The most difficult part of any trip for me is the return. I know people care how it went and that’s why they ask, but I always do better sharing slowly, wanting to tell stories as I think of them rather than having to recall a bunch of episodes all at once or brush it away with an “it was great!” This trip was overwhelming in every sense of the word - every experience was intense and consuming. The funny things were hilarious, the sad things were devastating. Even for someone

As this whirlwind trip comes to an end, our 12 hour plane ride gives me ample time to reflect on the trip overall. After a relaxing free day at the beach and a goodbye party, we departed Haifa for the airport. On the bus ride we all sat together, singing and laughing and recapping our trip. Although a very different Haifa departure than my experience on this delegation two years ago, I still had the same gut feelings and appreciation for why we were there. Israel is a beautif

This morning we attended school with our friends from Alliance. Shortly after, we all went to the Alon School to visit fifth and sixth graders to discuss helping others. The most meaningful part of the day was when all of us went to the out to courtyard at Alon and danced around outside. This was meaningful because regardless of our grade or what country we were from we were all able to connect and have fun (click on video above to watch). In the afternoon we attended a local

Today was a very fun day traveling around Israel with both Americans and Israelis. We began the day with a jeep tour around the Mt. Meron area, and we continued on to the old city of Akko, where we took a tour and learned about the crusaders. The most meaningful part of the day for me came at the end, when we all went out for burgers, fries and milkshakes at a restaurant called Humongous. I loved this experience because it was a great meal and a great bonding experience for e

Today we had many different experiences. First off, we went to the Israeli water company and got a tour of the place. We learned what they do there and why Israel is so efficient with its water. We then went to breakfast at a park followed by a hike. At this hike we went to a beautiful waterfall. After this we went to a site at which there were Israeli bunkers that we explored. We proceeded to drive to the hot springs where we swam in some really warm water. We wrapped up our

Today was packed with fun activities! We got an early start at the Carmelite Italian Arab School and got a chance to talk with Arab teens and get a tour of the school. After, we went on an "Amazing Race" around Haifa to explore the city in a cool way! We toured the beautiful Baha'i Gardens--a holy place for the Baha'i religion--and walked down 700 steps while taking many, many pictures. After breaking for lunch, we ate around a campfire and got a glimpse of the "Scouts" progr

After a great trip in Tel Aviv we packed up our things in the hotel, got Aroma, and went onto the bus for a long expedition to Haifa. On the way to Haifa we made a stop at an Arab town to do a basket weaving workshop. It was very relaxing and we all got to take home something that we made. At the workshop, we learned that it was a work place where Arab women were allowed to have a job and earn money, which is sometimes hard to find. After a great meal, which the women coo

We started off our day with a fun breakfast; we ate some flavorful eggs. Then, we went to Jaffa. We walked around, admiring the scenic views. We stopped by an art gallery that specialized in making jewelry our of clay. We continued walking and we reached a shuk, so we did a little bit of shopping. Soon after, we went to a person’s house, a man named Ihab lives there. We sat down and drank tea as he told an incredible story about how he met his wife and how it played out. It w

We woke up in the morning at the hostel, bright and early. We were supposed to climb Masada and go to the Dead Sea, but unfortunately there was a huge storm and flooding. We tried to get to Masada but the roads were closed, so we were told to turn around. On the way to Tel Aviv, we stopped at the bullet factory (Ayalon Institute Museum). The bullet factory was disguised as a kibbutz and the actual factory was underground. It’s not used anymore but it was a big secret when it

Today was a roller coaster of emotions. We had a quick breakfast and headed to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. Rabbi Stern led our tour and told us about his personal experiences. It was amazing to learn from him and learn more about him. Rabbi made Yad Vashem a really meaningful experience. After, we went to a shopping area to get lunch. We chose from a variety of options for our meal. We finished lunch and then drove into the middle of the desert to meet some IDF soldie