From building huts in an Ethiopian village to celebrating Yom Ha-atzma-ut on the beach, this week was packed with unforgettable moments. We toured Tel Aviv, participated in meaningful campus ceremonies, danced at a surprise DJ party, and wrapped it all up with a full-grade watch party of the JDS Zimriyah.
April 27, 2025: Beita Yisrael
After a long week in the south, we started our way back to Hod HaSharon. Before arriving, we stopped at Beita Yisrael, an Ethiopian village in Kiryat Gat. There, we were immersed in Ethiopean culture and food while simultaneously learning about the history of Ethiopians in Israel. We visited a memorial site for fallen Ethiopian soldiers from Beita Yisrael, contributed to building huts for the village, and tasted Ethiopian cuisine such as Injera. After returning to campus, we had sign-out time and prepared for the hard day to follow.
April 28, 2025: Yad Vashem
On Monday, we toured Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust memorial museum. Although we weren’t able to view the whole museum, we saw new artifacts and learned new pieces of information that added to our knowledge from our Poland trip.
After our museum tour, we had the privilege of listening to the testimony of Yaffa Silberberg, a Holocaust survivor. After our time at Yad Vashem, we stopped to eat lunch in the museum cafe, then drove over to Aish Hatorah - the Yeshiva that JDS alumni Oliver Ferber (class of ‘23) currently attends. There, we spoke with Rabbi Ephy Greene and learned words of Torah from Rabbi Motty Berger. Later that night, we had free time to walk around Machane Yehuda. There we shopped, watched the Beitar Jerusalem versus Maccabi Haifa soccer game, and ate dinner before heading back to campus.
April 29, 2025: Tel Aviv and Yom Hazikaron at Latrun
After our day in Jerusalem, we dedicated a day to learning all about the history of Tel Aviv. From visiting sites such as Shuk HaCarmel and the Dizingoff Mall, to seeing where the Declaration of Independence was signed, we covered both cultural and historical spots in the city. We also had the opportunity to visit the former home of Israeli animator, Joseph Bau, a Holocaust survivor whose living space was turned into a museum by his two daughters. After a long day of touring the city, we made our way to Latrun for a very meaningful Yom Hazikaron tekes, where we heard from families and friends of fallen soldiers and the stories of victims of terror attacks.
April 30, 2025: Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha-atzma-ut
On Wednesday, Yom Hazikaron, we stayed on campus where we learned, discussed, and took part in a tekes organized by the different groups of students.
We started the day by sitting in our different groups, reading testimonies from the loved ones of fallen IDF soldiers. We watched videos, read stories, and discussed for a few hours. After, we sat with our madrichim/counselors and teachers, who spoke to us about each of their different positions in the IDF. We heard about their experiences, the different units they served in, and they educated us about the IDF overall.
Following this discussion, we gathered on the campus lawn, where we either watched or helped lead the Alexander Muss Campus Yom Hazikaron Tekes. Some students from the Class of 2025 spoke about Omer Balva z”l, while others laid down wreaths in honor of the American groups on campus.
We had free time in the afternoon to process. Heading toward evening, unfortunately, wildfires had spread throughout central Israel (mainly in Jerusalem and the tank site - Latrun). Due to these unfortunate circumstances, our evening Yom Ha-atzma-ut celebrations were cancelled, but luckily, our campus staff worked hard to throw a party for us. We had a DJ, enjoyed a traditional falafel dinner, ate snacks and drinks, and had plenty of Israeli swag to dress up in. Although it wasn’t the celebration we’d hoped for, we all still made the best of the situation and danced all night long.
May 1, 2025: Yom Ha-atzma-ut
Thankfully, the unfortunate fires in central Israel did not affect our celebrations. We loaded the buses and made our way to the beaches of Herzeliyah, where we were able to relax on the beach together as a grade. The day was spent yelling “Over!” or “Under!” as the waves only grew in size, and came to a close with a delicious dinner of chicken and couscous.
Before we all turned in for the night, we had a grade-wide watch party of the JDS Zimriyah, where we cheered on the grades below us and secretly chose our favorites. Getting to see our well-loved tradition passed down to younger grades bonded us even closer together.
May 2/3, 2025: Free Weekend
On Friday and Saturday, we were given the option to leave campus for our final free weekend. We woke up late, and some of us went to visit family for the last time before leaving Israel, while others visited friends they hadn’t seen in years. Although it was somewhat emotional as it signaled the last weeks of the trip nearing, it was a wonderful opportunity to relax, reset, and refresh ourselves before the exciting, but nerve-wracking Yam el Yam that lies ahead.
- 2025