July 22-24

We spent Shabbat relaxing on the Kinneret. We began Friday night with reflections on the packed week we had spent together. It continued on into to the night with a festive meal and camp-like dancing and songs. Saturday morning we had a chance to catch up on sleep, and had an informal service together. The service allowed for still more reflections on our experiences and our thoughts and emotions about Israel in general, and what it feels like to be here. We spent the afternoon relaxing, swimming, jogging, eating ice cream, and more. 

Before dinner, we walked together to a nearby cemetery. We visited the grave of Rachel, a famous writer and one of the first Jewish settlers in the Galilee. The cemetery was full of graves of Halutzim we had been learning about, the first people who came to settle the land and who started the Zionist movement. We saw the graves of those who pushed through the countless hardships and died of old age or fell to illness, but also of those who weren’t as strong willed. One grave that Maya pointed out and that really made an impression on me was that of one man who had succumbed to the hardships of the Halutz life, who had committed suicide. His grave had an elaborate mosquito engraved in it. We learned that the mosquito symbolized the hardships of the lifestyle, it spread malaria along with despair.

We ended Shabbat together with havdallah, immediately followed by the much anticipated Ruhi vs. Ben arm wrestle! It was close, but Ben came out victorious.  Shavuah Tov, mom and pops!

Sunday morning we said our tearful goodbyes to the Kinneret and headed west, to visit an Arab school. At the school we met with Arab teens and had a chance to talk to them about everything from their religious beliefs, to their first-hand experiences of the Arab-Israeli conflict, to their favorite school subject, to their facebook addictions. It was interesting to see how much we had in common with them, but at the same time to realize what a different world they live in. Meeting them further complicated our thoughts on the subject, and made us reconsider the way we sometimes group together “Arabs” and “Muslims”. 

Next, we had lunch at Aroma - a popular restaurant and cafe! Yum Yum! After lunch we headed still more west until we reached the Mediterranean Sea. We went to Rosh HaNikra, a series of caves where we could see the ocean reaching up to our feet, just on the Lebanese border. Next, we drove to Haifa. We visited the Bahai Gardens and learned about their culture, religion, and connection to Israel. Continuing on our cultural journey, we went to a Druze home where we learned first-hand about their religion and culture, and, again, their relationship to Israel. The meal we ate with the Druze was one of the best we have had thus far. We sat on cushions on the floor around low communal tables and played mental bananagrams. 

Stray Cat Count: 85