Wow! What an awesome family we have become! Experiencing our first Shabbat together in Israel was magical. The energy in our hotel was electrifying. Our “Ruach” (spirit) was felt loud and clear through our unity, cheering, dancing and amazing song sessions. As Shabbat came to an end, between the sweetest sounds of our songs, we shared thoughts and feeling about our trip thus far. Students sharing quotes to the tune of, “I can’t believe how close we have already become” and “I never realized how much I love the land of Israel” or “Before this trip, I didn’t appreciate how proud am to be a Jew,” brought tears of joy and pride to our bus 4 family.

Sunday morning we traveled to our first activity, raft building on the Kinneret. Not only did we build our rafts, we also continued to build our friendships. We traveled on to hike the beautiful Majrase Water hike. Nature, streams and small lakes along the hike allowed us to really experience the land of Israel. From our hike we moved on to a musical boat cruise of the Sea of Galilee. Amazing weather and an unforgettable sunset, set the stage for loads of fun.

The next day, Monday July 6th we challenged ourselves to the famous hiking trail called the “Jilabun.’ The Jilabun is not an easy hike. That being said, helping each other along, as a family does, we completed it as a whole group. To reward our efforts in the morning we headed over to the De-Karina chocolate factory, learning about the production of chocolate and getting the opportunity to become our own chocolatiers. After the factory tour, we partook in the official chocolate workshop where we experienced designing our own chocolate delicacies. What a delicious day that was!

Next we headed toward Mount Bental. Mount Bental has a deep historical and military significance, which we learned about as we explored the Mountain.
Our last stop for the day was to the home of Elaine Hoter. Elaine is the mother of Gavriel Hoter, who was killed by terrorists in 2003 in his yeshiva (Rabbinic Seminary). Mrs. Hoter closed out our day by speaking to us about appreciating life and remembering to always celebrate the good.

Next, July 7th we began our day by starting with a beautiful water hike called the Chitzpani. The gorgeous landscape in the north expands our understanding of the land and helps us conceptualize the historical and political significance of this area.
After our hike we took a tour kayaking down the mighty Jordan River. What an awesome experience it was to travel down biblical waters.
After our kayaking journey we visited a Kibbutz community called Misgav Am. We heard from a community member who told us about his own history living on this Kibbutz in the far north of Israel. He explained recent events and the current political climate on the northern border. His final, unforgettable message was one of strong Jewish pride and the right to live safely in our Jewish homeland.

Wednesday July 8th, we woke up bright and early to conquer an amazing hike called the Zavitan. The beauty of the scenery and difficulty of the trail makes for the perfect experience. The trail runs into a quiet natural spring. This spring allowed us to cool off in the fresh northern waters along the trail.
After a few hours of rest and recuperation we participated in “Meet Israel Night.” Our unbelievable bus 4 staff presented the many different asects of Israeli society and culture. So much fun!

Thursday July 9th, after packing up at Karei Deshe Hotel for the last time we traveled to go rappelling in Keshet Cave. Our rappelling site overlooked the beautiful northern terrain providing and amazing view and adding to the excitement (and a little fear) to all participants. Cheering and encourageing each other helping further strengthened our Bus 4 family.
We traveled to Kibbutz Matsuva for a lunch with 3 other TJJ buses. As you can imagine, lots of healthy competition amongst the buses brought us loud cheers and delicious pizza. After lunch we ended our day visiting Rosh Hanikrah, a far northern point situated right on the water. Rosh Hanikrah has amazing sites with beautiful clear blue waters.

As we approach our second Shabbat I want to wish everyone a peaceful and joyous weekend.

Thanks again and Shabbat Shalom,

Derek

P.S. Our blog is having some technical difficulties with bandwidth being in the north. Please check out our Facebook page HERE (https://www.facebook.com/tjjbus4) for photos.

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