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.