Do You Wanna Build A Sandcastle?

After the rough start to the week, we were all a little nervous for our educational day on Tuesday. The plan was to go to the Negev and visit some different places. As you may or may not know, all day Monday there were rockets being fired from Gaza into parts of the Negev. After hearing that news, many of us were a little concerned about our safety the next day. Lior reassured us that everything was fine and let us know if we needed to talk to him further we could.

So Tuesday morning at 7:20am we departed for the Negev on THE NICEST BUS! Not only did it have USB ports to charge your phone, it also had wifi! This made the two hour drive much nicer. Our first destination was Naot Farm, a goat farm in the middle of the desert. The farm is run by a husband and wife, and a few employees who work to pay for school. They have goats which they sell for meat and they also make cheese which we had the opportunity to try! They also run a restaurant which is open on the weekends and looked great! When we asked her if their restaurant gets much business, she laughed, "You never know if it is going to be six people or sixty!" She took us around the farm to see all of the goats and sheep, and we got to pet the baby goats!

 The woman also spoke to us about how there even came to be a goat farm in the middle of the desert. She told us that several years ago the Israeli government created the Ramat-Negev Farming Project. This project was intended to keep Bedouins from settling on that land. In order to do this, the government gave 23 families land to build farms to produce whatever they chose. Now this was technically illegal so there has been a lot of legal trouble for the farmers, and they could have left the Negev to return to their previous homes. Instead, they have chosen to fight the legal battles and want to stay in the middle of the desert. It was very interesting to hear the woman's take on this, and her thoughts on Bedouin settlers. After hearing the woman speak, touring the farm, trying cheese, and some people purchasing some cheese (because the best bus ever had a refrigerator!) we moved on to our next location.

Aaron was very excited for cheese

When we arrived at The Shanti House, we were not sure where we were. It was like a mirage. It is a beautiful compound in the middle of the desert that serves as a home for youth at risk. There are trees and fountains, and as we started walking toward the Welcome Building, we began to hear music blasting out of it. We all laughed and joked that we were going to a party, but we actually kind of were. When we entered the building (which was actually more of a tent that had been decorated with a Moroccan style) a young man was waiting for us and dancing to the music. Once the music stopped things got more serious.

We watched a video about The Shanti House and the dancing guy answered our questions. Basically, The Shanti House is a home where youth at risk can go and stay until they are 21. Each resident has a bed with pillows and blankets, and are able to participate in tons of extracurricular activities, as well as school. The guy who spoke to us is now a counselor at The Shanti House, but he was once a resident himself. He is Ethiopian and had a rough childhood, and one day he chose to leave with some of his friends. They flew from Ethiopia to Egypt and from there walked to Israel. The Bedouins helped smuggle the group over the boarder. He told us some other stories of kids who have come to The Shanti House, and told us they do not turn anyone away.

After hearing him speak we took a tour of the compound. It was absolutely beautiful! We then went back in the tent to wait for our lunch to arrive. While we waited he played more music and some dance battles went down. Jake was his first opponent! We all really enjoyed our time there.

From there we drove about thirty minutes to Be'er Sheva. We met with a representative from a group which helps Bedouins in the area. The intent was for him to explain to us what the organization does, and then answer our questions, but we were very interested in asking some deeper questions. We talked a lot about the issues between the Bedouin community and Israeli government, and what exactly the Bedouins want. Pretty much they want to have all of the benefits that Israeli citizens have. The problem is that most of them do not have jobs or contribute to society at all. It was a very interesting discussion. The man compared the Bedouins to the Haredi (ultra-orthodox Jews) which made a lot of sense. They are similar in their levels of contribution to society, but there are other differences. It was a good conversation and debate for us to have, although I do not think the man was prepared for it. That portion of our day ended quickly and we returned home to Tel Aviv!

The rest of the work week was relatively uneventful, but we all enjoyed spending time with each other. On Thursday night a large group of us took some bottles of wine to the beach and just hung out. I still can't believe that we are living here, and that it is so easy for us to have a night all together on the Mediterranean.

Friday was the 4th of July! About half the group went to a water fight in the middle of town, and went exploring, and the rest of us went on a "Red, White, and Booze Cruise." Can I say that on here? Well I did, and that is where we went. The boat left from Jaffa Port, which is a beautiful area. We all boarded the boat, and the DJ was playing music.....and I almost immediately felt seasick. While everyone else was dancing around and jumping in the water, I was sitting with my head down on the table telling myself not to throw up. Luckily, all of my friends are amazing and made sure I was okay. They brought me water and found motion sickness medicine for me to take.

I thought I was the only one feeling bad, but suddenly they made an announcement that we were returning to port to drop off everyone who was sick. I looked around me and tons of people were doing the same thing I was! I heard it was even worse down in the bottom level. The water was just so choppy it made it hard to even walk on the boat. Although I felt sick the whole time, I still got to see a beautiful sunset at the port.

Sunset at Jaffa Port

*Extras!*
-I apparently look Israeli now, because people stop me on the street everyday to ask me for directions in Hebrew!
-Emily and I had the BEST gelato at the Jaffa Port.
-Shout out to Justin and Eli for getting the craziest sunburns at the beach today. (Don't worry moms, they are fine!)
-A big hooray to everyone who got unlimited bus passes for the month! BEST DECISION EVER!
-Shout out to all of the sand in my apartment that will never ever leave.
-Emily, Jeremy, and Tessa had a nice little massage train going on Friday night.

Emily, Jeremy, and Tessa

-We turned Emily's room into a mini spa this evening with massages (Thanks Nikki Fisher!) and nails!

Jeremy painting Emily's nails

L'hitraot,

Abby
 

From Hope to Heartache in 24 Hours

I don't really know how to begin this post. Being in Israel during the last two weeks has given all of us a different connection to the story of Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaar, and Eyal Yifrach. We were here when the boys were kidnapped in the West Bank on June 12, and we are here now that their bodies have been found. We have been here for all the time between those days to see how the country has been affected by the situation. Just last night around 7:30pm a rally was held in Tel Aviv at Rabin Square. There were performances and the mothers of the three boys spoke to the crowd. 

In an article I read about the event the mother of Naftali Fraenkel was quoted saying, "We feel embraced by many people, and we wanted that the event should be a general one that would include everyone. Our message is one of solidarity, one for all and all for one - haredi Israelis, secular Israelis, Bedouin, Druze, and Muslims who have a conscience."

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the event, but several others from our group went. I asked them to share a little bit about their experiences. Some of the endings were changed after the news broke tonight, and some were written after as well. 

Justin Kirschner:

"The demonstration was sentimental with an optimistic overtone. The sight of Rabin Square filled with people reveals the community aspect that is Israel. The lights and music combined with the songs and prayer was an incredible moment to experience."

Daniel Valentini: 

"The demonstration was a great experience. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it, but it ended up being a series of singers and speakers and it was a pretty good time. Even though I couldn't understand a word of what was being said, it felt good to show solidarity and be a part of something bigger in Tel Aviv."

Sarah Deutsch:

"Yesterday a few of us went to the demonstration for the 3 boys in Rabin Square. Seeing the community come together as one was incredibly special. It's amazing how even though we don't know the language, we know exactly what is being said. There were hundreds of people there, the news and everything. This event just took our breath away, we were speechless. The sadness was overwhelming."

Jordan Della Bella:

"Witnessed something amazing last night. I still can't believe I'm in a country that has three loved ones missing from their homes. It's still very surreal to me. But what is even more amazing is that the country has come together in this amazing city and put together an amazing demonstration for the boys. Sitting at this rally for the boys filled with live music, people talking, prayers being said and sung, and listening to the mothers talk was really moving. Although it was all in Hebrew and I didn't understand much I still thought wow, this is pretty spectacular. I really enjoyed how they incorporated music from all walks of life; from children singing to piano players singing and playing. What got to me the most was listening to "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables sung beautifully in Hebrew. That song is so powerful in the play/musical and just as powerful in the square...May the boys forever rest in peace and my heart goes out to the families and their loss."

Ari Shifman:

"Yesterday Nikki, Tini, and I met Justin down at the Demonstration in honor of bringing back the 3 kidnapped boys. As night fell, Rabin Square filled up with thousands of people, all of which came out in support of the families and Israel as a whole. The MC introduced Rabbis and famous Israeli musicians who spoke and sang about staying strong in the face of extreme adversity. But the highlight of the night was the speeches given by the incredibly courageous moms of the 3 boys. These women believed Israel was going to find their boys and that they were going to come back home. I left the demonstration believing as well. 

Unfortunately this optimism and belief was wrong. The boys were found dead today outside Hebron in the West Bank and this optimism has been replaced with a cold pessimism and a fear for the next step."

It is hard to describe how I feel right now. It is absolutely heartbreaking and scary to think of what else will come from this. We are all sending love and strength to the families of the boys. We are now reminded of why the conflict here continues. 

L'hitraot,

Abby

Cincinnati Takes On The Negev

This weekend we traveled to The Negev for our Onward Israel Shabbaton. We had a full weekend of lectures and "field trips" planned for us with a few of the other Onward Israel groups from other cities. As you can imagine, we were not too excited to be leaving our comfy apartments to stay in a hostel in the desert. We were also mad that we had to miss Laila Lavan (White Night) for the Shabbaton. Laila Lavan is one of the biggest cultural events in Tel Aviv where there are parties and concerts all night long, and the museums stay open later and there are free exhibits and tours offered. Although we all went into the weekend with somewhat negative attitudes, some good actually did come of it.

On Thursday we drove to Jerusalem where Ilan Wagner, the director of Onward Israel, opened up the weekend. From there we split up into different tracks for the day. I chose to go to the Israel Museum. The focus of the track was supposed to be on "Me and My Heritage" and although I didn't feel this was completely fulfilled, I still enjoyed my time there. We started the tour with some clothing from different Jewish events around the world. From there we moved to three different rooms. Each room held an old synagogue from different countries around the world. It was really cool to see the difference in architecture and decoration from one sanctuary to another. Each of these synagogues was transported to Israel in pieces and then put back together inside the museum, so they are completely authentic.

European Synagogue

Indian Synagogue

Ceiling in Indian Synagogue

South American Synagogue

One of the coolest parts of the museum for me was this video that an artist made. They recorded a main street in Tel Aviv on Israel's Memorial Day, Yom Hazikaron. When the Yom Hazikaron begins at sundown the day before, an alarm is sounded for one minute all over the country. At that time, everyone stops what they're doing, even driving, and stands in silence to honor all of the soldiers who have been lost. The video in the museum showed this exact moment on a busy road, and it was eerily silent as each person on the road stopped and got out of their car. It really captured the power that the moment holds.

AJ, Emily, Jeremy, Max, Sarah, (Noah's blonde hair), and Lior
waving us on at the Israel Museum

Museum Mirror Selfie with Sarah, AJ, and Emily

The rest of our time at the museum was spent exploring the art it held. Much of the art was not done by Israeli artists, but it was still really cool. We saw real paintings by Picasso, Monet, and Renoir, just to name a few. Along with these incredible works of art, we also saw some modern art that we were not so impressed with. AJ had a specific problem with a piece of "art" which was simply a canvas that had been painted black. We watched some videos of performance art which were pretty crazy, and saw some different things. Noah and Jeremy say that their lives were changed by it. I am still not sure if they are being serious. Sylvie actually enjoyed a lot of the modern art because she studies art. The last thing we saw was a beautiful view outside of the museum overlooking Jerusalem. After the museum, we boarded our buses and drove to the Yerucham in the Negev.

We arrived in Yerucham and immediately went to dinner. Now I know why I gained weight the last time I was in Israel, hostel food. In hostels the main food group is carbs. Now, I love my bread and hummus, but sometimes it was a little too much. I will say they had some really good fruit! We each stayed in rooms with at least three people. Mine had five in it, so we had bunk beds. Other than the sheets being a little sketchy and the shower head that was not attached to the wall, it wasn't that bad. It did make us more grateful for our apartments in Tel Aviv though. Some of the other groups who live in Jerusalem and Haifa said they don't even have air conditioning!

Sunset in the Negev

The next day my track was about Women in Yerucham. I absolutely loved the women we met. The first woman, Salima, was from a Bedouin village just outside of Yerucham. She invited us into her guest tent and spoke to us about her business and women in Bedouin culture. Salima has a business of bringing groups to her tent to speak about Bedouin culture, and because of this she is very looked down upon in her community. She told us that most Bedouin women do not even know how to read or write because they do not finish any kind of schooling, but that her father wanted her to go to school. He made sure that she received at least some education, and did not treat her like anything less than her brother. After pouring us traditional Bedouin hot tea in the hot, hot tent, Salima told us how unfair life is for women in Bedouin culture. Bedouin women are barely allowed to leave their homes, and are never allowed to do any real work. Although honor killings are something that still happens in Bedouin communities, Salima luckily does not feel that she is in danger. She was a very inspiring woman, and hearing her speak was one of the best things I have done here.

View of the desert from Yerucham

After we left Salima, we went to a cafe in Yerucham that was just opened by a woman. This woman was also an incredible inspiration. She is incredibly strong and fantastic. She is looked down upon in Yerucham because she is a woman, and people think she can't own her own business. A cause that is very important to her is at-risk-youth, so she found a way to help them through her business. She employs these kids as waiters in the evening in order to keep them out of trouble. Not only was she a great woman, her baked goods were so good! Jeremy, one of three guys who chose the women track, became a typical Jewish mother and bought some of the woman's cookies and forced us to eat them. (As if it was hard to force us to eat cookies..)

Salima and her adorable daughter

That night was Shabbat, and we had the awesome opportunity to attend synagogues in Yerucham for Shabbat services. The choices were Moroccan, Indian, regular Ashkenazi, or Breslov synagogues. Most people chose to go to the Indian service to experience a completely different culture. Now, in Yerucham all of the synagogues are orthodox, so it is a little different than what most of us are used to. We all knew that the women and med would be separated and that the service might be a little different. When we arrived though, all of the girls were in shock. We had to enter through a separate door on the side of the building, and there was a half wall between our side and the men. The rest of the half wall was filled with stained glass that you could barely see through. On top of that, we could barely hear anything. It was so frustrating that a lot of girls left very soon after arriving. I stayed for most of the service. When we returned to the hostel for Shabbat dinner, those of us who attended services discussed our experiences. It sounded like the Breslov service was the best experience of all.

Both nights after all of the programming had ended, the majority of our group went out into the desert to relax and look at the stars. Justin bought a bongo in Jerusalem and brought it out with us. Emily and I sang while he drummed, and everyone else joined in too. It was so nice being outside in a place where you can see every single star in the sky. We had some good group bonding time both of those nights, and I think that was the best thing to happen for us this weekend.

At one point during the weekend our group expressed some concern to Ilan Wagner about the program. A lot of us began to feel that we were being trained to tell people how great Israel is so everyone will change their minds about it. I understand that to an extent, and for the most part we have all had great experiences here so far that we will share with people. We simply felt that we needed a more diverse experience. We want to speak to Palestinians about how they feel about the situations here, and Israelis who don't agree with the Israeli government. Obviously we all like Israel, or else we wouldn't be here, but I personally don't feel like I know enough about Israel to have a real conversation about it. I want to learn things so that I can have an intelligent and honest conversation with anyone regarding Israel, no matter what their thoughts are.

Ilan invited our group to meet with him on Saturday so we could express these concerns. I think that we were all pleased with his response. He told us that he welcomed the criticism and that he wants to give us the best experience possible. Ilan said that if we bring our ideas to Lior then he would be happy to help us make them happen. We are currently working on a list of topics and possible meetings to give them.

Overall I would say that the weekend was good because it brought our group closer together. Meeting some of the other groups and hearing about their housing made us realize how great our group has it.

Sculpture at the Israel Museum: Love

*Extras!*
-On Sunday morning Lior led a group in laughter yoga. I didn't go, but I heard it was a really fun time and everyone loved it! I can't wait for him to hold another session for just our group.
-Everyone had very positive things to say about their tracks on Thursday and Friday as well!
-WE LOVE TEL AVIV!
-Shout out to the whole Cincinnati group for making this weekend great!

L'hitraot,

Abby