By Jacob Hess

Before I begin my first-ever blog-post, I would like to point out a specific fact pertaining to the dunking of Rael yesterday. I sacrificed myself for the greater good, sinking both Rael and I for a fantastic splash. I was pulled in with him, but it was completely and totally worth it.

On to the events of today. We went on our first-ever hike. The inexplicable beauty of the Golan Heights, personally, awed me. It was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen. I was so awed, that I dropped my camera down a cliff. My hands rushed to my mouth to cover shock as it stood still on the edge of a rock, teetering like a seesaw. I quickly grabbed some friends, asking for assistance. Of course, I received laughter at my own stupid actions. Which, quite frankly, I deserved. If our positions were switched, I would’ve done the exact same thing. After receiving enough attention from my fellow NCSYers, I brought over the advisors. The advisors, by the way, are stupendous. Our Bus Director, Rael, is the human version of relief, humor, and happiness. A joke around the camp is that he is comprised of two beings: an Israeli military sergeant and a gigantic teddy bear.

 

Anyway, Rael authorized the rapid descent down the cliffside. Immediately, one of the advisors darted down the mountainside, grabbed the camera, and sprinted back up the mountain. After multiple hugs, cheers, and jokes, I realized something. I realized the true purpose of TJJ. It is not, by the way, doing stupid things. That is just something that defines memories. And TJJ specializes in memories. I will never forget visiting the Western Wall for the first time, trekking through the aqueduct while singing Journey songs, dropping a camera off a freaking cliff. The connections made during TJJ should not be ignored, either. It takes a special kind of kinship, of camaraderie, to risk a life for the camera of someone you met five days ago.

 

But, I digress. The rest of the hike was equally as exciting, and at some parts, as dangerous. We stayed hydrated through three water bottles that we were all told to bring. At the end of the hike was a rock formation shaped like a staircase. My friends and I pushed ourselves to not walk, but SPRINT, the last quarter-mile or so up this, as it came to be known, “stairway to heaven.”

 

After this journey (and the ice-cream that followed), we sat down for lunch at a park nearby. After devouring two pies of pizza, my friends and I went to a defunct Israeli tank. We were able to look around and experience the feeling of being confined in that weapon, which was interesting considering what happened next.

 

We proceeded to visit a movie theater, where we learned about the Yom Kippur and saw a movie that interviewed some veterans of the legendary battle. It’s amazing, isn’t it? An Israeli force of tens of tanks decimated the hundreds of Syrian ones. It shows both the might and tenacity of the Jewish people, a recurring theme in history.

 

To sweeten our day, we went to a chocolate factory. It was messy, to say the least. But the incredible taste was worth all the work, as the view was worth the hike.

 

Afterwards, we visited an actual bunker for soldiers that was conquered in the sic-day war. We were able to sprint through the narrow passageways that once housed soldiers and scare those who were fearful of the dark tunnels (once again, stupid things are my specialty).

 

In the hotel, a multitude of events occurred. We went to our rooms, showered, prepared for everyone’s favorite part of the day: dinner. I, personally, like to go outside of the hotel and see the beautiful scenery. Our view is spectacular, to say the least. I was joined by my friends, and we shared in conversation. Once again, in these past five days, I have not made friends. I made brothers and sisters. After the dinner, we had prayer groups, which were interesting, as usual. Since then, I have been busily journaling away, furiously typing the events of the day (no that was not meant to rhyme).