Dear Parents of NCSY TJJ Bus 4,

It’s been an amazing five days so far, and we can all already see that TJJ Bus 4 is forming into a strong cohesive unit. Your children are some truly special people.

The Touring…

As I’m sure you’ve seen via the Facebook pages and blogs, the first phase of TJJ has been action packed with ice breakers, activities, touring Jerusalem and learning with advisors. We discussed how Jerusalem, the ancient capital of the Jewish kingdom is still so relevant today. Moreover, we focussed on the tremendous privileges we have today in that our generation has lived to see the hopes, dreams and prayers of our ancestors fulfilled.

Today, we are moving onto the second phase of the program – going up North. Northern Israel is personally one of my favorite parts of the country and your children will spend the next week hiking, raft building, visiting a chocolate factory, kayaking and learning the past, present and future of the Golan.

In the upcoming week we will be be spending almost everyday outdoors enjoying the fresh air of Israel and experiencing the Land hands on. In fact, I’m writing to you from the ODT (Outdoor Training)  park near Kibbutz Lavi (our lodging for the next week.)

ODT is an excellent way to build teamwork and aids in fostering the powerful and meaningful friendships that every NCSYer will cherish for many years to come.

The Education Program

From an educational perspective, the trip has been phenomenal. Your children have been interested, curious, and so willing to learn.

Etanna, our incredible tour guide is so impressed with the level of knowledge and interest of our group, and every place we’ve visited has spurred questions and discussion about the significance and history of the sites.

The Tefillah (prayer) groups in the mornings have been exceptionally well received, and we have offered a number of prayer group options each examining and experiencing prayer from a different perspective. The options include: textual analysis, spiritual connections, discussions of prayer themes, and a classic minyan.

The morning prayer groups function not only as an inspiring start to the day, but also serve as a means to “check in” with each NCSYer, ensuring that they slept well, ate a good breakfast and are ready to go for the day ahead.

Our regular evening learning program begins tonight as well. This week, the theme is Belief. We’ll be examining reasons and rationale for belief, the challenges involved and we’ll discuss what atheism has learned from religion, and what can be gained from it on a personal level.

Staying in Touch

To access the blogs and pictures, please take a look at our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tjjbus4 and our website: https://tjjbus4.jsu.org/

The best way to get in touch with me is via email at rael@jsu.org. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Wishing you a fantastic week,

Rabbi Rael

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