Zichron Ya'acov

Today I visited the Zichron Ya'akov, or "Jacob's Memorial". It is a small town in Israel, with an approximate population of only 1800, at the southern end of the Carmel Mountain Range. It was one of the first settlements in Israel, named in memory of Jacob. There, I went to many wineries, like Carmel. Zichron Ya'akov grows tons of grapes to make wine sold throughout the country. Although I didn't actually buy any wine, it was interesting to see how it was made, and the rows and rows of grapes. Although it is a small size, it is a fairly popular vacation spot. I also passed by Yeshivat Ohr Yaakov, which is an educational establishment that attracts many English-speaking students from all over the world. One other place I visited was the Aharonson's House. The Aharonson family were from the first settlers in Zichron Yaakov. The son Aharon was had a big influence on the town's agricultural success. The family played an important role in WWI. Today the house presents the history of the family and also used as a museum for the N.I.L.Y organization. Overall, I had a lot of fun in Zichron Ya'akov!!

Israeli Dancing

Today we experienced Israeli dancing for the first time ever. I'm sure everyone knows about the Israeli dance, the horah, traditionally danced to in Bar/Bat Mitzvahs or weddings. However, what most people are not familiar about is Israeli folk dancing. Did you know that Israeli folk dancing was influenced by other neighboring countries' cultures and modern ballet? Originally, the folk dances were introduced as a way to create diversity in our culture. The dances were a way for the young and the old to celebrate the new country. Even sixty years later, Israeli folk dancing is still a huge way to celebrate and simply just have fun. One of the dances is called the Temani. This special dance was a way to celebrate the independence in Israel. The horah is obviously a crowd favorite, danced to with the music Hava Nagila. This is just a hand full of the many different dances in Israel. If you haven't tried these Israeli dances, get on it! You're in for an amazing time.

-Alex

Camel Rides

Today I visited the Negev Desert and took a camel ride through it. We rode the camel for a long time. It was really fun though. It took us from 10:00 AM until 7:30 PM. I learned a lot about camels during this tour as well. I learned that they can go for a really long time without water. We gave the camel some water before we left, and then when we got back we gave him more. He was thirsty (or at least didn't seam it) the entire trip. I went with 3 other friends and a guide. We all got to ride our own camels. They are huge! We stopped a few times to take a break because in the desert it got really hot and we all got dehidrated really easily. We had to bring a lot of water! From the picture, you can see me and my camel that I took on the trip. His name was Yosef!! He was 3 years old! Alright that's all for now, I have to get to bed it's really late here. I'll write back soon. - Jack and Kimmi

Agam

Today, we were walking through Tel Aviv on the street called Dizengoff and we ran into this very cool fountain. Later we learned an artist named Agam made it. We learned Yaakov Agam was born on May 11, 1928. Also, Agam has two sons and a daughter. Agam's work is usually abstract, kinetic art, with movement, viewer participation and frequent use of light and sound. Agam works with the 4th dimension, simultaneity and time in the visual, plastic arts.
-Jordan

Rosh HaNikra

Today we visited Rosh HaNikra! This is a kibbutz in northern Israel and its population is around 746 people. Rosh HaNikra means “head of grottos” in Hebrew. Rosh HaNikra is located in Western Galilee near the border of Lebanon. Rosh HaNikra served as a passage way for trade caravans and armies between the areas Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Egypt, and Africa. This was really intriguing place to learn about and it was an amazing experience. I wished I could have stayed longer to learn more about it. Overall, it was a great place to visit and I thought it was really beautiful!

Ayalon Institute

Ayalon Institute

By: Sam Krystal

Today, we went the Ayalon Institute, in the outskirts of Rechovot. Based on Kibbutz Hill, the Institute was hidden under the Nes Ziona. The primary reason for the Institute's existance, was for secret bullet manifaturing durring a time when Palistine was still under British control, and the Zionists needed ammunition to protect themselves from the British and Arabs. There are two entrances to the Institute; one was coverd by the community's washing machine and the other was covered by the community's oven. However, not all of the inhabitant were involved with the production of the Ayalon bullets. Those people were call Jirafa, or Giraffes, because they did not set foot in the underground factory. Though it ceased operation in 1948, it only became known to the public in 1975. Eventualy though, in 1987, the factory was restored and turned into a museum. This museum was the highlight of my trip, because it was chock full of interesting history, and cool machinery.

Ma'arat Hanetifim, Jerusalem

Ma'arat Hanetifim is a stalactite cave and is also called the Sorek Cave. The cave is 82 meters long and 60 meters wide. The cave was discovered accidentally by workers blasting nearby. When we visited the cave I found it absolutely amazing. The stalactites formed various objects resembling things seen every day. From the ceiling the crystals were at least four feet long. We were able to escape the heat in this equally beautiful cave any other time of the year. During the winter water drops can also be heard. The cave was a great site to see and is good that is still standing.