Today, we hoped to start with tefillah at the Kotel, but steady rain put a stop to those plans. After tefillah and breakfast at our youth hostel, we went to the City of David, the oldest part of Jerusalem. We walked through remarkable archaeological excavations, including the recently discovered foundations of the gates to David's palace. We were welcomed into the home of a woman who has lived in the City of David for the last 12 years; over tea, popcorn, and other treats, she gave us her perspective of Jewish life in what was until very recently an exclusively Arab village.
After the City of David, we davened mincha and ate lunch at the Conservative Yeshiva, where we also received an introduction to Christianity in preparation for our afternoon touring in Ein Kerem. This tour included Mary's Spring, the Church of the Visitation, and the St. John Ba Harim (in the Mountains) Church.
We took some time to rest at our base and then spent a couple of hours at the Malcha Mall, where everyone received money and selected their own dinners. Tonight, the kids are having a quiet New Year's celebration on our floor of the base.
Tomorrow, we are looking forward to more activities in and around Jerusalem, and the cessation of the rain.
Happy New Year!
Caroline Musin
Claudia Linda
Ted Schaffner
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
12/30/2008
Dear Parents,
Today was our first full day in Israel, and it was wonderful! We started our day at the Conservative Yeshiva, where we learned with Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Shmuel Lewis about pluralism through the lens of Hillel and Shammai.
Next, we went to the Israel Museum, where we learned about the Second Temple period. We looked at a baseball-diamond-sized model of Jerusalem at that time; interestingly enough, this model used to sit next to the Holyland Hotel, and a few years ago, it was moved to the Israel Museum. (Not a small task...) We then headed into the Shrine of the Book, where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Qumran are kept, and we learned that the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is considered the greatest find in all of Jewish history.
We spent the afternoon in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, starting with a picnic lunch. We took a group picture there and hope to soon have the capability to add pictures to the blog. We started our tour of the Jewish Quarter by going to a rooftop vista at the precise center of the Old City. From there, we were able to see all four quarters--Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Muslim--and therefore better understand the geography of the area. While in the Jewish Quarter, we went to a cluster called The Four Sephardi Synagogues (even though one was actually Ashkenazi) and saw a number of other sites before heading to the Kotel, where students davened mincha and saw a presentation by Sharsheret HaDorot (Chain of Generations) as an introduction to the Kotel.
Our evening included dinner and a bonding activity led by our Israeli madrichim.
Today was also punctuated by many visits from CJHS alumni!
Tomorrow, we look forward to an early morning walk to daven Shacharit by Robinson's Arch, the area of the Kotel where Conservative and egalitarian minyanim are permitted. We will spend the morning in the City of David, and the afternoon in Ein Kerem, where we will learn about Christianity as part of our study of the three religions of Jerusalem.
For our free evening, we will spend some time at Malcha Mall, which is indoor and secure. secure mall.
We have now activated our blog. You can read this post and all future posts at http://seniorisraelexperience.blogspot.com/. There is a place on the upper righthand side where you can subscribe to the blog and get alerts when we post a new message.
Caroline Musin
Claudia Linda
Ted Schaffner
Today was our first full day in Israel, and it was wonderful! We started our day at the Conservative Yeshiva, where we learned with Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Shmuel Lewis about pluralism through the lens of Hillel and Shammai.
Next, we went to the Israel Museum, where we learned about the Second Temple period. We looked at a baseball-diamond-sized model of Jerusalem at that time; interestingly enough, this model used to sit next to the Holyland Hotel, and a few years ago, it was moved to the Israel Museum. (Not a small task...) We then headed into the Shrine of the Book, where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Qumran are kept, and we learned that the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is considered the greatest find in all of Jewish history.
We spent the afternoon in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, starting with a picnic lunch. We took a group picture there and hope to soon have the capability to add pictures to the blog. We started our tour of the Jewish Quarter by going to a rooftop vista at the precise center of the Old City. From there, we were able to see all four quarters--Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Muslim--and therefore better understand the geography of the area. While in the Jewish Quarter, we went to a cluster called The Four Sephardi Synagogues (even though one was actually Ashkenazi) and saw a number of other sites before heading to the Kotel, where students davened mincha and saw a presentation by Sharsheret HaDorot (Chain of Generations) as an introduction to the Kotel.
Our evening included dinner and a bonding activity led by our Israeli madrichim.
Today was also punctuated by many visits from CJHS alumni!
Tomorrow, we look forward to an early morning walk to daven Shacharit by Robinson's Arch, the area of the Kotel where Conservative and egalitarian minyanim are permitted. We will spend the morning in the City of David, and the afternoon in Ein Kerem, where we will learn about Christianity as part of our study of the three religions of Jerusalem.
For our free evening, we will spend some time at Malcha Mall, which is indoor and secure. secure mall.
We have now activated our blog. You can read this post and all future posts at http://seniorisraelexperience.blogspot.com/. There is a place on the upper righthand side where you can subscribe to the blog and get alerts when we post a new message.
Caroline Musin
Claudia Linda
Ted Schaffner
December 29, 11:30 p.m.
December 29, 2008
11:30 p.m., Jerusalem
Dear Parents,
After many hours of travel, we have finally arrived in Israel! Our day was permeated by the celebration of one student's birthday across many, many time zones, as well as the newness of Israel to our three students who are here for the first time. Upon arrival, we ascended to Jerusalem, met our Israeli staff, and enjoyed a delicious dinner and welcoming activity before heading off to bed; we are all exhausted!!
Unfortunately, we are not able to get our cell phones until Tuesday morning, so we wanted to get this message to you as soon as possible-we are here! Please keep in mind that if we receive the phones as expected at 9:30 a.m., that is 1:30 a.m. in Chicago, so plan on hearing from your children later in the day.
This evening, we on the CJHS staff met with David Keren, Director of USY Programs in Israel, and our contact from the Israel Experience, as well as our two Israeli staff members. (One is a regular madricha-counselor-and the other is a madrich, who serves as a counselor and guard and is also a qualified medic.)
A few words about the planning of our trip: The Israel Experience is the travel agency of the Jewish Agency for Israel, and is responsible for all of the youth programs and tours in Israel. The Jewish agency has a security team that approves the itinerary for every youth program in Israel, in advance and on a daily basis. The security team receives minute-by-minute updates on areas of concern and makes decisions about restricting access to those areas. When they have an alert, our staff receives the message immediately.
As a result of recent events, our schedule for the next few days has been adjusted. Tuesday's schedule remains the same. On Wednesday, although we will still examine the three religions of Jerusalem, we will not be going to the Temple Mount or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Our Israeli staff has arranged for us to visit Mt. Zion and Ein Kerem instead.
On Thursday afternoon, we will take a hike through the Jerusalem mountains rather than visit Gush Etzion.
We look forward to keeping in touch with you on a regular basis. We are going to establish a blog to make communication easier on our end. We'll let you know as soon as the blog is set up.
Caroline Musin
Claudia Linda
Ted Schaffner
11:30 p.m., Jerusalem
Dear Parents,
After many hours of travel, we have finally arrived in Israel! Our day was permeated by the celebration of one student's birthday across many, many time zones, as well as the newness of Israel to our three students who are here for the first time. Upon arrival, we ascended to Jerusalem, met our Israeli staff, and enjoyed a delicious dinner and welcoming activity before heading off to bed; we are all exhausted!!
Unfortunately, we are not able to get our cell phones until Tuesday morning, so we wanted to get this message to you as soon as possible-we are here! Please keep in mind that if we receive the phones as expected at 9:30 a.m., that is 1:30 a.m. in Chicago, so plan on hearing from your children later in the day.
This evening, we on the CJHS staff met with David Keren, Director of USY Programs in Israel, and our contact from the Israel Experience, as well as our two Israeli staff members. (One is a regular madricha-counselor-and the other is a madrich, who serves as a counselor and guard and is also a qualified medic.)
A few words about the planning of our trip: The Israel Experience is the travel agency of the Jewish Agency for Israel, and is responsible for all of the youth programs and tours in Israel. The Jewish agency has a security team that approves the itinerary for every youth program in Israel, in advance and on a daily basis. The security team receives minute-by-minute updates on areas of concern and makes decisions about restricting access to those areas. When they have an alert, our staff receives the message immediately.
As a result of recent events, our schedule for the next few days has been adjusted. Tuesday's schedule remains the same. On Wednesday, although we will still examine the three religions of Jerusalem, we will not be going to the Temple Mount or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Our Israeli staff has arranged for us to visit Mt. Zion and Ein Kerem instead.
On Thursday afternoon, we will take a hike through the Jerusalem mountains rather than visit Gush Etzion.
We look forward to keeping in touch with you on a regular basis. We are going to establish a blog to make communication easier on our end. We'll let you know as soon as the blog is set up.
Caroline Musin
Claudia Linda
Ted Schaffner
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