One Week: Second Edition

The Kotel: December 6, 2011

Tel Gezer: December 7, 2011 

Tel Aviv: December 10, 2011

Masada: December 13, 2011

Jerusalem: December 16, 2011

The Negev: December 31, 2011

Yad Vashem: January 4, 2012

Sde Boker: January 10, 2012

Last Shabbat: January 20, 2012

    The first edition of my post titled "One Week" discussed having one week left in Israel. Now, exactly two weeks later, I post again but to discuss having been back in Atlanta for one week now. While my last week in Israel flew by before I could take a breathe, this past week drooped by much slower. With three days of school down, I have already engaged in countless videochats with friends across the country and reflected each day about my experience, which is not necessarily behind me. I am not quite sure whether or not this shall be my last post but for now, I will wrap up my blog of my journey with three short, yet never-ending, words:

עם ישראל חי

SNOWLYLAND!

Who knew it snowed in Israel?

One Week

    By December 6th, which was exactly one week into the program, we had already had our first overnight Tiyul, began Core Class and Sequentials, and established close friendships. Now, we have only that same amount of time left. Today is our last day of Finals for everything we have learned in our Sequentials since we have been here. Tomorrow, we are heading to the Golan Heights for our last overnight Tiyul. We return Thursday night, have our last Core Class Friday morning, and then stay on campus with everyone for a closed Shabbat. Sunday is our Core Class Final and Monday, "the Symbolic Day" as they call it, includes a last visit to the Kotel and Ben Yehudah Street. Then, around one am Tuesday morning, the devastating moment arrives. Our bodies load the buses while our hearts remain behind. One week to make it count. Let's go. 

All of last week we studied the Holocaust in Core Class. The daily discussions included so much more than just any typical Holocaust lesson. We focused on the Jewish situation around the world leading up to the war and the devastating struggle for Holocaust survivors after the war, in addition to diving more thoroughly into ghettos, rail cars, and concentration camps. Throughout the week, we read the two books Night and Dawn both by Elie Wiesel, watched the movie Defiance, and visited two Holocaust museums, Beit Lohamei Haghetaot and Yad Vashem. 

  

!שנה טובה

Can't believe it's already 2012! As sad as it is to admit, our awaiting airplane will unfortunately depart from this captivating country exactly three weeks from tomorrow. On a more positive outlook, we still have three Shabbats left so basically, I still have all of camp left (since we spend three Shabbats at camp per session).

    Over the past week, we've had a Chanukkah party, led Zionist seminar presentations, studied the First Aliya and the different denominations of Judaism, ate dinner on a Kibbutz, interviewed random Israelis on the streets of Tel Aviv, spent a night in Bedouin tents, rode camels, partied for New Years, and most importantly, enjoyed my new red hair! We have been busy busy busy while balancing Tiyulim, Sequentials, Core Class, the holidays, and just a tiny, little bit of fun here and there. While today is filled with Core Class and Sequentials on campus, the upcoming week focuses on studying the Holocaust, including a visit to Yad Vashem. To wrap it all up, my Core Class teacher, Reuven, invited us to spend the Free Weekend with his family!

    

 For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.   

- Thomas Stearns Eliot