The group was getting ready to head out for dinner and their New Year's celebration. Unfortunately, the bad weather has continued, and the plans for an evening cruise on the Kinneret had to be canceled. The boat owners also happen to own a restaurant at the dock, so arrangements were made for the group to have a nice dinner and party there. Hirsh did not seem to think the group minded too much, as everyone is pretty tired anyway.
To backtrack a little since my last update - the Yehuda Poliker concert was great! Friday brought a great lecture about Kabbalah that everyone enjoyed very much. They also had a tour of an older Sefardic synagogue. Those who had been there before were able to go look at some other sites, while those who wanted to, stayed on for a more detailed discussion about the synagogue. Friday evening was a fun-filled time with lots of singing. Hirsh described to scene as wonderful, and said that they livened up the dining room! The Oneg program included two Fellow-led learning sessio ns, followed by some enjoyable discussions.
Shabbat was a relaxing time with various synagogue options, and just some general free time. The afternoon had a learning session with Hirsh, and the evening was another lecture on Kabbalah. This lecture was by a local artist who spoke about Kabbalah and his work. I am told that a number of Fellows purchased some of his work!
Sunday started out up North at Misgav Am, where the discussion topic was safety on the Northern border. Afterwards the group went to Kiryat Shemona, where the group divided into two groups: one group spent their time cleaning out burned out bomb shelters (wearing masks for protection!) while the other scraped and painted bomb shelters. These experiences brought to life what we all have only read about.
So, aside from a few sniffles, and some rainy, cold weather, everyone is tired, but happy. The next week still holds some amazing adventures for our weary group.