Israel Pilgrimage,
Group #2

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

Sunday, July 23rd:
Group 2 reunited after their Free Weekend, excited to be back together again. After lunch, they went to the Rabin Youth Hostel to do a program on Yitzchak Rabin's life and legacy. They then returned to Agron for dinner and fun drama games!

Monday, July 24th:
Today, Group 2 learned about what USY calls “New Jerusalem,” which basically traces the line that was Israel’s border with Jordan before 1967. First they wet to the Tayelet, an overlook where the entire city can be seen with the Old City in the Center. It is said that this is the place where Abraham stood when he saw the city for the first time. From there they went to Ammunition Hill, where they walked through the trenches that used to be part of a Jordanian bunker that was the center of battle in 1967. They then went to Mount Herzl where they visited the graves of the founders of Zionism, Yitchak Rabin, Hannah Senesh, and some of the young soldiers who have fallen in recent history. Tonight, after dinner, they went to the mall for some fun!

    

    

    

    

Tuesday, July 25th:
Today, Group 2 spent the day experiencing the theme "From Destruction to Redemption." They began at Yad Vashem, Israel's National Holocaust Museum. They had a tour of the newly rebuilt museum, and then walked through the very moving Children's' Memorial. Although the group spent significant time in Poland this summer, it is still important for them to see how Israel remembers the Holocaust. From there, they went to eat lunch, and visited the Herzl Museum, which explains the World Zionist Congress and Herzl's plans for a Jewish State. Continuing in the theme of the second part of the day, the group planted trees in the Land of Israel. Tonight they did a program on Jewish Values.

    

    

    

Wednesday, July 26th:
Group 2 had a lively Rosh Chodesh Shacharit with Jules Gutin this morning. They then left for Beit Guvrin where they did an archaeological dig in caves full of ancient artifacts. They crawled through caves that had already been dug through in order to fully understand the archaeologist's work. After lunch at the kibbutz next door, they went to the Jewish Quarter where they went shopping in the Cardo. Tonight they participated in a program on Jewish identity with the two teenagers from Noam who are spending a week with the group.

    

    

    

Thursday, July 27th:
Group 2 began their day at Yad Lakashish, a workshop where elderly people work together to make beautiful art pieces. From there they drove to Ein Yael, an active museum where they group made mosaics and flutes. This afternoon, they went to volunteer for Table to Table, an organization that collects thousands of meals, dairy products and tons of fruits and vegetables and distributes this food to organizations that operate soup kitchens, food pantries, meals on wheels programs, after-school initiatives, programs for seniors and homeless shelters. After collecting hundreds of tomatoes in a field, they returned to the Fuchsberg Center. Tonight the group prepared for their day tomorrow, in which they are doing fun activities with children from the North living in a tent city in Nitzanim.

    

Friday, July 28th:
Group 2 spent their final Friday in Israel in Nitzanim. They had the unique opportunity to go to a tent city that has been set up there for thousands of people who fled the north of the country. There, they set up arts and crafts stations, face painting, and games to play with the kids. After doing such a big mitzvah, they went to the beach to go swimming and just have fun! This afternoon they returned to Jerusalem to prepare for their final Shabbat together. Tonight they davened Kabbalat Shabbat as a group overlooking the Old City, and tomorrow they will have a meaningful and relaxing Shabbat in Yerushalayim.