LYA Israel Experience 2023 Blog

Our next stop on our very busy day was to Kibbutz El Rom to view a movie about a strategic battle that was fought in what is now known as the Valley of Tears during the Yom Kippur War. The Kibbutz itself was founded in 1971 just 2 years before the battle with 60 members. Today it is a thriving Kibbutz with over 500 members. Kibbutz El Rom is best known for its studio where it adds subtitles to Israeli movies and shows. On their farms they grow apples, grapes, cherries, and berries. Kibbutz wine has won many international awards. They are also the highest kibbutz in the world at 3,000 feet above sea level. Kibbutz Elrom is located in the Golan and is known for its agriculture and studio, which adds subtitles to the majority of films in Israel.

 

 

 

We hope the snow was not so bad. Here we are enjoying some beautiful weather and it is 75 degrees. We are wearing hats and drinking lots of water. We began our day with a hike at Gamla. This was actually more of a walk than a hike. As we walked we enjoyed the beautiful view.

 

 

At the bottom of the steps in Tzefat 3 jeeps awaited our group. Our guide for this fast moving part of our trip was Yoav. After we were all seated and as comfy as one can be in a jeep, we were off for a fun and scream filled ride. As we passed people we waved and as we passed cows we mooed.

 

 

Next stop was Tzefat where Sara met her sister Batya, who is learning in seminary for the year. We broke into a few groups and went to lunch. We have been doing this on the trip. It is called Pizur, from the shoresh to scatter. (By the way, the students are really looking around at translating the words and phrases they see based on their shoresh knowledge.) Each chaperone takes a group to the food choices they’d like. Today we had shawarma, pizza and bagel groups. Following lunch we all enjoyed ice cream and popsicles. Thank you again to our friends Joanne Brown and Yael Neffinger for sponsoring this delicious treat.

 

 

We made it up North and enjoyed the beautiful ways as we were driving. We are staying at a youth hostel in Ma’a lot. The people who work here are very nice. There is another Israeli school group staying here.

While driving to our first destination, we drove through a Druse town. The Druse originally were Muslims and at some point they broke away and now have their own religion. There are Druse communities today in Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Druse are extremely patriotic to the country in which they are living. In 1950 the then Druse leader approached the Israeli government asking that their boys please be drafted in the army. When conflicts arise in Lebanon and Syria, the IDF is careful not to station Druse soldiers there so they are not fighting with family or friends.

Druse are very secretive about their rituals and if one wants to be religious there is a 2-3 year initiation for the elders to assess one’s seriousness. Most Druse are secular, but this is not frowned upon in their culture. The Druse believe they are descendants of Yitro, Moshes father-in-law. According to their tradition, Yitro is buried in Tevaria.

Our first activity in the North was a beautiful hike on Mount Meron. Based on our hikes, this one was a 3 on our scale. The weather here is amazingly beautiful for this time of year. We stopped periodically to take in the breathtaking views over the Galil.

Along the hike Yoni shared with us information about the area. At the top of Mount Meron is an army base, so hiking up there is off limits. On this mountain they track bird migrations. All birds except one pass over Israel during their migration. Yoni asked us to guess the one and only bird that does not pass over Israel. We will give you a hint: this bird was eaten in the desert. Quail!! Interestingly the quail literally rain down in Egypt when they land. Wow, just like it says in the Torah.

We hiked in single file on Mount Meron. Rabbi Kosofsky shared with us that in Mishnah Rosh Hashana it speaks about how the people of Meron walked in single file. We were literally walking in their footsteps. At one of the viewing areas we could see Gush Chalev. Rabbi Kosofsky shared a few interesting stories that occurred there.

From Mount Meron is a bit of a drive to the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai of Lag B’omer fame. It takes a while since we are driving around the mountain. In front of the grave Yoni shared with us beautiful stories about the Rashbi that show how he cared about average people and would go the extra mile to help them.

After living in the cave for 13 years, the Rashbi developed skin lesions. He went to the hot springs in Tevarya to heal himself. He wanted to thank the city. At that time after the destruction of the Temple, the people wanted to inhabit more of the city, but there were unmarked graves. The Rashbi located the graves and had the bodies respectfully moved to allow more people to live in Tevarya. This was but one example of how the Rashbi went the extra mile.

It is amazing to walk into a brick building in Israel. These buildings are definitely not the norm and stick out. The brick building in Kfar Chabad is one that we felt very comfortable at. It is an exact replica of 770, Chabad Headquarters in New York. The students were sure that when they walked inside, that it would look a bit different. Well, they were pleasantly surprised to enter and see that every detail is the same.

 

Sunday morning we said farewell to Yerushalayim. After davening and breakfast, we moved our suitcases onto the bottom of the bus with great speed. Our first stop was Latrun, which is a highly recommended place to visit. Latrun is a place that is emotional as it serves is a commemoration to soldiers who died defending Israel. Latrun is educational as it teaches the history of Israel and the armored corps. Latrun is fun since you can climb real tanks.

Our Latrun Tour Guide was John, who serves in the Armored Corps and lives in the Christian section of the Old City. John told us to be observant as we walked around Latrun, since everything has a symbolic reason connected to the armored corps. One example is the 36 steps to walk up to Latrun. These 36 steps are representative of the 36 steps that are by the Chulda gate to enter the Temple.

We will begin with the history. Laturn was originally a prison that was built by the British under the British Mandate. Many Jews who were part of the Hagana, the illegal Jewish defense force that pre-dated the IDF, were arrested. Rivka Kulek’s grandfather, Tzvi Chai Kedmi-Mizrachi of blessed memory was one of such men. We hoped to find him in the data base, but that portion of the museum is being updated.

Laturn was then taken over by the Jordanians after the War of Independence. The Israeli government understood in 1967 that they could not re-take Yerushalayim without Latrun. Amazingly when they came in 1967, the Jordanians had already fled Latrun. In 1986 Latrun became the site where the soldiers have their induction ceremonies, which were originally held on Masada. Moshe Green a retired military officer is instrumental in this move and becomes the 2nd head of Latrun.

Latrun is a solemn site as there is a large memorial wall with all the names of soldiers who died in defense of the state of Israel. The names are listed by war. Each name is in alphabetical order and names are listed without rank. This shows that all are equal. Every life that defends Israel is a precious one. The colors of the memorial are symbolic as well. Names are etched in black, as black is a color of the armored corps. The stone is a silver color, since it symbolizes that Israel is not handed to us on a silver platter. We spent time at the Wall in Names in remembrance and reflected that because of this wall, we can safely visit Israel.

Now, we had some fun climbing on tanks. First we learned about how tanks work. A tank is dependent on its armor that is reinforced steel, its fire power and mobility. At Latrun there is a split tank that allows you to understand how the tank works. We viewed and climbed on many different types of tanks from different years. The newest tank is the Merkava, which is a tank exclusively designed and constructed in Israel for the IDF armored corps.  

In the museum we enjoyed a tour of the shul, where we learned that every army base by law must have a synagogue. This one is very special. We watched an amazing movie about the armored corps. There is an amazing 3D virtual exhibit that shows a tank in action. All in all it was an action packed morning full of activity and reflection.

While in Israel we are all GROWing in our davening. Each morning the boys are ready earlier than they need to be and in Yerushalayim they joined a minyan a few minutes from the hotel. It was very special for the Kohanim on our trip. Chaim and Sruli had the merit to participate in Birkat Kohanim on Thursday and Sunday. In the Diaspora we receive this blessing on holidays. In Israel it occurs on a daily basis. Our Bar Mitzvah boys, Ezra, Mendel and Shmarya received Aliyot to the Torah.

The girls on the trip are continuing their GROW davening with Morah Kosofsky and Mrs. O just like they do in school. Each morning they meet together and reflect on their trip talking about how they are Grateful, what they Recognize, where they feel at One and their Wants for the trip. It is so beautiful to hear. Each day we take turns being Chazanit. So far Rivka Kulek, Gabi Gesin Miri Helfen and  Chana Volovik have taken advantage of being a Chazanit in Israel.

Each student received a mincha/maariv to use during the day. We can be seen davening all over Israel in the afternoon. Much tehilim is davened as we visit the holy sites and burial sites of Tzadikim.

Part of the goal of the trip is to GROW in our connection to Hashem. Our focus on davening is just one way that this is accomplished. We are very proud of how the students are davening and coming on time to davening. It is such a pleasure to watch the students GROW in their tefilot while being in the Holy Land.

Yoni’s beautiful family came to the hotel to celebrate Shabbt with us. We all looked our best and after candle lighting we walked to the Kotel. It is one of the most amazing experiences. There are so so many Jews all celebrating Shabbat together. There is much singing and dancing. The girls took advantage of the dancing.

It is very special to walk through the streets with so many Jews on their way to enjoy Friday night dinner. Back at the hotel we ate dinner with about 100 people. There is a group of 5 charter Hebrew schools and various guests. The food was delicious and the company of Yoni’s family was great.

After dinner we broke into 2 groups. The boys and girls went to separate areas for singing, fabrenging and playing games. It was nice to have this special time to stop and reflect on our growth on this trip.  This was our first time to slow down on the trip that is non-stop go go go.

Shabbat morning we were able to sleep in until 7:30 a.m. What a treat!!! After a breakfast of cake and fruit up in the Kosofskys suite we made our way to the Kotel. The boys joined one minyan and the girls joined another one near the mechitza. It was nice to hear Parshat Teruma, one of the parshiyot we studied last year in school. The Kotel is much quieter on Shabbat morning than at night.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped outside the Churva Synagogue to hear its amazing history. In the 17th century a Jewish man came to Yerushalayim named Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid. He wanted to build an Ashkenazaik shul and borrowed money for the building. The building was completed and the shul was beautiful. Unfortunately, the rabbi could not pay back his loan to the Muslims. In retaliation they destroyed the shul. It became known as the Destroyed Shul, Churva in Hebrew. Years later it was rebuilt, but in 1948 it was bombed and lay in ruins. The iconic archway that was left became an important symbol. Within the last 10 years some wealthy people paid to have it restored in all its glory. Since names stick, it is stilled called the Churva, even though it is far from destroyed.  

After a delicious Shabbat lunch we enjoyed some unheard down time for over two hours. Then we enjoyed a walking tour of Yerushalayim and ended it with Mincha at Mayanot. In between Mincha and Maariv, Rabbi Schneur Broh, Mayanot Yeshiva Director, spoke with us. While we enjoyed eating snacks that we brought, he shared a beautiful Dvar Torah about the Aron.

The Aron had 3 boxes: outer gold, inside wood and outer gold. Rabbi Broh said that at times we are successful and feel like gold. That is great. But there are other times when we don’t feel we have done our best and that is symbolized by the wood. But, the Rebbe taught not to forget that the inner box is gold. No matter what we all have a gold soul inside of us and we all have the power to transform ourselves into gold through our actions.

Back at the hotel, we packed up and went out to Ben Yehuda for food and of course more shopping!!

No visit to Israel is complete without a stop at Mama Rochel. When Yakov returned to Israel with his family, Rochel died on the side of the road after giving birth to Binyamin. Yakov buried his wife in Beit Lechem. It is traditional for Jews to come and pray at her grave.

There is a beautiful Midrash that speaks of the time of the Destruction of the Temple. Avraham, Yitzchak, Yakov and Moshe all appeared before Hashem and with heartfelt words begged of Hashem not to destroy the Temple. Hashem refused to listen to them all. Rochel came and in her quiet way with tears, reminded Hashem of her story with Leah.

I was not jealous of my sister and gave her the secret message out of my love for her. I gave up my dream to be the mother of Israel. Please Hashem, do not be jealous of your children.

Rochel’s words were moving and Hashem replied to her: Do not cry Rochel for I will return your children to their land.

This is why Jews flock to Mama Rochel and pray there daily in times of goodness and in times of sadness. Rochel’s wish really did come true, for being buried on the side of the road she is truly the mother of all Jews and Israel.

In the area of Gush Etzyon, there is a special corner carved out for the IDF soldiers. Many, many soldiers are stationed in this area to keep it secure. Twenty one years ago a doctor, Tzechi Sason and his son were murdered here during an act of terror. Their widows wanted to create a legacy in their husband’s name and Pina Chama was born.

This place is literally a warm corner where soldiers can come and enjoy a hot drink, piece of home baked cake or just rest.  The original structure was a shipping container that today grew into a roofed in area with a small kitchen and covered area outdoors with tables.

Each day 200-250 soldiers come to visit and enjoy the donated food left for them. There are 400-500 volunteers involved. Twenty five cakes are baked daily. Yoni, who lives in Efrat, shared with us that every time one of his daughter’s has a birthday, his wife, Daniella bakes 2 cakes. One is for the party and one is for Pina Chama. Each year on Israel’s Independence Day a huge free barbecue with all the fixings is organized for the soldiers. Yoni is one of the grillers.

 We were lucky to meet Nava Eizik, who volunteers much of her time to making sure the soldiers have what they need. We each donated part of our trip’s Shliach Mitzvah money here. Nava told us that our money will be used to purchase the much needed coffee that soldiers drink all day long.

It was so beautiful to be able to meet the heroes of Israel and know that we are part of their comfort.

Friday we woke up early in order to go visit our parents. Yes, you read that correctly. We travelled to Chevron and enjoyed a beautiful shacharit at Me’arat Hamachpaila. There is nothing that can compare to starting your day davening in Chevron. While we were there a bris was going on in one room and an upsherin in another. The joyous sounds that were heard from their happy occasions uplifted our time there.

After a meaningful davening, we learned at Ma’rat Hamachpaila. First off the structure one sees now is not form the original cave. When Avraham purchased the cave from Ephron it was a double cave. In ancient times our loved ones were buried in caves and their bodies were left there, unlike today when we dig graves.

The Torah tells us the first Jew that davened at the cave and that was Calev, when the spies came to scout the land. After that many Jews began to pray at this site where our patriarchs and matriarchs are buried. Fast forward to the Second Temple and Herod had the structure changed. By now you should know that Herod loved building BIG structures. Since so many Jews were visiting the cave, Herod decided that he would have a large structure built and then everyone would like him more than they already do. Well, we have no idea if this made Herod more popular, but we do know that the building he constructed gave the visitors more opportunity to visit this site. The building did cover over the actual caves.

In the 4th century the Byzantines built a church there and said no Jews allowed to visit. In the 8th century along came the Muslims, who built a mosque on the church on the structure Herod made on the cave that Avraham bought. They allowed Jews to visit again. In the 11th century the Crusaders arrived and built a church, on the mosque that was on the structure Herod made on the cave that Avraham bought. (Is this beginning to sound like a song you know?) The Crusaders do not allow Jews to visit. Eighty five years later the Muslims return and you can fill in what they build. These Muslims do not allow the Jews in and Jews are only allowed to pray outside near a specific staircase.

Sadly in 1929 a terrible pogrom takes place in Chevron and many Jews are hurt or murdered. The British answer is no Jews allowed to live in Chevron. Until 1967 there is no Jewish presence in this holy city. How sad our Patriarchs and Matriarchs must have been!

After the army liberated the Old City, it was onto Chevron. Rav Goren, Chief Rabbi of the IDF, wanted to be there. The next morning when he awoke, not one soldier was around him. He thought the unit had gone ahead without him. Rav Goren quickly rode into Chevron. The sight that greeted him was white flags all over indicating a surrender. The Arabs were worried about revenge from the 1929 pogrom and signed a surrender agreement. Rav Goren single handedly capture Chevron.

It still took time for a community to be populated in Chevron. Today Jews make up 3 % of Chevron’s population with a community of 800 Jews. We are so lucky to have had this special opportunity that will remain with us and strengthen our davening for a long time.

One of the most talked about parts of the trip is Dialogue in the Dark. This is a simulated blind experience where participants walk through everyday activities while not being able to see. It is amazing how it is set up, since you really cannot see. 

Activities included:

1. Getting on and riding on a boat

2. Visiting a forest to look for trees and animals

3. Crossing a street

4. Shopping in a shuk

5. Listening to music

6. Purchasing a snack in a cafeteria

While completing these activities there is a guide leading you through them. Oh, did we mention that the tour guide is blind?

We went inside in 2 groups and had an amazing experience. Morah Kosofsky asked us to reflect on how we felt afterward.

Rivka Schmidt – It was fun to be able to feel different things without seeing them.

Rivka Kulek- It was amazing that our guide could tell the difference between a shekel and an American coin. I was more focused while listening and feeling the sounds.  

Rivkah Stein – It was cool when the cashier was counting money. I realized that times can be scary.

Mrs. O – I felt more at one with everything – Our guide shared his journey and perspective on life. You can feel pity or appreciate what Hashem gives you and you are happier with latter.

Bassie –My favorite part was being on the boat and feeling it rock.

Elisheva – It was cool that our guide made me feel so comfortable that I did not want to leave the darkness.

Chana – I learned to appreciate eyesight. Usually when I am on boat I only thought about scenery and now I realize there is so much more.  I also learned not to judge people.

Sara –I liked seeing the guide’s phone. The guide could tell us what was around and  was very aware.

Shternie –I liked being in dark and that our guide was able to compliment us without seeing us. When we went in we focused on one thing and we can change our focus to interact without seeing people.

Miri – My favorite was the movement on the boat ride.

Gabi – It felt like putting a puzzle and I enjoyed being able to find all of the things.  

Ezra – I really listened to people and tried to imagine their faces in my head. I wondered if a blind person could do that. I realize how important sound is.

Chaim – It was cool not being able to see and feeling my way around.

Sruli – The experience was a bit weird since I knew I could see and I thank G-d I have eye sight.

Shmarya – This is reality for some people and there are different things you think you can’t do but in reality you can.

Mendel - I never listened to music so clearly as today. I felt every beat and tempo. I became more confident and comfortable as the time wore on.

Rabbi Kosofsky – It was not so hard to feel, but when I had to walk I was lost if I didn’t hear the guide.

Yoni  -This time in music room I thought about if I could really do this in life and I was scared. When asked, our guide said, “You don’t need eyes to do many things.”

Everyone gained such an appreciation for their gift of sight. Sorry, there were no photos of this experience. It is all in our mind.

If you really want to experience the victory and miracles of the Six Day War then a trip to Ammunition Hill is a must for you. The story of the Six Day War really begins in 1964. Israel is still a relatively young country. One of the most pressing issues then was getting water distributed throughout the country. The then Minister of Agriculture Levi Eshkol proposed a brilliant idea. Let’s bring the water down from the north to the south using a national water carrier.

The Arab countries were not happy. They felt that Israel was taking water away from them since this the water would come from the Kineret and the Jordan River feeds the Kineret and the springs that create the Jordan River are in Lebanon and Syria. What was their answer? Redirect water into Syria by digging channels. As our guide Yoni said, this sounds like color war water wars. Welcome to the Middle East.

Fast forward to 1967 and Gamal Abdel Nasser, Prime Minister of Egypt proclaims that he will destroy Israel. He informs the UN that they are to remove their troops from the Sinai Peninsula and they do. Unbelievable. Hafez al-Assad, Prime Minister of Syria joins in and announces that he is advancing his troops. Nassar forces Jordan to sign an armistice agreement with them. Israel asks them not to telling Jordan they have no fight with them. (Thank G-d Jordan signed this deal – more on that later)

Israel knows there will be a war and are very, very concerned. The country is preparing for the worst. Now the miracles begin. You really see how G-d is watching the land. Israel begins the war on June 5, 1967 and within one and half days they destroy the entire Egyptian air force, giving Israel control of the skies. Up in the North Syria is advancing their troops. We will get to those miracles when we are up north.

Getting back to Jerusalem, Israel’s plans were originally to secure Mt. Scopus and an agricultural school. They had no plans of going into the Old City. But, since Jordan is fighting with Egypt, because of that deal they signed, we took advantage of this. This was a blessing in disguise and yes, another miracle from G-d. Israel began securing areas around the Old City and then realized that if they could capture Ammunition Hill, then the Old City would be back in their hands.

Ammunition Hill is a strategic hill with trenches dug out by the Jordanians. There were snipers and hidden bunkers in the trenches. The soldiers that went into the trenches knew that many would die to defend Israel. We saw the faces of these heroic men, as a beautiful memorial of pictures and artifacts is on display. In the memorial one can also read from the poetry and journals these solders kept. It was very bittersweet.

After securing Ammunition Hill, it was onto the Old City. What a miraculous moment to hear the Kotel is in our hands.הכתל בידני We watched an amazing movie that tells the story from the soldiers’ perspective and at the same time watched an interactive map of Jerusalem light up as areas were secured by Israel.

While there we noticed a beautiful plaque donated in memory of Dr. Allan Barron, ob”m by his wife Dr. Ros Barron and family. It was so nice to see this at his amazing site.

We actually broke into 2 groups here. While one group was living the miracles of the Six Day War, the other group enjoyed a ropes course, zip lining and propelling. Everyone cheered each other on. It was just beautiful.

1948 War of Independence. Israel is attacked by 5 Arab nations. It was a stressful time for the people. For the 10,000 men, woman and children stranded in the Old City, it was a desperate time as they had no food, little water, lack of ammunition and absolutely no way of getting supplies. There was only one road leading up to the Old City. The road was watched by Arabs ready to shoot without hesitation.

How to get supplies in the fastest and safest way was a challenge. The army sent convoys filled with supplies. It was a very dangerous mission. They had very few armored cars to send. The convoys at times included trucks, cars, busses and even taxis.

These missions completed in the dark were not just carried out by soldiers. Over 300 drivers volunteered to drive. They considered themselves regular folk who wanted to help. If you could drive, you could go. Listen to what these people said about their heroic missions.

My 1st thought is these people are my family and I’m going to help.

My fuel tank was hit and I hugged the hood and just pushed.

We did not think we were heroes.

We love our country.

Many of the drivers were killed on these missions. One such volunteer was a teenage Holocaust survivor. His entire family was killed and he wanted to help and insisted that he not be left behind. Sadly, he never came back.

We were inspired by the courage of the people in 1948. We were moved to hear their stories. We became a part of their story at a new museum called Sha’ar Hagai National Heritage Site. This interactive museum not only tells the story of the convoys, but makes you a part of it. You are involved with the convoy decision making and see firsthand how life and death matters based on your decisions. You ride as a part of the convoy and listen to the driver deal with the Arab attacks. You meet through videos the men and women who took part in the convoys.

We highly recommend this amazing experience, where you learn about the bravery of the Jews in 1948 and that above all that Jewish life is worth fighting for.

After a delicious lunch of schnitzel or grilled chicken salad, we went to Ein Bokek for a hike. Now, Yoni told us this hike is a #3 on his scale. We should not have believed him after Masada.

There were 2 ways you could hike. One was walking beside a stream of water on rocky terrain, which can be a challenge. The other was to walk in the stream. As the hike goes, you are walking from right to left of the stream to stay dry. Sometime you need to walk on rocks in the stream.

In the beginning we all tried to keep our shoes dry. Some of us had water shoes and dove on into the water. By the end, most of us had pretty wet sneakers and socks, but a great time was had by all. It is amazing to think that we are in a desert.

Last stop was at the Dead Sea for floating. Everyone really enjoyed the experience. Sorry, no photos.

After a hearty breakfast we got onto the bus for the long drive down to Masada. The ride is about 2 hours long and you really feel it in your ears, as you are traveling below sea level. Along the way we noticed many Bedouin camps. Bedwa is the Arabic word for desert. The Bedouins are Muslim Arab nomadic tribes, who do not believe in nations and borders and they spread out and live in the desert.

Bedouins consider themselves children of Ibrahim (Avrohom) and just like their ancestor hospitality is very important to them. Here are some tips for you if you ever find yourself at a Bedouin camp. First off, no speaking. You will be served 3 cups of real coffee, not instant. The 1^st is to show you are under their protection. The 2^nd cup is to boost your spirits from your long travels. The 3^rd one is the most important. If they serve you a full cup, then we suggest you leave now, since you are no longer welcome. If they serve you a ½ a cup, please stay as long as you like, since the ½ a cup means they want to serve you more.

We made it to Masada and fortified ourselves with water bottles and took off our sweaters. It was a beautiful 70 degrees. Perfect weather for a hike up a very big mountain. We started our trek full of vigor and cheer and for the most part it continued that way. We passed many people walking down and some of us were passed by many people going up a bit faster than some of our group. Each step we took brought us closer to our destination.

What a sense of accomplishment we all felt when we reached the top. It helped to know we would be going down on the cable car. Ezra and Mendel were the 1^st ones up and they finished the climb in 38 minutes. Those of us pulling in the rear with Morah Kosofsky completed the hike in under 55 minutes. Way to go!!! Yoni told us that on a scale from 1-10 he places this hike at a level 6. We are not sure we agree.

Masada is a mountain that was named by the Chashmonaim. About 100 years before the destruction of the Second Temple King Herod built up Masada. You might remember Herod from our post about the Kotel tunnels. Let’s talk a bit about Herod. He was the ruler of Judea appointed by the Romans. It is questionable if he was actually Jewish. Herod was brought up in Rome and shared their values. He was a madman who had many people, including Jews murdered. He was not very well liked either, as you can imagine and on top of that was paranoid that someone was out to get him.

Herod decided to have a place of refuge built for himself where he could escape to. Now a desert is a wonderful place to hide. One would think that if you were hiding, you would travel light. Not Herod. He had his workers build him not just one palace, but a 2^nd one for entertaining. He had a pool and a banquet hall built for all those parties he would throw for his pals while in hiding. Herod did not want to worry about shipping in the food, so he had storage building made for oil, dried fruit, dried meat, wheat, wine, rice and honey. There was a commandant whose job it was to keep the store houses filled.

Now, remember Masada is in the desert. Water could prove to be a problem. Not for Herod. He had 24 (yes 24) cisterns built for collecting rain water. Wow, Herod must have really enjoyed his beautiful home. Actually, Herod never used it. But Masada was used by 960 Jewish men, women and children who escaped there after the 2nd Temple destruction.

When they arrived they found plenty of rooms, plenty of food and plenty of water. These Jews set out to live on Masada as Jews. That is very important. More than 12 mikvaot where found there. That is very important, since it means that Family Purity was important to them. A shul was found with parchment with quotes from Yechezkel, a prophet from the days after the First Temple. Yechezkel prophesized about the dry bones that come back to life. This is a prophecy of inspiration for Moshiach.

Yes, we know about the tragic ending on Masada and that these Jews chose death rather than be captured by the Romans, who eventually came to find them. We are focusing on the mitzvot these Jews chose to keep. As Yoni shared with us in the shul.

“You are a fulfillment of this prophecy. You are the promise of the future. Remember, we are the only group of people in the world to be exiled and to return to our land, not once but twice! There is nothing like the Jewish people. I am so proud to be a part of it!”

Let’s go back those retaining walls. There were four made by Herod. Did you know that in addition to the Western Wall, the Southern and Eastern walls are still fully intact. Part of the North wall is standing today. We made our way to the Southern Wall Excavations.

Here we sat outside the wall in some ancient store fronts form the Temple era. In one of these store fronts many coins were found, which means it was a money changing store for Jews who came from far and needed to exchange their money for the ½ shekel. The other store sold doves for offerings. In this shop a sign was found that told what it was used for. It was cool to be sitting in what was then downtown Yerushalayim.

We also saw the remnants of archways that were once gateways for people to enter the Beit Hamikdash. We walked up steps that actual men, women and children would enter through the south side as they visited the Beit Hamikdash. The Chulda Gate is part of the southern wall. Chulda was a prophetess who gave prophecy that is recorded in the second book of Kings.

Next stop was the Kotel Tunnels. The Kotel, that we all see and love, is actually one piece of the outside wall of the Beit Hamikdash. About 70 years before the Second Temple was destroyed, King Herod enlarged the Beit Hamikdash. Herod is an interesting character and we will talk about him later when we go to Masada.

Now, in order to enlarge the Temple itself, the surface area of the mountain needed to be enlarged. Sounds so simple, right? Well, for Herod it was. You see Herod was a Roman appointed king over Judea and his building motto was the bigger the better. Herod had the mountain enlarged by building four retaining walls and filling them with dirt. Think about the Temple Mountain as one very, very large sandbox.

The Kotel is the western retaining wall. The Kotel, as we lovingly refer to it, is the only part of the Western Wall that is exposed. Where is the rest of it? It is underground and we were able to walk the length of it.

After the Six Day War in 1967, archeologist began to discover the extent of the wall. After the Romans destroyed the temple, the area was burned and left in ruins. Empire and ruler and empire and ruler that was in charge Israel built over the areas rather than clear away the debris. This caused the street level to rise. Today the Muslim Quarter is above the unexposed Western Wall.

It was amazing to walk underground and view the stones of this wall. One stone is HUGE. It weighs 570 tons and is about 50 feet long. How did the workers get that stone to the Temple without cranes? We saw a movie that clearly shows how the builders used a system of pulleys, animals and logs to roll the stone. That is amazing!! What is more amazing is that there is no cement between the stones. These stones are so thick and heavy that they interlock into each other.

As we continues the walk the length of the wall, we came to the closest part of the wall that is directly near the Holy of Holies. Students placed notes from community members in the wall here.

Then it was back outside to actually view the Kotel for ourselves. We davened an inspiring mincha there and took lots of photos.

This morning we started with Dovid. After a very hearty and delicious breakfast, we made our way to Kever Dovid. This is in the Old City and is believed by some to be the place where Dovid is buried. Now, according to the Navi, Dovid is buried in the City of David, which is now located outside the Old City’s walls. Nevertheless, since Jews have been praying at this specific location in the merit of Dovid, this site is a special place to daven.

From there it is a five minute walk to the City of David. We are studying about Dovid in Navi and it was special to see his stories come to life. As we entered the city there is a sign above that says City of David in Ktav Ivri, which is Ancient Hebrew writing. We were able to read it since we completed a unit on this writing in Jewish History.

The City of David is a treasure trove of archeological finds dating back to Dovid’s day and further on in history. Yoni explained to us about archeologists. There are some who are biblical minimalists, meaning they downplay and are quiet about the archeological finds that connect to Tanach and call them coincidences. There are others who are biblical maximalists, and connect all finds to Tanach as proof that the stories are real.

We will let you decide for yourself. Read about what amazing finds we saw today.

1. A very large structure was found in the City of David. This is what is believed to have been Dovid’s palace. In this large area are columns that were found with Phoenician design on them. Some might say, well that is proof it is not Dovid’s palace. He was not Phoenician. Open up a Navi to the book of Shmuel and you will read that Dovid outsourced his palace work to Chiram the King of Tsur. Guess where Phoenicians come from? Yes, you are correct.

2. In another area clay stamps were found in tact with the names of the scribe on them. When the Babylonians destroyed the Temple, they burned the city and homes to the ground. Guess what happens to clay when it is burned? It turns to pottery. Now, those seals had actual names written on them. The names are Gedaliah and Yehuchal. Now open a book of Yirmiyahu and you will find those names and they were advisors to the last King of Yehuda, Tzidkiyahu. Do you believe that is a coincidence?

3. This find might be the most interesting and unique that we heard about today. There was a supporting wall that was found close to the palace. What type of people would live near a palace? We guessed family members or servants. Well, actually it is believed to be wealthy people. Remember real estate is all about location, location, location and what better location than near the king. Well, a sign of wealth in ancient times was indoor bathrooms. After the bathroom toilet was found a special archeological scatologist, who studies fecal matter (we kid you not) was called in and found raw meat among the remains. Now, why would raw meat be such an amazing find in the City of Dovid? Well, let’s go back to the Tanach and read about the destruction of the First Temple. There was a famine going on in the city and many people had no food. Our guess is that this rich man had meat, but refrained from cooking it so the smell would not arouse his neighbors. Sound possible to you?

4. The most amazing archeological find are the water tunnels. During the time of King Chizkiyahu, the Assyrians were coming to lay a siege around Yerushalayim. Chizkiyahu was worried about the people having enough water. He devised a way to divert the water from the outside to the inside by diverting a spring. He had his workers begin to chisel out tunnels. Two groups began on different ends under the city and chiseled their way to meet each other. It was a tense time and they worked round the clock to meet. Meet they did and the tunnels worked. Not only did they work then, but they still work now. Into these tunnels we walked for about 20 minutes. It was amazing to walk through these tunnels and think about the men who created them. Yes, we did get wet, but it was worth it. Oh, do you want to know where to read about this archeological find? Open up the Book of Chronicles.

Now, that we have shared just four amazing archeological finds, it is your turn to decide what you think. We can surely say that this trip to the City of David has cemented and validated our belief in the truth of the Torah and G-d’s words.

Wow, it was a windy and thrilling ride up Mount Kabor. Some of us braved looking out the window. From the top one we see 2 very special mountains that are of great significance to the Jewish people.

The Torah and Navi speak of Har Grizim and Har Eval. It was upon these 2 mountains that the Jewish tribes stood upon entering Israel. Six tribes on one and six on the other. Yehoshua reminded them here of the covenant that was made with G-d. The blessings were directed to Har Grizim and the curses to Har Eval.

Interesting, Har Grizim today is full of life and vegetation. Har Eval has known. Har Eval is actually one of the tallest mountains in Israel and there is an army base on the mountain. Yoni served there for a month while in the IDF and was on security detail there.

We enjoyed the breathtaking views from where we were able to see the actual pathway that Avrohom entered Israel when he was told to move here in Parshat Lech Lecha. What an amazing way to start on our trip following in the footsteps of Avraham.

It was off to the hotel for a delicious dinner and bed. Boy, were we tired. 

Next stop Shiloh.

Yoni asked our group an interesting question. What is the capital of America?

“Washington DC was an immediate and loud response.” Good answer you would say. Accurate answer you would think. Then Yoni asked the travelers, why didn’t anyone say Philadelphia or New York for that matter? “Well, they are not the capital.”

Then Yoni asked, “What is the capital of Israel?” What do you think the answer was? “Yerushalayim!!!” of course. Well, while that is accurate now, that was not the original capital of Ancient Israel. When Yehoshua brought the 12 tribes into the land, the Mishkan, Tabernacle, found a permanent home in Shiloh for 369 years. This meant that it was to Shiloh that Jewish men, women and children traveled to on the three pilgrimage holidays. That means it was in Shiloh where the offerings were brought. It was Shiloh that was the capital of the Holy Land.

What great significance this has to us this year, a year of Hakhel, gatherings. Our group was standing in the same place where our ancestors came to gather in the Mishkan and be inspired with words of Torah.

We know that Shiloh is place of importance because it says so in the Tanach, in Navi, but where is the physical proof? Well, lucky for us, we met an amazing woman who shared her family’s story. Moriah Shapira, Manager of Ancient Shiloh Visitor Center, told us the amazing story of how the world came to know about Shiloh.

Until 1967 Shiloh was in the hands of the Jordan government. After the Six Day War, the area returned back to Jewish hands. There was a group of 8 families who wanted to settle in Shiloh, because of its great historical significance. It was not enough to just live there, they wanted to prove to themselves and the world the greatness of Israel’s original capital.

How does one go about doing this? 1^st step is to look at the words of G-d in the Navi. There is evidence there of the Jewish people coming to the Mishkan to celebrate on the 15^th of Av. The Navi clearly states that Shiloh is north of Bet El and South of Levona. This is what led this group of families to the area of modern Shiloh.

Step 2: Find the most exact location. Now, they went to the Arabs that lived here and asked them to tell them the names of the area. Interesting that Arabs have preserved the names and call them names that are similar in pronunciation to the original ones. The area we were standing on today was called Silon by the Arabs.

Step 3: Find archeological proof. That proved to be amazing. There are so many finds here. Moriah shared with us that when she was 4 years old in 1980 her father woke her up in the middle of the night. Archeologists had unearthed large jugs that were used for storage for the Mishkan. In these jugs were found burned raisins that could be dated back to the years the Mishkan stood in Shiloh. Moriah remembers vividly the excitement as not 1, not 2, not 10…but over 50 jugs were discovered.

Moriah’s family, originally from Tzfat, joined these 8 families to start the modern city of Shiloh. Their dedication and determination and faith in the Torah created a beautiful visitors center where the world can now gather in ancient Shiloh.

It was truly amazing to be in the place that we studied last year with Morah Kosofsky in Navi. The story of Chana praying for a child came to life. This is the location where Shmuel the Prophet grew up. It was here that we davened mincha as a group. Truly, truly inspiring.

After a delicious breakfast, it was onto the bus and our first stop, Har Tzofim. We rode on Highway #443, which is located near Chashmonaim territory. We were near one of the places that Judah Macabi had a base during his battles with the Greeks. This highway is also near the city of Modi’in, where Mattityahu was from. In the Mishna it says that anyone who reached this location on the day before Pesach, Shavuot or Sukkot on their way to Yerushalayim, should turn back home. Those travelers would not make it to the Temple on time. Until the 19^th century this route was the main road into Yerushalayim.

Our first stop was a beautiful overlook of the Old City from the top of Har Tzofim. We could clearly see the Temple Mount on the beautiful sunny day. By the way, the weather is gorgeous!! In reality this mountain is actually a part of Har Zaytim, Mount Olives. Mount Olives is home to the biggest and oldest cemetery in the entire world. In the 20^th Century Jews wanted to build Hebrew University at this spot of the mountain. This was a big project and they needed funders. The founders went fund-raising to philanthropic Jews. Their reactions were one of horror! How can you build a university on the same mountain as the cemetery? That would not be expected.

As you can imagine, fund-raising was not going well. Well, you know what they say – it is all about marketing. The fund-raisers decided to change the name of this part of the mountain to Har Tzofim, Mount Scopus. Where did they get that name from? Rabbi Akiva. You might know about a famous story with Rabbi Akiva that took place after the destruction of the 2^nd Temple. Rabbi Akiva was walking with other rabbis and he looked out at the Temple Mount and saw foxes running through the rubble and laughed. He was asked how he could laugh at this and he replied that he was happy that this was part of the prophecy delivered by G-d. If that prophecy came true, so would the rebuilding. The words used to describe how Rabbi Akiva looked is the same word as Tzofim (scouting the land). This part of the mountain overlooked the Temple Mount where Rabbi Akiva was standing. With a new name, the fund-raising was successful and Hebrew University was built.  

Our arrival in Israel was uneventful, which is the way you want arrivals to be. As we walked to customs we noticed a very large mezuzah on the doorway that welcomed us to Israel. Thank you Lilia Luzhanskiy for giving Ezra a heads up. This picture is for you. We cleared customs quickly, after we were shown how to use the high tech machines that read your passports and spit out an entry visa. Good thing too or we might still be waiting in line:)

First things first was davening shacharis. All the students were confused. Didn’t we just daven shacharis? No, that was yesterday. You really feel special davening in a special shul in the airport. How many other airports in the world have a shul with a minyan?

After a delicious breakfast and exchanging money, we met our tour guide Yoni Berg who welcomed us to Israel. Mickey Katzburg was on hand to meet our group as well. LYA has been working with Mickey since 2000 to organize trips. Mickey and his team are the main reason our trips are so successful. Morah Kosofsky brought a special gift for Mickey that we presented at the airport. She created a scrabble board with interconnected words in Hebrew that show Mickey how much LYA appreciates his dedication to our school. Mickey also had a gift for the Kosofskys. It was a special sefer with the works of Rabbi Drukman, of blessed memory. Mickey was one of the people instrumental in the publishing of this book

As we write this blog, we have just taken off. We are enjoying the Boeing 787-9. The plane is large and has very comfortable and spacious seats. All students are enjoying a smooth flight.

Our trip to the airport went super well. Thank you to our parents, Rabbi Cohen, Mr. Yisroel Gesin and Rabbi Wolvovsky for transporting us to our destination. We met at LYA at 5:30 a.m. while it was still dark and we were still a bit sleepy. It was smooth sailing to the Ohel. While we were there Rivka Schmidt met her camp counselor Rivka Chein. They had a special mini-camp reunion.

We had an uplifting visit at the Ohel. We went in as a group. Rabbi Kosofsky read all of our names together and we davened for a special trip filled with spiritual and personal growth. After the Ohel, we stopped at Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka’s grave to say tehilim after commemorating her yartzeit last week.

After our trip to the Ohel, we walked to Rabbi Edelman, ob”m to daven. While there, Morah Kosofsky told us how much Rabbi Edelman cared about each and every student. She told the travelers how excited Rabbi Edelman was when students traveled to Israel. We met Rabbi Edelman’s grandson-in-law, Rabbi Bernstein, who is a Chabad Rabbi in Toronto and he was bringing a group of his people to the Ohel. He wished us a great trip.

It was a special day for Bassie Baron. She was able to visit her grandfather, Meir Hott’s grave. This was the first time she was there. Bassie’s grandfather is part of her inspiration for her volunteer work at Rachel’s Table.

We made it in record time to the airport and arrived early. This was good, since it took us quite a while to go through El Al security. It is so nice to see all of the people that are traveling to Israel. On our plane is a group of high school students from the New York area on a week tour. There is a religious group of Christians and Jews who are traveling together. Morah Kosofsky spoke with one of the participants from Tennessee. He saw Longmeadow on our sweatshirts and came to tell her that he was a resident at Baystate in the early 80s.

There is nothing like an EL AL flight. The atmosphere is one of a large family. You already feel like you are in Israel. People assisting people to find things and put things in the overhead bins. People lending and borrowing phone chargers as if they are longtime friends. Interacting with families traveling with little children. Minyanim occurring all during the flight.

What other airlines do you know that offers passengers opportunities to donate to tzedaka. This morning many of our fellow travelers donated to “small change big dreams”, which is a tzedaka organization for children with specials needs.

One of EL AL’s survey questions is why do you fly with EL AL. Our answer: Flying EL AL is part of the Israeli experience.

One thing that is making us very proud is that no matter where we are people are commenting on how nice our group is and are wishing us a wonderful trip.