Today we had lots of fun exploring the city of Tzfat. We arrived in the morning, at the holy city of Tzfat and then to one of the major memorial sites where Israeli soldiers fought in the war of independace in 1948. We learned that although we cannot ignore the terrorist activities happening, it is important for us Jews to continue bringing to this world kind deeds that will be the little light to counteract the dark acts of violence. In that spirit, we lit candles like the Ari’zal, one of the greatest rabbi’s who is buried in Tzfat used to.
After that we walked through the marketplace and visited a very old synagogue still in use today. We had the opportunity to shop in the Artist district and browse through the beautiful paintings and artwork.
Once we reunited with the group we visited a glass blower in her studio. We got to see how glass sculptures are made. The artist then explained her spiritual connection to Judaism. Afterwards, we visited the holy cemetery of Tzfat which is over 1000 years old. The Ari’zal was burried there, along with many other great sages of his time. Finally we got to see how Torah Scrolls are handwritten. We saw a Sofer (a torah scribe) and practiced writing in biblical hebrew.
The first Shabbat in Israel was incredible! We spent it in Shlomi, in the northern part of Israel. We had time to catch up on some much needed sleep and had beautiful Shabbat meals. We had beautiful Shabbat prayers Friday night, Shabbat morning and Shabbat afternoon. In the afternoon, we listened to sessions prepared by the advisors and played improv games, sports and board games. After Shabbat we played family feud with another TJJ bus and had pizza. Looking forward to another incredible week on TJJ!
What. A. Day.
Today’s activities were the perfect way to start off our trip!
We began with early morning prayers at 7:40 AM, followed by an amazing Israeli breakfast. Then we hopped on to the bus to start our activity-packed day in northern Israel. For our morning programming, we went on a beautiful two hour hike. Then, after being in the hot sun, we sat down in the shade, and had some delicious pizza, water, lemonade, and watermelon. After lunch, we took a short bus ride to visit some spectacular grottos near the sea.
We got back to our hostel at around 3:30 PM to rest, shower, and prepare for our first shabbat of the trip. We are all excited to spend tonight with our TJJ family! I am personally looking forward to the days yet to come :).
July 12-July 13
Between 6:30 and 8:00 in the morning, an alarm clock went off in every bedroom of TJJ Bus 11 Montreal participants. An airplane was caught from Montreal to Toronto at noon, and finally the 19 participants from YUL met up in YYZ with the rest of bus 11, as well as the bus 9 participants, from both Vancouver and Toronto, and those from bus 10 which is comprised of exclusively participants from the provincial capital of Ontario.
A rigorous security check executed by Israeli officers made us feel safe as we boarded the plane for our 11-hour flight. This intercontinental journey was brutally long, the food was typical plastic airplane food, and it was difficult to fall asleep on the plane; nonetheless, it was absolutely worth it when we finally landed in the holy land. Even before we stepped out of the terminal, the first element we noticed about Israel was its extreme heat. It is HOT over here!
In the airport, we were served a small lunch which included bagels, fruits, and muffins. We finally boarded our bus and got acquainted with our advisors, tour guide, security guard and bus driver. And of course, Rabbi Zahtz. In fact, on the bus ride up to Rosh Hanikra, we partook in a spontaneous and very stimulating conversation about integrating yesterday’s Jewish laws and values into today’s modernized and ever-evolving society. We took a brief stop at Zikhron Yaakov during which we played icebreaker games and learned a very small fraction of Israel’s history in its northern sections.
We finally got back to the hotel where we ate a very capacious and generous dinner. With full stomachs, we proceeded to our rooms and finally got some time to relax until we had to meet back in the synagogue for orientation.
Overall, this trip has so far provided a lot of excitement and much opportunity for intellectual growth. I cannot express my gratitude towards the NCSY staff and my family for equipping me with the opportunity to go on this trip, nor can I wait to see how much more it has to offer. I am curious to know how much I will grow and learn, and I am definitely super eager to find out!