Israel Pilgrimage,
Group #11

*The pictures below are links; clicking on them will take you to a larger version of that picture.

Sunday, July 9th:
Group 11 had a wonderful day in Yerucham. They hosted a "Happening" with 40 kids from the area which included tons of activities like finger painting and other arts and crafts! Everyone had a great time! They then had a Hebrew lesson and lunch, and then got into open-sided trucks for a ride in the Nahal Tzin. They went swimming in Ein Akev and in Ein Zik, which was a reprieve from the heat of the desert. In the evening they returned to Yerucham for dinner and a night activity.

Monday, July 10th:
Group 11 had another exciting day! They hiked in Ein Yoke'an where there were many pools to swim in. From there they ate lunch and heard from the former Rabbi of Atzmona, one of the towns dismantled during the Disengagement from Gaza last summer. He spoke to the group about what they are planning for the future of their community. Afterwards the group participated in a community service project. It was very interesting for the group to learn about the Disengagement from such personal stories. Tonight they spent the night in Yerucham.

    

Tuesday, July 11th:
Group 11 woke up at 4 a.m. this morning and did a hike at Nachal Gov in the desert, which was challenging but not during the heat of the day. They napped for a good part of the morning and then had their daily Hebrew lesson. In the afternoon they volunteered at a second-hand shop in Yerucham, where they helped organize and decorate so that it would be better equipped for business. Tonight they hung out and slept in Yerucham.

    

    



    

    

    

Wednesday, July 12th:
Group 11 started their day by helping others as half of the group volunteered in an old age home, and the other half in a soup kitchen. They went on a beautiful hike in Nachal David, which led them to a waterfall where they were able to spend some time. After lunch they swam and floated in the Dead Sea, barbequed their own dinner, and had a bonfire.

    

Thursday, July 13th:
Group 11 left Yerucham today, where they truly spent a fabulous week. They came back to Jerusalem, spending a few hours at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Museum. They then came back to the Fuchsberg Center where they ate dinner and spent some free time on Ben Yehudah Street!

Friday, July 14th:
Group 11 had a fabulous day touring the Old City of Jerusalem! They started at the Cardo in the Jewish Quarter and then toured a Herodian Mansion that has been dug up and made into a sort of museum. After lunch they went to the walls surrounding the Temple Mount itself, starting at Robinson's Arch, named for the person who discovered it. It was beneath this arch that the marketplace next to the Temple stood where people would be able to buy food and animals during their stay on Pilgrimage Festivals. From there they walked across to the Davidson Center and the Southern Wall excavations. It is at the Southern Wall that you can see the gates to the inner part of the Temple. The group then returned to the Fuchsberg Center to prepare for Shabbat. The group is looking forward to a relaxing day together. Shabbat Shalom!