Golan Heights Tiyul

This past week we went to the Golan Heights for a Tiyul and learned about how the Golan Heights factored into the six day war. During the six day war, the Syrians tried to overtake the Golan Heights in the most concentrated tank battle of all time. This battle is one that the Israeli's miraculously one, by shooting their last 40 capsules, hitting 40 tanks, and scaring the entire rest of the tanks away when the Israeli tanks had no more ammunition to fight. This story is one of true heroism and shows how even against all odds the Jewish people somehow find a way to prevail. The Golan Heights is a very beautiful place, and a place of strategic importance for the Israeli's as it overlooks Syria and gives the Israeli's higher ground on the Syrians if they ever try to cross through to Golan Heights and fight the Israeli's. I really liked this Tiyul because we got to see the tanks that were still there from the battle and we were able to see an opposing country right in front of us. It made me feel satisfaction that the people of my home land fought so fearlessly and so valiantly to be able to stop the Syrians from taking over the Golan Heights and taking over the country that we love so dearly.

Purim in Tel Aviv Tiyul

Yesterday we went to Tel Aviv for a Purim celebration. This was very fun. The whole city was in costumes and celebrating the holiday of Purim. In Israel, Purim is not only the celebration of defeating Haman, as Mordechai and Esther prevailed in stopping Haman from murdering all of the Jewish people, but it is a celebration of how the Jewish people have overcome the threat of extinction time and time again over the years, and the celebration of the fact that Israel and the Jewish people. While in Tel Aviv, there were many interesting things to see. For one, There were people parading around the whole city in costumes for 3 days. We were only in Tel Aviv for one day, but the fact that for an entire weekend they were celebrating, shows the significance of this holiday to the Jewish people, and the fact that it has much more relevance to the Israeli people than Halloween does to the American people. This holiday was one that I had always considered to be for kids, but yesterday I realized how much more this holiday truly was, and was able to see how much each and every Israeli appreciated it. If i ever consider to move to Israel someday, I know I would go all out for Purim.

Bedouin Tents Tiyul

A couple of weeks ago we went to a Bedouin village to learn about the Bedouin people and about the way that they live their life different from ours. This experience was one that was very interesting and one that was surprising to say the least. Going into this experience, I was convinced that these people lived so much different than we do, and that it would be very hard to be a Bedouin, but I was mistaken. While visiting the Bedouin village, to much of my dismay, the people were very normal. There were many differences that distinguished differences between our cultures, but they were not off the wall as I had expected. A elder Bedouin man came to our tent and gave to us a speech on his life. He explained that he like us had a car, and his kids went to school and did everything a normal kid would do, but he lived his life following the Bedouin way which meant that he built his own house with sheep skin as the surrounding, and was a farmer as his job raising cattle and sheep which are worth a lot of money. These people made lots of money but did not spend it the way that most people would, and that was something that made me stop and think for a second. It made me realize how our society is so based on wants, and that by living as the Bedouin's do, which is for the most part comfortably, we could stop ourselves from wasting as much as we do. This experience was something that was really neat, and living as a Bedouin for the night was very fun.

Yad Vashem Tiyul

Today we went to Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum in Jerusalem. This was an experience that can not be put into words, and something that will impact the choices I make for the rest of my life. As we walked through the Museum and looked at all of the terrible things that happened to the Jews of western Europe during the World War 2 Era, I found myself having to hold my breath due to the inhuman nature of the things that the guide told us about. The hardest part of the museum to walk through was definitely walking through the children's memorial and hearing the ages of all the kids who perished in the holocaust. It was hard to hear the ages of kids that ranged from a babies age, to the age of my little siblings, to the age of my brother in high school, and finally my age. This experience is another experience that helps me be fortunate for all that I have in life, and most importantly the fact that I am able to live a full Jewish life.

Trip to Jerusalem for Shabbat

This past weekend we went to Jerusalem for Shabbat, to experience a Shabbat in the holiest city to the Jewish people. We went to the kotel, Western Wall, and it was amazing. There were people dancing all around and having an amazing time. It was the first time where I had seen people celebrating religion with true and utter happiness, since the Bar Mitzvah ages, and it was so cool. People dancing and singing, and people praying their souls out on the holiest night of the week, in the holiest city of the world. This was an eye opening experience, and one that made me feel even more connected to my religion then I had felt since I got here. We went to the kotel with one of our teachers, Danny, and to see how important it was to him to be there, and to experience Shabbat in Jerusalem was amazing as well. He loved it so much, and was getting really into the dancing and singing. It was cool to see a grown man with kids having fun with a bunch of teenagers. This experience for me was one that I think that every Jewish person should have and I hope that they get the chance to.

Mubarak loses power... Israel uncertain of Camp David Accords

Today in class our teacher read the title of the Jerusalem Post front page, which talked about how a potential candidate for President of Egypt was saying that the Camp David Accords would not still be in place if he reached power. The Camp David Accords is a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that states both countries will not declare war against the other. If this treaty does fall, this could be a serious issue for the Israeli people, as the relations with Egypt would be uncertain and the country may not be safe from an Egyptian attack. This issue is one that is still unsolved and has the people of Israel in a state of panic wondering whether or not the next Egyptian president will abide by the standing treaty. Being a American citizen in a foreign country, I am a little bit scared to say the least. What if Egypt tries to attack Israel while I am still here visiting? Is it safe to stay in Israel? Of course all of our teachers and counselors are telling us that everything will be alright to make sure we don't worry about what's going on in Egypt, but how can we be sure when the people of Egypt don't even know what is going on. I hope that the next president of Egypt is one that has good relations with Israel and that the people of this great country can stop worrying about potential situations.

First Tiyul for AMHSI(Alexander Muss High School in Israel)

This week we went to Jerusalem for our tiyul. We visited Mount Gilboa, the Western Wall, and Ben Yehuda street among many other places. This trip was a very interesting experience. I consider myself somebody who is not very involved in religion, and for me, this tiyul made me seriously consider what, if any, parts of religion were important to me. One significant part of the trip for me was the trip to the Western Wall. When we got there, I was able to truly see what religion can be to people. For some it was so holy that they would spend hours upon hours at the wall, praying and crying their eyes out. For others, it was less significant, and these people would spend little time at the wall, doing what they thought was sufficient to their beliefs. When I arrived, I was not sure how I would feel about the wall and how I approach the situation on my hands. Would I pray and make this experience one that would enrich my religious beliefs, or would I do the norm and write a note, stick it in the wall, say a couple words and leave. When the situation came to be, I was shocked with the decision I had made. I decided that this was a important religious moment for me, and that I should take advantage of it as much as I can. Because of this, I had a Rabbi wrap me in T'fillin, and I said some important prayers. Then, I thought deeply to myself how truly lucky I was to be there, and how important it was that I was there. This moment was a defining moment in my life. Some of my ancestors before me did not have the opportunity to share this luxury, and to be able to be at the Western Wall became special for me. It became something that was more than religion to me, and something that would enrich my spirit. I felt closer to God from this experience, and because of that my religion has enriched as well. I came on this trip to figure out what religion truly meant to me, and today I felt closer to religion. I felt as if religion was a bigger part of my life than it was yesterday, and that is important to me. I have only been on this trip for a week now, and I am starting to feel closer and closer to my religion than ever before. This trip is a blessing, and I am so thankful to be here. God is becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life, and AMHSI is helping that happen.