Dear NCSY TJJ Bus 4 Family,

Shalom from the gorgeous Shlomi!!

After seven days of enjoying the wonderful views and hospitality of Chispin we packed up the bus on Wednesday on the way to our new base in Shlomi!

While on the way to our new base in Shlomi we stopped at Mt Gilboa; the mountain where the first king of Israel, Saul, fell in battle. We marveled at the hillside that is barren to this day as a result of the famed King David’s curse of the mountain as it was where Saul died. From Mt. Gilboa we cooled off with a hike through the Kibbutzim river, one of the channels into the Jordan river from the Golan. After arriving in Sholmi we had a very interesting Shabbat Shuk where we explored different facets of Shabbat with our advisors. We capped Wednesday off with a great Movie Night!

Today, Thursday, was another fantastic day as we had a great time traveling to Nachal Kziv for another amazing morning hike. Being outdoors all morning helped us work up a great appetite for the Pizza from Kibbutz Matsuva!! As we arrived at the kibbutz we could smell the fresh pizza baking in the ovens from the moment we stepped off the bus. After being weighed down by the massive amounts of Pizza, we were none the less able to get a glimpse of Israel’s struggle for independance at the Acco Prison. We learned about many of the prisoners and sang a moving rendition of Hatikvah, Israel’s National Anthem, in their memory.

We ended our day today with a stop at Rosh Hanikrah where we had a fantastic view of the Mediterranean. Following dinner we had several excellent learning sessions as well as a super competitive game of musical chairs!

Everyone is excited for our day in the holy city of Tzfat tomorrow!

Best,
Rabbi Chaim

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