Shalom from the South of Israel!

Our travels south first brought us to the beautiful national park of Ein Gedi. This gorgeous site is filled with animals native to Israel along with stunning waterfalls and natural pools. Swimming in the pools and dunking under a waterfall was a great bonus during our rather warm hike of Ein Gedi. After our hike we traveled to the world famous and miraculous Dead Sea, where we enjoyed the wonders of the water. We really did float without even trying! After the Dead Sea we traveled to the historical mount Masada. Reliving history, we courageously journeyed to the top to experience the history. Perhaps the most moving part of Masada took place in the site on an ancient synagogue. Throughout the trip, a few of our young ladies, that never had a Bat Mitzvah, have been learning with advisors and involved in self reflection working towards a very special Bat Mitzvah Celebration. We hosted a meaningful ceremony for these 4 girls. On top of Masada, each young lady spoke beautifully to our Bus 4 family, discussing the topics of their choice study, why they think it is meaningful, and what it means to them to a Jewish Woman.

After singing and dancing from the Bat Mitzvah Celebration, we heading down the mountain and traveled to an iconic Beduin Tent in the Desert. At the small village, we learned about the culture and lifestyle of Beduins throughout Israel. We experienced their great cuisine for dinner and enjoyed their home made coffee and tea. After dinner we partook in a campfire singing songs into the night, before retiring into actual Beduin Tents to sleep.

The next morning, the Beduins took us out for a hilarious and memorable group camel ride with stunning views of the dessert terrain.

After Breakfast we travelled further south, visiting the grave and memorial of David Ben Gurion, The first Prime Minister of Israel. We learned about his life and heroic act of founding the State of Israel.

Our next drive was to our current location in the bottom tip of Israel, the beach city of Eilat. Today we will be diving into, quite literally, an array of exciting watersports!

Have a great day and we will continue to keep you updated as our trip slowly comes to a close.

Regards from the South of Israel,

Derek

Rabbi Derek Gormin
TJJ Bus 4 Director
gormind@jsu.org

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