Reflections on Israel, My Home

Arielle Grossmann

4/12/11

Narrative essay

Ms. Novick

Israel: My Out-Of-The-Country-Home

           

Night is always dark, but it is not always cold, not always scary, and sometimes it's the best happiest time. That's how that night was for me, a blessing, and a home. My grade was with the Ironei Gimmel kids at Kibbutz Nachsholim. It was late Friday night and we all were roaming around, talking, chilling, hanging, bonding, causing drama—you name it. I had been hanging out with Michelle, Michal, Balah, and Nofar, three Israeli girls, as well as talking to Lior, one of the funniest guys ever, when I realized I didn't have shoes on and my feet were killing me.  So I started to head back to my room to get flip-flops on, but my horrible sense of direction kicked in and I got lost.

            As I was finding my way back past the similar buildings I was questioning why I didn't feel scared or weird or nervous about getting lost in a strange place at night. I stopped short because I was struck with a huge realization. I had an epiphany: the reason I didn't feel scared or weird or nervous about getting lost was because I felt like I was home. It wasn't only the feeling of security I had that made it feel so homey, it was the sense that I wasn't a stranger here. I was one of the people one might pass on the streets and think they looked familiar (a sense I got a lot in Israel). Literally, home means a place where one lives permanently, but to me home means a place where I am comfortable to open up and be myself. Israel was that place for me-- with the place and the people, I was home. That realization had to be one—not the only—but one of the highlights of my trip.   

            Looking back at it, I felt the kind of happiness that can bring you to tears; although, I never cried. The realization was so important to me because it put words to a feeling that had been sticking with me the whole trip. I realized how special my identity was. Not many can say that they have a whole country because of their identity. I am part of a group whose identities imagined, shaped, built, and maintained Israel, and that is why Israel is my home.      

--
Lori Novick
Chair, Language Arts Department
South Area Solomon Schechter Day School
781-769-5555
LNovick@sassds.org
http://teachersites.schoolworld.com/webpages/LNovick/

my Israel reflection

Reflections on Israeli Life

Eve Stein

4/12/11           

Reflective Essay

Ms. Novick

                                                            Living the Israeli Life

            Watching the waves roll and caress giant boulders on the tip of a hill and listening to the slush and stir of water on a beautiful day in Haifa, Israel was an amazing experience. As was staying with Inbal Shemesh, an incredible ninth grader and Arielle Grossman, one of my great classmates. Those few moments and days we spent with ninth graders of Ironi Gimel taught me how different their lifestyle is, and how appreciative I am of getting to experience some of it.

Arielle and I arrived at Inbal Shemesh's house and at first it was a little awkward but then we eased into each other's company and became close immediately. She introduced us to her younger sister and explained how her older sister was in China. After her mother came home from work and everyone was acquainted, we sat down to a large feast of eggs, bread, cottage cheese, assorted vegetables, salad, m&ms, omelets, and much more. Her father offered to take us on a tour of Haifa, where they live, and so we drove around the city at night and saw the Bahia Temples with the gorgeous glowing lights. The sounds of the city at night were calming, and Inbal's dad also bought us delicious ice cream from a small shop. We were exhausted from our long day so we happily went home and set up the beds to go to sleep. In the morning, her mother made us lunch and prepared a lovely breakfast of pastries and sweet cereals. The aroma from the cakes and coffee was incredible and I could taste the rugalach, chocolate pastries, before I even took the first bite.

            Inbal's mother drove us to school and dropped us off at the awaiting bus where we drove to the gorgeous Rosh Hanikra. Rosh Hanikra is a place where the Mediterranean Sea meets the rocks on the tip of Israel and the waves created tunnels where you can take a tour and view the water from a great height. Also hearing the waves pound and rush onto the massive boulders was unimaginable. The bubbling blue water blew us all away and I was awestruck at how marvelous nature can be.  Sadly, we had to leave because there were sights to be seen and tourist attractions to be toured. Inbal was such a lovely person and getting to know her and Arielle better was a privilege. I would not change one thing about my visit. 

            The stay with the Inbal showed me how to enjoy life in different ways. Her family taught me about so many things and helped me improve my Hebrew about a hundred percent. She taught me about their different lifestyle and culture. Inbal helped me appreciate nature and appreciate simplicity. There is nothing I would change about my visit or the time I spent with the Ironi Gimel School. Looking back, I'm amazed at how fast the two classes clicked creating a tight bond between children. It was not awkward or even hard to make friends with the other school; it was as easy as one, two, three. When I observe myself I am more critical about choices I make and I often compare activities I do with the activities the Israelis. I also find myself thinking and speaking Hebrew by accident. Before, when I thought about nature I pictured trees and bugs, but seeing Rosh Hanikra opened my eyes to a whole other world of beauty and life.

           

Reflections on Shabbat

Rebecca Silberfarb

Ms. Novick

Israel reflection Essay

 

Free is What I Felt

Yoko Ono once said, "Every drop in the ocean counts." A Shabbat evening, our last full day in Israel. I get on my beach clothes and head down to the beach. I hear the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks and shore. I see the blue of the sea, so blue and mystical looking. I walk down to the rocks and spend an evening with my friend and my teacher down where the water meets the rocks. Since it was Shabbat, we were not allowed to use our cameras, so every detail of the ocean and every moment of that day will stay in my memory. This moment by the rocks gave me time not to worry about anything else. This moment made me realize how beautiful the ocean is, and how much fun I can have with water and shells.

We sat by the rigid rocks and watched the sun shine down on the water. We walked out into the water where there are small holes in the rocks. In the little holes are shells, all types of shells.  Some shells have even little animals living in them. I dip my hand in a hole, and a rush of cold rushes through my hand because of the cold water. As I reach down, I feel for a shell and grab one and bring it up. The shine from the water that is left on it shimmers in the sun. I have a big bag filled with all the shells I have found so far. Every shell is different. Each shell is unique.  I hear the sound of the shells banging together as I prance along on the rocks. I stop at a big dip in a rock. In the dip, I find all these shells. My friend and I sit in the dip of shells picking up one by one to see if there is one we want to keep. For the rest of the evening we sit in the shells, lay on the beach, prance on the rocks, and I let the wind swoosh threw my hair.

This evening has taught me so much about myself. It has taught me you don't need a camera to remember what you did. Sometimes it's the memory in your mind that counts. This made think and feel all different emotions. I felt free. I felt like I didn't have to worry about anything. I felt like I did not need to worry about people yelling or telling me what to do. I enjoyed not hearing cars on the street. I felt free. This moment was important to reconnect to myself; it gave me the opportunity for peace and quiet. This moment affected me because I have never felt so free and happy.

Sitting on the beach was one of my favorite moments I had in Israel. I have never felt so free. I felt like even though I was with people, in this moment of freedom I still felt like I was by myself. I will never forget this moment on the rocks. I will never forget the shells I found. I will never forget the waves crashing against the rocks. I will remember every moment. I will remember every detail. The waves, the shells, and me on the rocks.

 

Reflections on The Kotel

Eytan Deener-Agus

4/13/11

Narrative Essay

Ms Novick

The Kotel

I never knew that you could get sunburned from the Kiddusha. That happened when I went to the Kotel with Andy and Shai-B on Shabbat morning. We found a minyan that was still at the beginning and we davened there. My experience taught me that every Jewish person davens in a different way; there is no one way to be Jewish.

            Andy, Shai-B and I all went to the Kotel for Shabbat morning services while the rest of the class went to a conservative shul. We walked through the Arab shuk to get there and by the time we got there there was only one minyan that was relatively close to the beginning. We joined in and after a little while we realized that this minyan was going very slow so we moved closer to the Kotel and tried davening alone, but it got old and we moved back to our first minyan. Finally, we got the Torah Service and Andy went to look for a Torah to use. Once he found one, he had to hold it for most of the service. I got the sixth aliah, which was meaningful because it was my first time leading anything at the Kotel.

            Once we got to the Musaf Amidah, the sun was very high in the sky and there was almost no shade. Shai-B and I did the Amidah as fast as we could so we could run into the shade and wait for everyone else to finish, but by the time I finished my arm was sunburned.

            After a long time, our minyan finished and we were the last minyan to be davening by 45 minutes. We walked back through the Arab shuk but got lost this time and ended up at the other side of the Old City. By the time we got back to the hotel, everybody had eaten lunch and was hanging out. In the end, it was all worth it.

            Davening at the Kotel was a very meaningful experience for me because it was my first time going to the Kotel on a Shabbat morning. What happened to me was not how I imagined it would be like. I imagined everybody being very into the prayers and trying to get as close to the Wall as possible. But, what I experienced was some people were more active in their prayers than others; there was a variety. Not everybody memorized the whole Siddur-- especially our Gabbai who even needed some help at times. I also saw that for some people being close to the Wall was not as important; it was just praying in a service on Shabbat. For me, it was my first time going to the Kotel on Shabbat morning so I felt very connected, but the truth is, I feel even more comfortable at my own Newton Centre Minyan. This proves that to be connected to your prayers does not mean that you have to be physically in the holiest place but in the right mindset which can take place anywhere: even in your minyan in Newton.

            By going to the Kotel on Shabbat morning, I learned that there is not one way to pray but many individual ways to connect to God. By going to Israel, you will learn that being Jewish is a big part in people's identities. There are some people who will pray all the time and the only time they are not praying is when they are studying Torah, and then there are other people who will not do anything to show that they are Jewish but will still feel connected to other Jews in the world. But in the end, Israel is the homeland for every Jewish person and we must fight through all the hardships that we face to keep it that way.

--

we are home

When we debriefed on our last night of Israel, one student said that from the moment she got off the plane in Israel, her first time there, she felt like she was home.  And yet, bringing the kids back to you last night was very moving.  I could see on your faces that you knew you were picking up a different person than left 12 days ago.  We were privileged to share Israel with your children.  Thank you.

Wishing you a wonderful and sweet Pesach!

our last night

We just gathered to talk about our trip and the kids shared how this experience is like none other they have ever had and many feel that they are different people that the ones who left the school on our way to Israel.  The kids have created new bonds with each other and with their Israeli friends and many are sad to leave Israel.  We have been so proud of them as they have worked through living together in such an intense way and have hiked, learned, prayed, laughed, seen, experienced, questioned, and breathed in Eretz Yisrael.    We just had a Shabbat that was so peaceful in the beautiful Kibbutz Nachsholim.  From the moment we welcomed Shabbat, we became the teachers of our Ironi Gimmel friends who wholeheartedly entered the Shabbat journey.  We ended Shabbat with the Mediterranean behind us as we created our own circle for Havdalah.  Then came the good-bye to our Ironi Gimmel...or l'hitraot, until we see them in June in Boston.  

Right now, as I am writing this, our kids are packing.  We will wake up early and get on a bus at 5:30 am.  It is our hope that the kids will be tired enough to sleep on the plane... (well, we can still hope...)   

I want to take this opportunity to thank the chaperones, Michael Agus, Andy Pankin, Rabbi David, Nancy Anderson, and Dr. Resnick.  This trip takes a lot of work to coordinate and implement and it was very smooth because we were all in it together.  Dr. Resnick and Nancy do a tremendous amount of work in advance and each year it becomes better and better.  

And thank you parents for sending your kids to Israel.  As I told them, we hope they will come back many, many times.  

See you tomorrow night!

Shavua Tov. 

I left off an important part of our day

I forgot to tell you about an incredibly special moment.  All of our students at SASSDS had collected money for the Chai-Bar to rebuild after the money.  Dr. Resnick presented our guide with the check along with lots of tzedakah money from our kids.  He was so touched and said it would go towards water cannons to protect the area from future fires.  WOW-  what a mitzvah.  He said that we always have a home at the Chai-Bar.  The kids felt so good...

OK  Now, really,  Shabbat Shalom.

Re: Erev Shabbat (Called Shishi Shabbat here)

On Fri, Apr 8, 2011 at 8:20 AM, Jane Cohen <jcohen@sassds.org> wrote:

It is really Friday afternoon but I will not be able to write to you later because of Shabbat.  We have arrived at our last stop, Kibbutz Nachsholim, where we will stay until we go to the airport on Sunday morning.    We had a glorious day.   First the kids said good-bye to their host families (except for the students who are a part of the project) and we all gathered for our first destination of the day, the Chai-Bar.   The Chai-Bar is a nature reserve on the Carmel where the fires took place in December.  So we were able to take in the beauty of the Chai-Bar where animals from the Tanach that were near extinction have been bred and raised and let out into nature all over Israel.   We also were able to see the devastation of the fire.  So many noticed that, because of the rains, amongst the charred trees, there is already green coming up and flowers blooming.  You can see a picture of that on the website.   We stopped at the memorial for the passengers on the bus that died in the fire.  They were on their way to get the prisoners out from the prison because of the fire.  They were told to turn back and when they thought they would not make it, got out of their bus and tried to run.  They were found in a group hug.  The memorial is simple and is amongst the burned forest.    We went from there to a Druze Village where we wandered for a little while.  After that, we went to Zichron Yaakov and walked in the botanical gardens.   Perhaps the most noteworthy part of today is the friendships that are developing between the Ironi Gimmel kids and our kids. They truly seem to like each other and enjoy each other's company.  If history teaches us, there will be plenty of tears when we say good-bye to them tomorrow night, even though they will be in Boston in June. 

So, the afternoon is beautiful, the sun is shining, the kids have some free time before we get ready for Shabbat, and then we will enjoy a peaceful Shabbat by the Mediterranean Sea.   Before too long, we will be returning the kids to you....  However, the memories of this trip will still be a part of them. 

Shabbat Shalom. 

It is Thursday night..

This has been one of those days with highs and lows but throughout it all, the kids have been great.  This morning, the kids could not stop talking about their Israeli hosts- the food they fed them, the warmth, the fun that they had together.  They were all carrying huge sacks of food that the families packed for them for the day.  We went together with the Israeli kids to Rosh Hanikra which was just beautiful.  Our trip to Acco was not as interesting as it could have been but the kids liked seeing the fishing boats, the light house, and a few other sights.  Afterwards, they went to Technion to hear some speakers on food engineering.  It was after that that we heard of the missile attack in the Negev.  We told the kids, in case they heard from someone else, and that the attack was no where near where we are.  The kids then returned to their Israeli friends and went off to the mall, to tour Haifa, and to get ice cream.  I just spoke to Michael Agus at the mall and he said that the kids are truly becoming friends -  that the partnership between the two schools is really working.  What happens when you spend this much time with a group of kids is that you care even more deeply than before.  When Michael told me that, I felt so proud of them.  Wow!   

Tomorrow, we go to donate money to the nature reserve that had the fires this year.  We will make a few more stops before going to Kibbutz Nachsholim for our last Shabbat.  We will be home before you know it..  (Oh, I guess there is that VERY long plane ride and bus ride in between)

Night...Day 7 just a short update

The kids are with their Israeli hosts, calling in to their chaperones regularly.  The meeting was very sweet, a bit quiet at first but soon they were dancing together up on the stage of the hall.  There were some who were reluctant to go but their hosts were so welcoming and made them feel comfortable.  You would have been so proud of our kids as they worked hard on connecting!  

We had a lot of fun before Haifa, including visiting the home of Avner, our tour guide.  The kids got to see a regular Israeli home and Avner's wife baked cakes for them. 

Tomorrow is another busy day spent together with Ironi Gimmel.  We look forward to an exciting Day 8.  

btw:  thanks for so many great notes back...  We are so glad you are enjoying the notes and the videos!!

Still morning of Day 7

Wow... No one in Israel can believe that we had rain all night and woke up to more rain.  If you check out the video, when it comes, you will see the kids jumping up and down for Shacharit just to keep warm.  But, look again because in the background is a beautiful view of the Hula Valley from our place going up a mountain in the Golan.  So, we switched plans a bit and instead of a hike through water, the kids are hiking on the Dan River in a beautiful Nature Reserve.  This morning we visited the bunkers in the north and the kids learned a lot about the Yom Kippur War.  When we got back on the bus, Rabbi David, Dr. Resnick, Dr. Agus, and our tour guide all told more about the Yom Kippur War.  The kids were listening intently.  They are both excited and nervous about meeting the Ironi Gimmel kids tonight.  It always starts off with a bit of awkwardness until the kids have shared experiences to talk through and about.  that will all happen.  It feels like we are already winding down.  We will say good-bye to our tour guide and guard tonight as we will travel with Ironi Gimmel tomorrow and Friday with their tour guide and guard.  I think the kids will be sad to say good-bye...or maybe it is L'hitraot.

Day 6

We ended last night with a really fun group game.  We were all laughing and having fun together.   The kids went to sleep relatively early which was really needed after the early morning hike up Masada.

Day 6 is going great!   We left the Negev and started our journey to Tel Aviv!  We were lucky enough to go to Nacalat Binyamin, one of the first neighborhoods in Tel Aviv.  There was a craft fair there.  Then we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Dr. Shakshuka... It was really fun!  We went to the Palmach Museum afterwards.  If you are planning a trip to Israel, this museum of the story of the early days of the Israeli army is excellent for kids.  We also saw Anat, who used to teach at our school, there!  We ended our time in Tel Aviv with a visit to the place where Yitzhak Rabin was shot.    The kids got a taste for Tel Aviv.

Now we are on the bus driving to the north.  The kids are happy, having fun, and learning...oh, and a bit tired, also!

We are really getting to see so much of the country!

Last day in the Negev- Our fifth day in Israel!

We are back at our hotel after a fun day.   Almost all the kids climbed Masada this morning at 5:30 am.  There was no beautiful sunrise because of the weather but it was a spirited climb and Rabbi David led them in a beautiful Shacharit Service.  By the end of their time on Masada, Michael Agus had also joined the group and he, Andy, and a group of the kids chose to hike back down again.   After breakfast, we were on our way to Ein Gedi but we found out it was closed because of rain and went to a different fresh water spring/hike.  We walked through the stream and had a lot of fun (except for those who did not want to get their shoes wet...).  And then, to the Dead Sea.  The kids were floating away, even though it was raining outside.  They swam, did the mud, rinsed and had a delicious lunch.  Our kids experienced something amazing-  because rain is so rare in the Negev and we were here for rain, we saw waterfalls off the sides of mountains.  It was so unusual that people were pulling their cars to the side of the road to see.  We also saw a double rainbow across the Dead Sea in Jordan.  (We did not go to Jordan, don't worry)  The Ahava Factory was our last stop of the day.  And now, we are having a little free time before dinner.  After dinner we will sing together, play some games, and pack.  We leave for Tel Aviv in the morning.

You can see all of this in pictures and video on the school website  www.sassds.org.  There is also a blog and we would love to hear from you!

Jerusalem

The Sound and Light Show was very beautiful ...for those who stayed awake.  It was at Migdal David, with amazing pictures illuminating on the ancient stones.   Will took great video which should soon be on its way.  Will is our official videographer until Rabbi David gets here.   Off to Yad Vashem, Har Hertzl, and Machaneh Yehudah today.  We hear you have snow...Our kids are worried about the heat today!   It will be an exciting Shabbat as 8 of our alumni in Israel will have Shabbat dinner with us after we have Kabblat Shabbat at Shira Chadashah.

BTW:  Most kids had a great night's sleep last night!

I will try to write before Shabbat.

and from later on....

Will's video is on its way!  We had an extraordinary day -  Yad Vashem was the kind of experience educators dream of as the guide said he had never had a group that knew so much.  Afterwards we went to Har Herzl where we heard the story of Michael Levin.  And, the kids had a ball at Machane Yehudah.  We are getting ready for Shabbat... We are so happy to be celebrating Shabbat with your children.