We woke up early and participated in a fabulous archaeology project that was absolutely amazing. Sponsored by the City of David and private donors, we went to a temporary site (literally a tent) -- in which archaeologists and volunteers are working to "sift" through rubble from the Old City of Jerusalem that was unfortunately bulldozed in 1999. The rubble, taken mostly from the Temple Mount area has yielded amazing finds that date back from the Roman times until the present

On Thursday morning, our Puzzle Israel friends woke us up at 5am and met us at the bus with hot tea and sweets; just a little something to nosh on before our hike. We arrived at the base of Masada and then began our climb up the Roman Ramp to the top of this unbelievable fortress where we witnessed a clear and dramatic sunrise over the Dead Sea. We were met by a surprise actor who, in costume and with props, acted out some of the history of Masada in an entertaining and unfor

Following our delicious dinner and overnight with the Bedouins in Mitzpe Ramon, we awoke on Wednesday, packed up and then headed for more desert adventures. Wednesday was a dry and cloudless sky and after a short bus ride, we arrived at Sde Boker -- a magnificent city and kibbutz in the desert that was home to David Ben Gurion. As you most likely know, David Ben Gurion was Israel's first Prime Minister and served as such for last 20 years of his life. Because Israel is 2/3

We are having a fantastic time! Everyone is wonderful and we have seen and experienced so much. We just arrived in Jerusalem as the sun was setting. I'm looking out at the Old City walls listening to the Muslim calls to worship, church bells ringing and Purim songs. Jerusalem is an intensely interesting, beautiful and complex city. More later.... I must confess: there was some relief in being "disconnected" for a couple of days! Rabbi Lisa Eiduson

Dear Friends, Sorry for the delay….but we are literally in the middle of the Negev Desert…with no internet access! I found the only Cafe Aroma in the area (like Starbucks!!)…that has WiFi…and rather than drinking coffee, I decided to write and let you know that we are all doing great! There was a sad goodbye yesterday afternoon in Haifa. Tears and hugs all around. We feel good about what we accomplished in Haifa, and there were many promises made between the students for r

The students accompanied their hosts to the Alliance School in the morning where they were invited to sit in on classes and get to know a little bit more about the school and their educational program. Even though they were only at the Alliance School for a couple of hours, our Temple Beth Avodah students enjoyed the experience and were warmly welcomed by everyone -- teachers and students and administrators. Following that, we left by bus for a beautiful village called Ein

Today was a truly magnificent day for travel in the Haifa area and to the north. We began at the Alon School, our elementary school-match in Haifa. While the school-match between Grade 10 Midrasha and the Alliance School is new, our 8-year partnership with the Alon School makes us "old friends." It was a warm reunion...we were welcomed by the Principal of the Alon School, Ilana Vagman, and then enjoyed a clever art project and "presentations" from our friends in Grades 5 an

It is now Saturday evening and Shabbat has ended. Our teens spent the day with their host families doing what most Israelis do on Shabbat: sleep late, eat good food, spend time with family and friends, and travel to new sites. For such a small country, it is quite extraordinary that there is always a new place to travel to and explore. Rabbi Stern, Rabbi Joe Eiduson, Rosie and I had our own private "tiyyul" (field trip) with our Puzzle Israel friends, Nir and Guy. (Nir

Good afternoon from Haifa where it is breezy and sunny! We are overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and had a short tour this morning which was wonderful and had the opportunity to learn about the origins of Haifa and talked with our guide about how Haifa is really the model for a co-existent city. Haifa is home to many people -- included among them: Jews, Christians, Moslems and Bahai. The gold dome of the Bahai Temple here in Haifa is a landmark that can be seen throughout t