Today was dedicated to the partnership between CJHS students and teens in Kiryat Gat. Our day began, as usual, with tefillah, which concluded with an open conversation--conducted in Hebrew and English by students and staff on both sides--about tefillah at CJHS and within Conservative Judaism.
We spent much of the morning on an intense hike through the Jerusalem mountains, as we traced some of the steps taken in 1948 by soldiers in the War of Independence. After we reached the top of the mountain's trail, we roughed it down stone, dirt, and other obstacles to reach the bottom of the hill. Throughout the trek, we heard the students from both schools conversing together in both English and Hebrew, discussing topics ranging from politics to history, from getting a driver's license to the situation in Gaza. The hike concluded with the opportunity to make our own lunches, as the students mixed and baked pita bread over an open fire and roasted bananas, apples, and other items to supplement the hummus, salads, corn, and pickles that were provided for us.
After lunch, all of the students traveled to Rishon L'Zion, where we collaborated on a Tikkun Olam project. We went to a drop-off center for large amounts of clothing, and students sorted jeans and jackets--currently the agency's greatest need--from a veritable mountain of clothing.
We took a brief stop at the Har'el Mall for dinner before returning to Kibbutz Tzuba for closing activities. In the lobby of the kibbutz hotel, we had an impromptu singing session before the CJHS students received small gifts from our Kiryat Gat friends and everyone exchanged phone numbers and email addresses. We even had time to sing a bit more together!
Our Kiryat Gat friends left for their ride home, and we look forward to seeing them in Chicago in three months!
Our evening concluded with a class meeting. The staff shared information about the free Shabbat, which begins tomorrow morning, and the Outdoor Desert Experience we will have on Sunday and Monday.
Please be aware that the blog will not be updated until Monday night, and we may not have reliable cell phone service in the desert on Sunday and Monday.
As our students travel through much of Israel to spend time with friends and family for Shabbat, we'd like to take this time to wish Mr. Rose's family mazal tov on the birth of a new daughter, Gvt. Cohen a refuah shelema (a complete recovery), and to all of you, a Shabbat Shalom.
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