Na'ale 9th Grade 2024

List of 6 items.

• June 5

  Tali and Kayla:

   

  Today we enjoyed an eventful day up north. We took a scenic route to a farm in the Golan Heights where we spent the first half of our day volunteering. We were able to understand the impacts that October 7th had on Israel’s agricultural industry while also being able to work hands on by picking, sorting, and eating delicious raspberries and blueberries. This was a significant day that will continue to resonate with us because we learned about how much of an impact, we can make by working together to help such an important cause. After a lot of hard but rewarding work, we took a short but windy bus ride back to Kinneret where some of us decided to cool off with a refreshing and invigorating swim in the Kinneret! After swimming and lunch, we headed back to the kibbutz where we learned how chocolate was made. We watched a short yet informational video on the process of creating chocolate. We then got to decorate and create our own chocolate. We all were able to express ourselves through creative designs and new flavors in our chocolates. Lastly, we enjoyed a very eventful pizur dinner in Tiberius a beautiful bayside city. Overall, we had an amazing second to last day and can’t wait to live the last day to the fullest! 

  See you all soon”

• June 4

  Morgan and Layla wrote a fantastic late-night update about connecting their academic, experiential learning and life skills. 

   

  "Good evening,

  Today we visited kfar kedem to learn about how the Jews lived during the mishnaic period. Our tour guide, Menachem taught us how the Jews dressed, interacted, and made their own resources. We fully experienced the era through cloaks and a tradition head coverings since they did not wear kippot back then. Later we learned how to spin fresh sheep wool, make cheese from goats milk, and ride donkeys. The donkey riding experience was truly one to remember because we got to do it with a partner and had complete control in directing it. Afterwards, we had a very delicious meal, some would say it was the best food we had all week. Since everyone was so hungry from the heat waves and the donkey riding, the pita combo tasted so delicious and the watermelon quenched our thirst immediately. We then got on the bus and almost everyone fell asleep right away.
  
  

  Later we visited ancient Roman ruins while also learning about Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, the man who compiled the Mishnah. While we were there, we experienced beautiful 360 views and were able to participate in machlokets (arguments) about Jewish law, similar to how we do in Rabbinics class with Rabbi Waldman. We realized how difficult it was to make decisions and it can be hard to come to agreements. This changed our perspective of arguments with classmates and friends because sometimes there may not be one correct answer and we must come to a compromise or resolution. 

  We headed to Deganyia Bet and saw our friend Yoav who was with us at GOA when he was displaced after October 7. It was so nice to see he is still doing great, and everyone was so happy to reconnect. We are so excited to spend the next three days here at the kibbutz and see what adventures await."

• June 2

  Eli and Dov wrote the update. 

   

  “On Sunday morning, we woke u, had a brief breakfast,and headed on the bus out to Ein Gedi. At Ein Gedi, we hiked up a mountain, stopping along the way to swim in some of the ponds and waterfalls. As a grade, we stopped to take photos, videos, and hangout, until we went to the final waterfall. After climbing up the to biggest waterfall, we took a grade photo along with our madrichim. We then headed down towards our bus, towards the Dead Sea.

   

  Before going swimming in the Dead Sea, we had a pizur lunch, which our madrichim gave us some money and allowed us to pick our options for lunch. We also had some time to go shopping in the Dead Sea Mall before heading into the water. When we got to the water, we were told to keep our water shoes on, so that our feet wouldn’t burn on the hot salt ground. The water of the Dead Sea was very warm, and the ground was made up of salt chunks that we could pick up and hold. Quickly upon getting into the water, we could notice new scars on our body that we didn’t notice before. Also, because the Dead Sea is made up of 30% salt, when we sat down, we wouldn’t sink, but float above the surface. After lying in the water for around 45 minutes, we were told that if we put on mud, our skill will become five years younger and also smooth. After leaving the mud on for about 20 minutes, we went into the water to wash off.

   

  We finished off our day with a 2 hour bus ride back to our hostel. We then had dinner and concluded our night in our Mishpachot groups, until we went to bed for our last night in the hostel. We are very exited for our next days up north in Deganya Bet!”

• May 31

  Avi and Jackson wrote today’s update: 

  “Good evening parents and guardians. We started day 3 with an early breakfast at 8:00 o’clock. From there, we packed our own lunches which consisted of sandwiches filled with hummus and Israeli salad. We then headed south to Beit Guvrin with the Dig for a Day program. We climbed down into a huge cave that was hand made over 2000 years ago by the Greeks and we dug looking for ancient pottery. As we were digging, Josh Gutwein and Rachel Hyman had a magnificent find of an almost complete pottery plate that was made over 2200 years ago. After finding many other small shards of pottery, we ended our program by crawling through very small and tight tunnels which lead to even bigger areas left by the Greeks, including a washroom. After our “near death” experience we headed back down the mountain and kindled a fire to cook our very own fresh pita with toppings like hummus and tahini. We then headed back to our hostel to get ready for Shabbat. Rest assured; the kids will get at least 1 hour of sleep tonight 😉Shabbat Shalom from your favorite kids”

• May 30, 2024

  Alma and Caleb wrote today’s update: 

  “On our second day in the Holy Land, we woke up bright and early, ate breakfast, and began to make our way to Yad Vashem. This was an incredibly meaningful experience for us all and caused us to reflect on the tragic horrors that the Jewish people experienced in the 20th Century. 

   

  The first exhibit stood out the most for us. This exhibit was a completely dark room with the exception of 5 candles that lit up the room. The walls were covered with many mirrors, reflecting the candles so many times that the specks of light reached 1 and a half million, representing the lost souls of children in the Holocaust. This was extremely memorable as we are the same age as some of those who were murdered, causing us to imagine being in their position and dying in the same way. We then finished the tour of the museum, hearing in detail about the tragedies that occurred during Hitler’s reign.

   

  After, we were given Pizzur money to buy our own lunch and eat what we pleased. Some ate sushi, some ate shawarma, some ate falafel, but all of us were full after the enjoyable freedom and tasty food.

   

  Following lunch we made our way to Mount Herzel, a mountain where government officials and soldiers are buried. We were brought to two specific graves of soldiers who sacrificed their life bravely following October 7th, and hearing their stories made us greatly value our lives and the soldiers who are protecting Israel. We also visited Herzel’s grave and a museum about him, where we participated in an interactive viewing experience about someone portraying Herzel. Hearing his story and his resolve to finding a solution to the wide antisemitism of his time was inspiring. Although we have realized much of his dream, we understand there is still much more work to do. 

   

  To brighten up the mood, we finished our day at Jersulsalem’s Machane Yehuda market, we shopped, laughed, walked, ate delicious foods, and much much more! It was an incredible experience to be truly immersed in Israeli culture and be part of the bustling lifestyle. 

   

  In the evening, we wound down with spending time with each other before heading to sleep! L’hitrayot!

• May 29, 2024

  Mia and Pauly:

   

  "As you all know we took an 11 hour flight yesterday in which some of us slept, laughed, talked and did so much more! It was a long flight for everyone but it was worth it once we landed in Israel. Next, we all went straight to change into our outfits for the kotel putting notes into the wall and davening respectively. It truly was a unique and spiritual experience for everyone! We thentreated ourselves to Aroma for coffee and pastries where we looked for lunch and enjoyed the delicious foods of the Old City. Lastly, we went on a scavenger hunt, learning about the city more and collaborating in a competition. We then ended off the day with a meal together where we were all exhausted and excited for the days to come. As well as we played a game as a grade in which we all held hands in different shapes and tried to untie together as a grade. Overall we truly did have so much on our first day here and so excited for the rest of the days! "