Updates from Israel

Things are going really well and the bus is having an amazing time. We started off in Jerusalem and shared both Shavuot and Shabbat together. The group shared some personal stories, what Shabbat meant to them, and their hopes/expectations for the trip. All the boys on the trip spent time with the Rabbi at the…

We started off the day with a view of the border with Lebanon. We then went to the Jordan River where we took an exhilarating ride on rafts with our friends. We ate lunch at a mall, getting to shop and see some sights. Then we went on a beautiful hike alongside a mountain in…

Shavua Tov from Israel’s north! Birthright so far has been an amazing adventure. After arriving early on Thursday morning, we met our tour guide, Oren, and boarded our bus and headed to Caesarea where we toured the ruins of this ancient seaport. From there we headed to Zichron Yakov for lunch and finally to our…

Today was an incredible and jam-packed day, and I’m not just saying that because it was my birthday!  We started out waking up earlier than we did yesterday, and took a beautiful bus ride to the Golan Heights for our Jeep tour!  The terrain ended up being a lot more rough than I expected but…

After an amazing three days in the north, we arrived to the holiest city, Jerusalem. The last stop before we got to Jerusalem was the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa (pictured here). Yesterday was a very special day known as Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). There was a flag parade and thousands of people on the streets…

Today we packed up and left the amazing residence at a kibbutz and spent our morning in Tzfat Old City! We were in awe of the beauty and architecture of one of the holy cities in the land of Israel. After our lovely morning we headed out to meet our Mifgash, or Israeli friends! We…

Bus 48-169 arrived in Israel this morning! After a long flight with a plethora of movies and yummy bolognese, we successfully made it to the holy land ahead of schedule. We met the Israeli peers and our tour guide, Zvika outside the airport and began our day. We took a 2.5 hour bus ride to…

DAY 1 UPDATE! After safely arriving in Israel and playing luggage Jenga to fit all our bags on the bus, we first headed to Ceasarea National Park where we enjoyed some beautiful views.  We then enjoyed lunch on our own at Zikron Ya’akov (pictured schnitzel baguette) We then drove to Hanadiv gardens before returning to…

Howdy y’all! We have arrived in the Holy Land! Excitement is rumbling through the group. Our students are so incredibly kind and courteous to one another. We’ve already shared some good laughs together. Good vibes all around for bus 166!

The sun sets over the vista, and we gather too begin our prayers. Amir, our tour guide, introduces us to the concept of the sabbath bride, the idea that we are welcoming in the holiness of the day, to take us into a space above our day to day routine. We gather to celebrate a…