Weekly Updates

Shalom Chaverim!

What an incredible week it has been here in Israel!!! The weather has been beautiful and we have done a lot of great things.

For Shabbat we went to Kibbutz Hanaton with some students from Nativ. Kibbutz Hanaton is up north and it is absolutely beautiful. It was great to spend time with the Nativers meeting new friends and hanging out with people I lready know. It was also amazing to hear all about Nativ and the exciting things they have been doing.

After Shabbat we came back to Jerusalem and I went Israeli dancing with some friends. Well it was more like watching because we are just beginners but it was a nice taste of culture. There were people of all different ages in the gym dancing so beautifully.

Sunday and Monday we had normal classes and Tuesday we had a great Tiyul. We went to Tel-Aviv, to Kikar Rabin where Yizchak Rabin was assassinated. There we did a very interesting project. We walked around in pairs and spoke to different Israelis to learn about their life here and their connections to Zionism. I was lucky to have 5 great interviews of people with incredible stories. We spoke to immigrants, young people and people who have lived in Israel since the establishment of the state. It was such a great taste of the diversity of Israeli culture. The people I spoke to spoke so passionately about living in Israel and how important it is for them to live here. It was motivational and special. Then we headed to the mall in Tel Aviv for a great night shopping.

Now we are back in Jerusalem and I just finished a midterm for our Israel History class - feels great to have that done with. The week was great and I am looking forward to Purim next week.

Again, feel free to email me I would love to talk to you about USY High and living in Israel right now.

B'AHavat Tzion,

Shoshie Sprague,
2004 Israel Affairs Committee