Senior Capstone Trip Blog

Week 2 Reflections
Kaylah Goldrich '24, Yaeli Greenblum '24, and Ella Waldman '24

Day 7: Sunday, March 3

We awoke on Sunday (still full from our excursions out on Ben Yehuda Street Saturday night), quickly packed up our things, and said goodbye to Lev Yerushalayim. We set out with the expectation of visiting the famous Israel Museum that morning, but were informed that since October 7, the museum is no longer open on Sundays. 

Our teacher, Tom, also informed us that we would be scrapping the originally planned hike for an easier one, as the teachers felt the original plan would be too difficult (especially with our upcoming Masada hike). Immediately, our bus protested, claiming that hard hikes were the reason we came on this trip, and the teachers, having heard our complaints, switched plans again, and we headed to Ein Gedi. 

The hike was divided into three sections: a steep uphill, a flat, but rocky section, and a trek downhill towards natural water springs. Our past “hikes” would be better described as pleasant nature walks, but this one, with the sun beating down on our necks as we stumbled along a bumpy, steep path, was exactly what we had all pictured the Israel trip to be like. Climbing up rocks like a ladder and sliding down smooth, natural slides, while exciting in and of itself, was made all the more worth it when we reached the view. Overlooking the striking blue Dead Sea and other breathtaking cliffs, we felt, not for the first time, the uniqueness of the opportunity we have to be on this trip. We then began our trek down to the much-anticipated water springs. Though we were expecting a large waterfall and swim area, we were informed that because of an avalanche of rocks a couple of months ago, the large spring was still closed to the public. Pivoting to a smaller spring and waterfall, a lot of the grade made the best out of the situation and dunked our heads in the waterfall, a rejuvenating activity after a very hot day. 

After this day-long hike, we made our way to Kibbutz Almog, where we had a delicious dinner, then went to bed very early in preparation for our 3:00 AM wake-up to climb Masada.

Day 8: Monday, March 4

Monday started early as we packed up our bags, made a quick breakfast, and loaded the buses to begin the hour-long drive to the base of Masada. Our hike began quickly as we had just over an hour to reach the mountain’s summit before the 6:00 AM sunrise. Running on minimal sleep and sore legs from Sunday’s strenuous hike, this hike was a different experience from the previous Ein Gedi hike, as it was entirely uphill, but was incredibly fun nonetheless. Though the endless amount of stairs had some of us questioning our will to survive, the difficult trek was all worth the pain when we arrived at the top of the mountain to watch the sunrise together as a grade. 

Atop Masada, we gathered in the synagogue (the third oldest known to man) and took a moment to pray together amongst the historical sites of our ancestors. The next couple of hours were filled with numerous history lessons, ancient soldier training, and screaming into cliffs. We learned about the historical importance of Masada, and how the Jewish inhabitants, surrounded by Roman soldiers on all sides of the mountain, committed suicide before being taken. We found it fascinating to be standing on the same ground our ancestors had stood thousands of years ago. We then ran laps, did push-ups, and practiced army formations in an attempt to recreate the ancient training done to prepare soldiers for war. We ended our time on Masada with a meaningful group activity where we all screamed “Shalom” simultaneously, and heard it echo repeatedly throughout the mountainous terrain of the Judean desert. 

Now fully awake, we made our way down the mountain, unsurprisingly a much easier journey than climbing up. Sweaty, tired, hungry, and in disbelief that it was only 10:00 AM, we loaded the buses to our next stop, the Dead Sea. We stopped for lunch at Hummus Eliyahu and filled ourselves with hummus and pita. We then quickly changed into bathing suits, slathered ourselves in Dead Sea mud, and waded into the salty water. Those among us who didn’t listen to the recommendation of not shaving for the two days prior struggled to remain in the water longer than 30 seconds, but the rest of us enjoyed a leisurely float in the unique water experience. The ride back to campus was by far our longest yet, exacerbated by a crash in the middle of the highway.

Day 9: Tuesday, March 5

Still tired from our early morning the day before, we dragged ourselves out of bed to go spelunking in the Bar Kochba caves. As we waited in line to enter the caves, we learned about the history of the revolt and the purpose of the caves. When it was finally time, we put on our headlamps and climbed down to the narrow tunnels. Though everyone had gathered around the stairs, a small portion of the group opted out of the claustrophobic activity, instead enjoying a relaxing day in the beautiful Judean hills. Those who did enter the caves had a great time climbing on their stomachs and crawling on their knees. Our group specifically enjoyed a special moment singing with a small delegation of women praying for the safe release of the Israeli hostages. After the caves, we prepared our lunches at a local gas station. We feasted on deli sandwiches, chocolate wafers, and chips. After that, we made our way to an ancient Roman-era amphitheater. 

As we entered the amphitheater, we were greeted by a massive pit and several rows of seats filled with paper cut-out replicas of Roman-era spectators. We started the afternoon with a quick gladiator game. We split into teams of two and attempted to grab the hat of another pair while on our partner’s back. After a lot of laughing, hitting, and falling, we made it to the final round where Ari B. and Ron K. took home the gold. After the game, we split into our respective groups and learned more about the history of the amphitheater. In our Hebrew Immersion group, our teacher taught us about the origin of the middle finger and the thumbs up/thumbs down hand signals. To end our time there, we heard a story from our incredible tour guide Michael, who recounted the execution of Rabbi Akiva. Although not executed in this specific amphitheater, we were able to picture just what it looked like. We headed back to campus early, around 4:00 PM, still recovering from our early morning at Masada. 

Day 10: Wednesday, March 6

Day 10 began with another beautiful hike, this time at Mount Arbel. We began our hike with a short walk up to a beautiful lookout point, before beginning the trek down the mountain. Although the downhill nature of the hike did not provide a particularly strenuous workout, there was a portion of the hike that involved climbing down the side of a cliff, a pleasant reminder of our Ein Gedi hike. After climbing down we enjoyed the views of the bright green mountaintop, the cows grazing in the grass, and the ancient fortress hiding throughout the cliffs. Of course, with cute cows grazing in the grass comes disgusting cow poop throughout the trail… Needless to say, the bus didn’t smell very good on the way to our next destination, Tzfat. 

We began our time in the mystical city with some free time to explore. Unfortunately, wartime impacts everywhere and everyone, with Tzfat taking a significant hit. A city typically characterized by bustling streets full of tourists was ominously empty. As we looked for the bathroom, a shop owner eagerly welcomed us into his jewelry shop. He said it was his first time speaking English in five months. Although every sign in the city spelled Tzfat in a different way, all the doors had the same bright blue color. Our favorite part of the city was the alleyways, each a curving staircase with a perfect view of the mountains. As we continued exploring, we met with Avraham Loewenthal, a prominent Kabbalist living in Tzfat. He explained each of his paintings, going through their connections to several kabbalist values. His most interesting art was an electronic mapping of the shofar blowing. Before departing, we visited a beautiful blue synagogue and learned about the history of the Shulchan Aruch text.  

Day 11: Thursday, March 7

Thursday began early as we quickly ate breakfast and made our way down to the Gaza Envelope. Our day started at a lemon farm in Tlamin, where, since the war began, there have been no farmers to pick the fruit, resulting in shortages across the country. Though many of us created intense lemon-picking games (all while complaining about countless scratches and pokes from the thorny lemon trees), the uniqueness and importance of this opportunity did not go unnoticed. We were incredibly grateful for the chance to make even just a small difference in this farmer’s life and this country’s survival. After about half a day of working on the farm, we ate our packed lunch on the bus and made our way to the Nova festival site. 

Before wandering around the memorial, our teacher, Tom, shared his personal connection to this site, having lost a friend at the site and having a cousin taken hostage during the festival. Only a couple of miles from Gaza, as we walked through the memorials set up for each person murdered, we could hear bombs going off, a staggering reminder of the continuous conflict. It can be easy to forget that this country is at war as we venture on exciting hikes and enjoy incredible views, but this day and this visit served as an important reminder about the pain and suffering Israel is still recovering from and experiencing. During our visit to the Nova festival site, a separate Yeshiva group began singing in a circle, of which many of our JDS boys joined, a touching and meaningful experience. 

Our next stop was a bomb shelter next to a bus stop, where our counselor Ben’s friend was tragically killed, and the well-known American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage. Full of memorials for those killed and still marked with bullet holes, the bomb shelter was another chilling reminder of the horrifying events that took place on October 7. 

To bring a more positive light to an otherwise heavy day, we visited the Shuva Ahim rest stop, a makeshift station set up near the Gaza border for soldiers to stop by and reset with some delicious food, good music, and a relaxing environment. Aside from serving hundreds of meals a day, Shuva Ahim also has a wide range of amenities available at all times, ensuring each soldier’s needs never go unmet. 

Next, we stopped by the lot where all of the cars that were destroyed during the events of October 7 were collected. Cars, some completely rusted over from the hours they spent burning and others full of bullet holes, were piled up along a clearing, a very striking image of the massacre that occurred and a haunting makeshift memorial. Aside from the Israeli cars destroyed, we also saw some of the vehicles used by terrorists, including the infamous white pick-up truck present in so many of the online videos that circulated that day. 

To end a difficult day, we attended a barbeque for soldiers where we were able to cook, serve food, and talk with those on the front lines of this conflict. We were able to talk with the soldiers both about the conflict and their role in the IDF, as well as more personal topics such as jobs, families, sports, and the differences between American and Israeli culture. To end the event, our entire group circled up with some of the soldiers and other Jewish Americans in attendance to sing together with a live guitarist. We sang classics like "Acheinu" and "One Day," granting us a very wholesome opportunity to reconnect with each other and the soldiers after an emotionally draining day.

Day 12: Friday, March 8

Friday we woke up late (at 8:00 AM!), had breakfast, and went our separate ways for the free weekend. Yaeli stayed on campus and had a very peaceful Shabbat filled with card games, Settlers of Catan, and lots of snacks. 

Kaylah and Ella visited one of Kaylah’s family friends in Haifa, but accidentally took the local bus up, and spent over two hours on the road. Neither of us having ever been to Haifa, we were wowed by the bright blue sea views and greenery. Upon our arrival at our host family’s house, we had a delicious lunch of salad, shakshuka, labneh cheese, and bread. This fantastic meal was followed by a food tour of Druze villages, starting with knafeh with Turkish ice cream, then stuffed grape and cabbage leaves, and a pita for the road. We then went sightseeing, stopping at a memorial commemorating the 44 police officers killed in the infamous Haifa fire in 2010 and then the lookout over the Bahai gardens. Stuffed with food and tired from a long day of traveling, we both passed out for hours before ending the night with a 10:00 PM dinner with friends. 

Day 13: Saturday, March 9

All three of us slept in late on Shabbat, and had a nice, restful morning. While Yaeli continued her leisurely day filled with cards, drum lessons, ice cream, and way too many pushups, Ella and Kaylah continued their explorations of Haifa. 

Around midday we walked around the neighborhood, taking in the sea views from a cute, walkable park. Our host family’s daughter held an IDF going-away party as she is leaving to go to the army in 2 weeks, and we enjoyed couscous, salads, and cheese boards. At around 6:00 PM, we made our way back to campus, again having some challenges with the Israeli bus system (missing our stop and almost leaving our luggage on the bus), but we made it back to campus in Hod HaSharon just in time, and were excited to see everyone!

Day 14: Sunday, March 10

After a rejuvenating weekend, we were gifted with a very peaceful start to the week. Although we had to wake up at 6:30 AM, there were some tasty bourekas for breakfast in the dining hall. We started our day with “Dialogue in the Dark,” an exhibit in the Children’s Museum that allows seeing individuals to experience what life is like in the dark, whether that means a person is blind or visually impaired. Each guide takes a group of 10 people through 6 different settings. We visited a park, a boat, a street, a shouk, a cabin, and a cafeteria (where we could buy food and drinks). In the cafeteria, we spoke with our guide about her experience with losing her sight. Her most interesting insight was a response to a question about her life after October 7. Because of her blindness, she is not able to get into a shelter quickly enough when a siren goes off, so for a couple of months, she was unable to leave her parents’ home. 

After we finished at the museum, we visited an Israeli organization named Save a Child’s Heart which provides life-saving heart surgery for children from over 70 different countries. This organization also trains medical professionals on how to administer these surgeries in their home countries. After learning about the organization, we went outside to play with children who were recovering from or preparing for heart surgery. Although none of us spoke the same language, dancing and throwing a soccer ball became our way of communicating with them. As we said goodbye to adorable children, we got back on the bus to go to the mall. We were sent to buy snacks and warm clothes for Poland. 

Back on campus, we had a lovely chat with our Dean of Students, Benji, and then had some free time. In preparation for our trip to Eastern Europe, we watched Schindler’s List, important historical context for the upcoming week. 

 

  • 2024
Week 1 Reflections
Reut Skromne '24, Nava Feldman '24, and Alec Silberg '24

Monday we arrived in Israel after a long flight. Upon arrival, we quickly felt the heat of the Middle East. After a bus ride, we finally made it to our home for the next 3 months: the Alexander Muss High School in Hod Hasharon. We met our counselors and learned they were very knowledgeable about our allergies. After settling in, we had a special dinner catered by the schnitzel stand on campus. We relaxed and got to know our new home.

Day 1: Monday, February 26 - Arrival Day

Monday we arrived in Israel after a long flight. Upon arrival, we quickly felt the heat of the Middle East. After a bus ride, we finally made it to our home for the next 3 months: the Alexander Muss High School in Hod Hasharon. We met our counselors and learned they were very knowledgeable about our allergies. After settling in, we had a special dinner catered by the schnitzel stand on campus. We relaxed and got to know our new home.

Day 2: Tuesday, February 27 - Shepherding & Shuking

We began our first complete day in Israel with a way-too-early wake up, and breakfast at 6:45 AM. We began to learn about the protocol of our new cafeteria and indulged in a yummy breakfast of brownies, coffee, and very crisp water. After breakfast, we got into our bus and headed to Neot Kedumim where we learned about the story of Itzchak and Rivka at the well. (Well, it was actually a cistern.) We then split into three groups and acted as shepherds, gently pushing the goats and sheep, while screaming “YALLA YALLA'' to get them to move, which they ultimately did … but in the wrong direction. Who knew that shepherding is not merely sitting in the shade of a palm tree, but actually involves effort and training?

After shepherding, it was time for Shuk HaCarmel! We used our Hebrew to bargain and only got scammed once (when a shop owner said an added item was on the house when it in fact was not on the house; it was on the scale). Ultimately, however, our first experience in the Shuk was a smashing success.

Before leaving Tel Aviv, we paused to reflect on the hardships that Israel is currently facing. We headed to Hostage Square where we listened to the aunt of a hostage, walked around, and explored the exhibits.

It was an incredibly full day - and we all went to sleep exhausted, but happy, and ready to continue exploring the beautiful land of Israel.

 Day 3: Wednesday, February 28 - Hod is Home

On Wednesday, we were more accustomed to life at Hod and got our first full night's sleep. Eating our second breakfast, we finally learned the ropes of the Muss cafeteria. Then, we traveled to Maale Gilboa, a historical mountain up north. Overlooking the mountains, we learned about the judges from the Tanakh who ruled from there. Following our adventurous hike, we went to Sachne, a beautiful swimming spot. You might assume that due to the fact that it is February it would be too cold to go swimming. However, the natural hot springs were quite nice. At the springs, we had a delicious lunch from a local restaurant with laffas and salads. Upon returning to Hod Hasharon, we ventured past the campus gates into the city guided by our madrichim/counselors.

Day 4: Thursday, February 29 - Turning Back Time

Channeling the spirit of both Nadav Guedj’s Eurovision Golden Boy and Naomi Shemer’s Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, we trekked through Yerushalayim after another early start. We arrived at a lookout point and basked in the sunlight—perfect lighting for our pictures. After a brief introduction to modern Jerusalem, our tour guides brought us to the City of David. We traversed down through the ground and into the water of the Hezekiah's Tunnel. Despite the small size of the cave and the cool water, which ranged from ankle to thigh height, this adventure was a highlight of our trip so far. Following a treacherous hike back up the city roads came the most important part of the day: lunch. We lounged above the old City of David and prepared for the next stage of our day.

While the Kotel is the most iconic landmark of the Old City, on Thursday, we discovered the much more layered history of the land. In the lead up to the Western Wall, we walked through archaeological sites around the Temple Mount. This granted us a solid foundation to understanding the context of the Kotel, and fueled our anticipation of seeing and praying at the Wall. Visiting the Kotel was incredibly spiritual. Afterwards, for some nighttime excitement, we went to Machane Yehuda for some delicious dinner. Our first LOTS and DOTS (Lunch on the Street & Dinner on the Street)! From arias to malawach, we expanded our culinary pallets and drove back to Muss exhausted and full.

 

Day 5: Friday, March 1 - Leaving Home for Home

Following a slightly later wake up and an American cereal breakfast, we departed on a four day trip. Beginning at Sataf, we ventured through a cave to learn about water in ancient times. Then, we returned to Shuk Machane Yehuda for lunch.

Returning to the Kotel for Shabbat in Jerusalem, we celebrated with both our friends and those we just met. Tiring ourselves out from singing and dancing to everything from Lecha Dodi to our grade nigun, we were ready for a great dinner at our hotel.

Day 6: Saturday, March 2 - Rewarding Rest

Shabbat! Finally, the day of rest. We got to sleep in and attend shul in Jerusalem. Not only did some of us attend a Bar Mitzvah, but the kiddish was amazing. Families cooked meals and brought them to share. In the afternoon, we joined our teacher Michael for a walk and ventured to the neighborhood Yemin Moshe. Much like on all our grade Shabbatonim, we ended Shabbat with a grade havdalah. We capped off the night by exploring Ben Yehuda Street and enjoyed delicious falafel, shawarma, and meat sandwiches! 

  • 2024

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