Week Two Review

Director's Note

Dear parents,

Shabbat Shalom!

It has been a whirlwind of a week here in Israel and we can’t wait for Specialty Week to begin tomorrow. We started this week in the north of Israel, touring a chocolate factory and having fun at the “Aqua Kef” waterpark on the Kinneret. We then toured Masada and learned about the incredible story of the Jews who lived there, slept in the Bedouin Tents (a night complete with star-gazing and an awesome Drum Circle), and got to relax at the Dead Sea Spa. We learned about natural springs in the Negev by hiking Nachal David and Ein Ovdadt, and ended our week by touring and learning about the history of the holy city of Jerusalem.

I also wanted to share with you how wonderful it is to see the campers truly taking advantage of their summers here. Whether it was the sophisticated questions they asked to a representative of “Women of the Wall” who came to speak to our group, or the feelings and thoughts that they shared after a moving morning at Har Herzl, I and the staff have been so impressed with the campers’ overall level of engagement and depth of thought. We are really enjoying watching them learn and grow, as well as share their thoughtful insights during educational tours and Hadracha sessions. In a given week, there is so much information thrown at them; but through processing and discussion sessions, it’s evident that the campers are taking a lot of it in. I am excited to see how they continue to forge their own connections to Israel at each site and city we visit.

So enjoy the new photo albums now posted on our blog, and stay tuned for more photos and another update after Specialty Week!

Chazak Ve’Amatz,

Ryan Peters

Director

Camper Letter

Shabbat Shalom CYJ,

After two weeks on Biluim Israel, we’ve all bonded so much despite being on different buses, and we can’t wait for our friendships to blossom even more.

This week we’ve been on some fabulous adventures. We started off the week at a super fun water park in Northern Israel, and then we explored an Ammunition Factory and a Tank Museum. However, the most exciting day was by far Tuesday. We started off the morning with a hike (Nachal David) to a beautiful waterfall where we swam a bit, and then spent a few hours at the Ein Gedi Spa where we had the chance to go in the Dead Sea. Our next stop was climbing down Masada after learning about the Roman Empire and the Heroism of the Jews. At the end of the day, we arrived at the Bedouin tents, for a new cultural experience. The hospitality of the Bedouin’s was amazing and so was learning about their fascinating culture and traditions.

Other fun and meaningful activities this week included visiting the Western Wall, exploring the Kotel tunnels, learning about the Women of the Wall, experiencing an evening at Ammunition Hill, and shopping in the Shuk of Jerusalem. Today, we spent our morning at Mt. Herzl where we learned the history of the fallen soldiers of Israel. It has been a jam-packed week, and now that we’ve reached the end of Week 2, we are beyond ready for the next one as we start Specialty Week at the Gadna Army Base, or Hiking on Adventure Week.

We hope you are all having a blast at camp!

Shabbat Shalom,

Jayden Berdugo from Kadimah, Dina Ferera from Hatikvah, Rachel Hadef from Kinneret and Hillel Ruskin from Solelim