Biking in the North

The group had a great time biking up North. Here is a group shot before the ride, and a picture of Hirsh doing his famous stretching exercises - Tai Chinn!

Still More Updates...

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.

More Updates from the Holy Land!

While in Tel Aviv, the group was busy trying to cross the street, navigating around a major puddle, while getting soaked! It seems that the group got slammed with a day or two of blustery winds and rain!

Tuesday was a great day of study at Pardes Institute, which was described as fantastic, on many levels. Tuesday night brought an evening of hysterical Karaoke. It was a late night with lots of fun and laughter!

On Wednesday, the group heard a speaker on the history of Zionism. After lunch, they were treated to some relaxation time in Tel Aviv at the Ramat-Aviv mall. There was also an International Photojournalism exhibit nearby, and about 20 of the Fellows were treated to the exhibit. Tonight they are headed back to the hotel for dinner, and then it's off to the Yehuda Poliker concert!