveled north near Nahariyah where we are staying at Yehi'am Kibbutz for our first two nights. Everyone was pretty beat when we arrived, so we got them to their rooms so they could try to beat the jetlag and maybe get a little sleep.
Enjoy the pictures! (note: The pics are uploaded at a quality good enough for small prints and viewing full screen on most monitors. I can get you the original resolution copies at the end of the trip, but they are too large to upload on the road with sporadic internet connections.)
When we arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at around 2pm Israel time, we were greeted at the baggage claim by Amnon from Oranim (our tour company). Everyone got their luggage (whew!) and we were on the bus and traveling to a neaby town for quick orientation and dinner. All in all, total time from when we entered SFO to when we left Ben Gurion was around 22 hours.
After dinner, we traveled north near Nahariyah where we are staying at Yehi'am Kibbutz for our first two nights. Everyone was pretty beat when we arrived, so we got them to their rooms so they could try to beat the jetlag and maybe get a little sleep.
Enjoy the pictures! (note: The pics are uploaded at a quality good enough for small prints and viewing full screen on most monitors. I can get you the original resolution copies at the end of the trip, but they are too large to upload on the road with sporadic internet connections.)
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| Israel Trip - Day 1 |
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