Our first day of real work!
Painting walls and scraping floors.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Alternative Break Shabbat
We're having our first Shabbat together as a great Alternative Winter Break to New Orleans group!
We're having our first meeting soon. Have a great evening! More information to come!
--Julie
We're having our first meeting soon. Have a great evening! More information to come!
--Julie
Sunday, December 21, 2008
5 Days to New Orleans!
We can't wait to get to New Orleans and begin to work on the school! On December 31, we will be working with the Children's Museum of New Orleans and helping the children celebrate the new year. This is going to be an amazing trip. We can't wait to share our stories and photos with you.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Last night in Israel
It has been our honor to be a part of your children's (and friend's) first experience in Israel. This trip has certainly changed their lives and, as this was the beginning of a personal journey for them, we can't wait to see where it leads.
Maxine and Dana
Shalom everyone!!
With only one day left of traveling around this beautiful and historical land, I can honestly say this has been the most amazing experience of my life. I know all of you at home are probably wondering what is going on over here so let me just set the scene for you for a second. For the past 9 days, 48 of us have been traveling around on a tour bus..from 7 am to late hours of the night. We are all together constantly and I am so thankful to have made so many best friends on this trip that I will be able to carry on relationships with even after we leave Israel. We have visited the most amazing sites I have ever seen and I am sure that all of your sons and daughters will have a million pictures to show you upon their return ( Don’t worry ma, you know I do). I have two experiences that I feel for me stand out above the others. First, the feelings that I felt upson visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem. It was an unbelieveable feeling being there, knowing that so many of our ancestors had been there. The emotions that I felt during the duration of our visit were unlike anything I could have imagined. The second was our swim in the Dead Sea. While I have never been so cut up from swimming in a pool of water before, the feeling of lying back and having no control over your body floating was unbelievable. Oh, yeah, and the mud wrestling was cool too (haha). Anyways, just a short briefing of my experience. There is simply just too much to tell but I must go for now. Only 2 more days until you get to see us again! It is getting close, no worries☺
Lots of love,
Jen Libbares
Virginia Tech ‘10
In the midst of the NFL playoffs, the VT Chokies upstting loss to the putrid Jayhawks, the stresses of a new semester at school and the new year being rung in, stepping off the airplane on January 4th and leaving all that behind was easier than I thought. The fact that we don’t even know the day or even the time of day back in the States might have something to do with it, but the sights, sounds, smells and everything else in the land of Israel is surreal. With all the craziness in the world today, specifically the Middle East, I never thought I would make the journey, but this was the year that my darling mother’s nagging and persistence finally paid off and she was able to persuade me to go and I’m so glad she did. There are so many amazing places that we have visited and sights that have touched us all.
This trip has not only allowed me to make 46 new jewish friends, but the amazing feelings and emotions associated with the sites and lectures have made me think twice about a lot of the things I take for granted and the life I live in the good old US of A.
I love to travel and it is something I plan on continuing the rest of my life. In one year I have visited the highest elevation on earth (Mt. Kileakahaahhaha or something of that sort), and now I can add the lowest place on earth to that. The only difference is that Israel feels more like home for some odd reason. Maybe because everybody here is Jewish and has a spicy haircut with curly hair, but the overall feeling all over the country makes me think some crazy thoughts I have never thought before. I have enjoyed my nine or ten days here, whatever it has been so far, and it is not because our TV’s only two channels are in Hebrew and I can’t watch MTV or sports, it is because this place has an aura surrounding it that touches everyone that visits it, even a bunch of college kids from all around the lovely state of Virginia. There’s a lot more that I would love to add now but I’m gonna go run and try and catch the Chargers game. I’m sure you all will hear it from my mom anyways, because we all know she LOVES to talk.
Post Script:
Thanks to all the parents for allowing their little hooligans to make this journey and to all the Jews of the 20th centrury that made this trip possible. It is one experience I will never forgot. L’Hitraot and see you soon!
Later,
Zak A. Kurtz
Roanoke College ‘07 and Boston U ‘07
Maxine and Dana
Shalom everyone!!
With only one day left of traveling around this beautiful and historical land, I can honestly say this has been the most amazing experience of my life. I know all of you at home are probably wondering what is going on over here so let me just set the scene for you for a second. For the past 9 days, 48 of us have been traveling around on a tour bus..from 7 am to late hours of the night. We are all together constantly and I am so thankful to have made so many best friends on this trip that I will be able to carry on relationships with even after we leave Israel. We have visited the most amazing sites I have ever seen and I am sure that all of your sons and daughters will have a million pictures to show you upon their return ( Don’t worry ma, you know I do). I have two experiences that I feel for me stand out above the others. First, the feelings that I felt upson visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem. It was an unbelieveable feeling being there, knowing that so many of our ancestors had been there. The emotions that I felt during the duration of our visit were unlike anything I could have imagined. The second was our swim in the Dead Sea. While I have never been so cut up from swimming in a pool of water before, the feeling of lying back and having no control over your body floating was unbelievable. Oh, yeah, and the mud wrestling was cool too (haha). Anyways, just a short briefing of my experience. There is simply just too much to tell but I must go for now. Only 2 more days until you get to see us again! It is getting close, no worries☺
Lots of love,
Jen Libbares
Virginia Tech ‘10
In the midst of the NFL playoffs, the VT Chokies upstting loss to the putrid Jayhawks, the stresses of a new semester at school and the new year being rung in, stepping off the airplane on January 4th and leaving all that behind was easier than I thought. The fact that we don’t even know the day or even the time of day back in the States might have something to do with it, but the sights, sounds, smells and everything else in the land of Israel is surreal. With all the craziness in the world today, specifically the Middle East, I never thought I would make the journey, but this was the year that my darling mother’s nagging and persistence finally paid off and she was able to persuade me to go and I’m so glad she did. There are so many amazing places that we have visited and sights that have touched us all.
This trip has not only allowed me to make 46 new jewish friends, but the amazing feelings and emotions associated with the sites and lectures have made me think twice about a lot of the things I take for granted and the life I live in the good old US of A.
I love to travel and it is something I plan on continuing the rest of my life. In one year I have visited the highest elevation on earth (Mt. Kileakahaahhaha or something of that sort), and now I can add the lowest place on earth to that. The only difference is that Israel feels more like home for some odd reason. Maybe because everybody here is Jewish and has a spicy haircut with curly hair, but the overall feeling all over the country makes me think some crazy thoughts I have never thought before. I have enjoyed my nine or ten days here, whatever it has been so far, and it is not because our TV’s only two channels are in Hebrew and I can’t watch MTV or sports, it is because this place has an aura surrounding it that touches everyone that visits it, even a bunch of college kids from all around the lovely state of Virginia. There’s a lot more that I would love to add now but I’m gonna go run and try and catch the Chargers game. I’m sure you all will hear it from my mom anyways, because we all know she LOVES to talk.
Post Script:
Thanks to all the parents for allowing their little hooligans to make this journey and to all the Jews of the 20th centrury that made this trip possible. It is one experience I will never forgot. L’Hitraot and see you soon!
Later,
Zak A. Kurtz
Roanoke College ‘07 and Boston U ‘07
Thursday, January 10, 2008
and now for some pictures...
Ben Mills and Craig Luxenberg enjoying a camel ride in the Negev
the group at Independence Hall
the group on an army tank at the Armed Forces Memorial
Josh Rubin, Maxine Squires, Ben Mihal, Dave Starler, and Mike Ross at the MegaEvent, where we celebrated the fact that we were in Israel with thousands of other Jews from all over the world, all visiting here for the first time
Yerushalayim shel zahav (Jerusalem of gold)
Jerusalem, if I forget you,
fire not gonna come from me tongue.
Jerusalem, if I forget you,
let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do.
-Matisyahu
Jerusalem is one of my favorite cities in the world and I am so excited to be here for Shabbat! Above is one of my favorite quotes- it's actually taken from a psalm and Matisyahu popularized it. Below you will find 3 student updates of the trip, as well as a special post from 2 of our visiting soldiers. One of the greatest parts of the trip is that we get 8 soldiers from the Israeli Air Force to spend 5 days with us and teach us about what they do and all about Israel and we get to teach them all about what we do in America. What better way to learn about Israel than from the people who live here, right? They've only been with us for a day, and already we've had some great conversations.
Anyway, shabbat shalom! Talk to you soon!
Maxine
Shalom!
Since the minute we all started learning about our Jewish heritage back in Hebrew school, it has been our dream to visit the Promised Land, the land of our forefathers promised to our nation by Adonai. Thanks to the Taglit-birthright: israel program those of us on this trip have been given that opportunity, and its more than we ever imagined. I won’t spend time reviewing what we’ve done so far on this trip, in such a short amount of time it feels like so much. Instead I would like to make sure that my parents (and probably a few others) are at ease, and are not needlessly worrying for our safety. To do this, I would like to explain about the staff guiding us. We have three men that are in charge of taking us around the Land of Milk and Honey, and their names are Benny, Elad, and Yoni. Benny is our driver, and while he doesn’t talk much, I have witnessed him do things while driving a bus that I thought were impossible, and now that he has performed these manuevers, I would like you all to feel as at ease as I am about us riding on the bus. Elad is our protection. All touring programs hire former Israeli soldiers to protect the groups, and not only is Elad a former soldier, but also a first class medic who served as such in the IDF. Finally, Yoni is our tour guide, the one who has already imparted us with so much knowledge in just a few days about the formation, destruction, and reconstruction of our land, and our resliliency as a people. To make you a little more familiar with him, he was born and raised in Queens (that should make you feel better, Dad), graduated from Queens College with a degree in International Relations, has an MA in Israeli Politcal Science, and served as a soldier in the IDF when he intially made Aliyah. These three men, along with Maxine and Dana (who are our staff from Virginia Tech and Richmond) have made this an amazing trip that has given all of us much more insight into the history of our people, and our relationship to all of it.
David Ramras
Virginia Tech ‘11
So I was sitting on the rather long bus ride towards Jerusalem this afternoon, vaguely dozing off, when our tour guide, Yoni, grabs the mic and tells us to look out to the left. Apparently we were closer to Jerusalem than I thought, because right out my window was a fantastic view of the whole city – and let me tell you, that is quite a sight.
While it is fortunate that I was awake enough to hear Yoni’s alert, I wish I had been more tired – the schedule today was originally to wake up around three (!) and go to Masada in time to see the sunrise. This plan fell through due to rain and general haziness, which was rather a bummer, but I imagine I got more out of the overall experience of Masada (which is an amazing place, by the way, with a lot of dramatic stories behind it) than I would have if I had been too exhausted to pay attention to the history.
We then went to the Dead Sea, and, uh, I mean, I knew it was really salty, but nobody told me that the beach was made of salt! I mean it: there’s no sand. While this makes it extraordinarily painful to walk on, and I saw some people end up with lacerated feet, it is also really cool.
The rest of the evening was fairly low key: some downtime and then dinner at the hotel we’re staying at and then a couple hours of tourism on Beh Yehuda street. Now we’re back at the hotel and despite having woken up at seven rather than three, it is nearing my bedtime. So I leave with regards from Jerusalem and a nod to how amazing it is that I’m in Israel at all.
Alexander Corwin
Virginia Tech, ‘11
I admitted early on the trip that I originally didn’t come to Israel to deepen any relations with what I call home with my own eyes, and to hear the tales of all the things that occurred. Last night was spent at a Bedouin tent in the Negev desert and the night out in the quiet and cold desert brought out something that I didn’t expect in such a seemingly barren section. We did an activity where everyone on the bus spred out in the dark and for me, sitting on a cold stone pathway, gripping a small weathered rock, I felt oddly at peace, and realized I wasn’t alone in this land, even if everyone in my group suddenly vanished. The feeling suffused my spirit, my mind reveling in the concept of sitting on the same stones as some distant ancestor, feeling connected through the barricades of time by a single thread. We were Jews, are Jews, always Jews. Israel is where we belong, and I felt like the land itself wanted us there, constantly calling out to us with its welcoming winds. Despite its sometimes harsh terrain, I felt no fear, for it is as if the very spirit of the land is walking with me.
Jessica Harowitz
VCU, ‘10
We knew all of the places that we have been today and we heard all of the stories that we heard today, but every time it is a more special experience for us. This is our first time in Taglit-Brithright and it feels really good to know that the Jews from all over the world really appreciate the country, the histroy of Israel, and the religion, and it doesn’t matter that they live far away from here. Today we were in the Dead Sea, and even though it was so cold, we had a great time. Even when we climbed Masada, that we had climbed before, it did not feel the same because the atmosphere felt so good. Every place that we have visited with the Taglit program looks so different than before because we are with these other Jews who are visiting Israel for the first time. We think that it is very important to continue with this program because it changes the way that they think about our country.
Thank you for an excellent trip we appreciate it so much.
Bat-hen Zohar and Aviran Haham, Israeli Air Force
fire not gonna come from me tongue.
Jerusalem, if I forget you,
let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do.
-Matisyahu
Jerusalem is one of my favorite cities in the world and I am so excited to be here for Shabbat! Above is one of my favorite quotes- it's actually taken from a psalm and Matisyahu popularized it. Below you will find 3 student updates of the trip, as well as a special post from 2 of our visiting soldiers. One of the greatest parts of the trip is that we get 8 soldiers from the Israeli Air Force to spend 5 days with us and teach us about what they do and all about Israel and we get to teach them all about what we do in America. What better way to learn about Israel than from the people who live here, right? They've only been with us for a day, and already we've had some great conversations.
Anyway, shabbat shalom! Talk to you soon!
Maxine
Shalom!
Since the minute we all started learning about our Jewish heritage back in Hebrew school, it has been our dream to visit the Promised Land, the land of our forefathers promised to our nation by Adonai. Thanks to the Taglit-birthright: israel program those of us on this trip have been given that opportunity, and its more than we ever imagined. I won’t spend time reviewing what we’ve done so far on this trip, in such a short amount of time it feels like so much. Instead I would like to make sure that my parents (and probably a few others) are at ease, and are not needlessly worrying for our safety. To do this, I would like to explain about the staff guiding us. We have three men that are in charge of taking us around the Land of Milk and Honey, and their names are Benny, Elad, and Yoni. Benny is our driver, and while he doesn’t talk much, I have witnessed him do things while driving a bus that I thought were impossible, and now that he has performed these manuevers, I would like you all to feel as at ease as I am about us riding on the bus. Elad is our protection. All touring programs hire former Israeli soldiers to protect the groups, and not only is Elad a former soldier, but also a first class medic who served as such in the IDF. Finally, Yoni is our tour guide, the one who has already imparted us with so much knowledge in just a few days about the formation, destruction, and reconstruction of our land, and our resliliency as a people. To make you a little more familiar with him, he was born and raised in Queens (that should make you feel better, Dad), graduated from Queens College with a degree in International Relations, has an MA in Israeli Politcal Science, and served as a soldier in the IDF when he intially made Aliyah. These three men, along with Maxine and Dana (who are our staff from Virginia Tech and Richmond) have made this an amazing trip that has given all of us much more insight into the history of our people, and our relationship to all of it.
David Ramras
Virginia Tech ‘11
So I was sitting on the rather long bus ride towards Jerusalem this afternoon, vaguely dozing off, when our tour guide, Yoni, grabs the mic and tells us to look out to the left. Apparently we were closer to Jerusalem than I thought, because right out my window was a fantastic view of the whole city – and let me tell you, that is quite a sight.
While it is fortunate that I was awake enough to hear Yoni’s alert, I wish I had been more tired – the schedule today was originally to wake up around three (!) and go to Masada in time to see the sunrise. This plan fell through due to rain and general haziness, which was rather a bummer, but I imagine I got more out of the overall experience of Masada (which is an amazing place, by the way, with a lot of dramatic stories behind it) than I would have if I had been too exhausted to pay attention to the history.
We then went to the Dead Sea, and, uh, I mean, I knew it was really salty, but nobody told me that the beach was made of salt! I mean it: there’s no sand. While this makes it extraordinarily painful to walk on, and I saw some people end up with lacerated feet, it is also really cool.
The rest of the evening was fairly low key: some downtime and then dinner at the hotel we’re staying at and then a couple hours of tourism on Beh Yehuda street. Now we’re back at the hotel and despite having woken up at seven rather than three, it is nearing my bedtime. So I leave with regards from Jerusalem and a nod to how amazing it is that I’m in Israel at all.
Alexander Corwin
Virginia Tech, ‘11
I admitted early on the trip that I originally didn’t come to Israel to deepen any relations with what I call home with my own eyes, and to hear the tales of all the things that occurred. Last night was spent at a Bedouin tent in the Negev desert and the night out in the quiet and cold desert brought out something that I didn’t expect in such a seemingly barren section. We did an activity where everyone on the bus spred out in the dark and for me, sitting on a cold stone pathway, gripping a small weathered rock, I felt oddly at peace, and realized I wasn’t alone in this land, even if everyone in my group suddenly vanished. The feeling suffused my spirit, my mind reveling in the concept of sitting on the same stones as some distant ancestor, feeling connected through the barricades of time by a single thread. We were Jews, are Jews, always Jews. Israel is where we belong, and I felt like the land itself wanted us there, constantly calling out to us with its welcoming winds. Despite its sometimes harsh terrain, I felt no fear, for it is as if the very spirit of the land is walking with me.
Jessica Harowitz
VCU, ‘10
We knew all of the places that we have been today and we heard all of the stories that we heard today, but every time it is a more special experience for us. This is our first time in Taglit-Brithright and it feels really good to know that the Jews from all over the world really appreciate the country, the histroy of Israel, and the religion, and it doesn’t matter that they live far away from here. Today we were in the Dead Sea, and even though it was so cold, we had a great time. Even when we climbed Masada, that we had climbed before, it did not feel the same because the atmosphere felt so good. Every place that we have visited with the Taglit program looks so different than before because we are with these other Jews who are visiting Israel for the first time. We think that it is very important to continue with this program because it changes the way that they think about our country.
Thank you for an excellent trip we appreciate it so much.
Bat-hen Zohar and Aviran Haham, Israeli Air Force
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Shalom from Israel!
Ashkelon, January 6, 2008
Hi everyone! We have been in Israel now for 3 days and things have been incredible. Sorry for the delay of the updates, but we've been very busy celebrating Shabbat and starting to tour the country. Pictures will come soon, but for now, here are some student postings.
Maxine Squires
Boker Tov!
We’ve just left the MegaEvent with about four thousand other Taglit: birthright- Israel participants, from all over the globe, and what an event! Our first day in Jerusalem was full of amazing views, from the old city skyline at sundown to an impromptu dance party to all of us singing “Salaam, aleinu ve al kol haolam, salaam” (peace to the whole world) just now at the Mega Event. But that’s not all we’ve seen: we’ve also had the opportunity to see the bunker where the Declaration of Independence was signed and Hatikva first played, an underground super-secret bullet factory for the War of Independance, a yoga shabbat service, and so much more in just three days! We’ve all become a lot closer to Israel and to one another. We participated in group discussions where we debated whether the Jewish people are normal or special and how we felt connected to Israel. It’s truly an amazing experience, learning about everything that’s happened in the short 60 years since Israel became an independent Jewish state in 1948 and at times overwhelming when we try to order falafel and shwarma.
Personally, I feel better than ever about my decision to become more active in the Virginia Tech Jewish community, and coming to Israel may have been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Israel is an amazing country, and being here in our homeland makes me feel so proud and I know that whatever the trip brings, I will relish as much as the pita and hummus I had for dinner.
Very tired, but very, very happy,
Sabrina Wilbern, Virginia Tech
Shalom from Eretz Yisrael!!!
We’re three days into our journey to and around our homeland, and things couldn’t be going any better. So far we have been spending our time in the central portion of the country, based out of our hotel in Ashquelon. We have done quite a bit of sightseeing in and around Tel Aviv-Yafo, including Independence hall and the Israeli version of the Pentagon (don’t remember the name though it was some pretty sweet architecture). We also went to Yitzchak Rabin Square where we discussed the “special-ness” of the Jewish people (apparently we are quite special…).
Today, Sunday, can pretty much be described as awesome, as the entire day was simply amazing. We started the day with a fun Icebreaker and then another interesting discussion. Following that we visited Ayalon Institute, which was a factory hidden under a kibbutz that was used to make bullets from 1945 until 1948. Then we went to visit the Israeli Armored division memorial and museum, where we learned abou the history of the armored corps of the IDF, and managed to fit everyone on our bus onto one tank.
Time to go pass out,
Zach Gottlieb
Richmond ‘10
P.S. No trouble yet mom…
Hi everyone! We have been in Israel now for 3 days and things have been incredible. Sorry for the delay of the updates, but we've been very busy celebrating Shabbat and starting to tour the country. Pictures will come soon, but for now, here are some student postings.
Maxine Squires
Boker Tov!
We’ve just left the MegaEvent with about four thousand other Taglit: birthright- Israel participants, from all over the globe, and what an event! Our first day in Jerusalem was full of amazing views, from the old city skyline at sundown to an impromptu dance party to all of us singing “Salaam, aleinu ve al kol haolam, salaam” (peace to the whole world) just now at the Mega Event. But that’s not all we’ve seen: we’ve also had the opportunity to see the bunker where the Declaration of Independence was signed and Hatikva first played, an underground super-secret bullet factory for the War of Independance, a yoga shabbat service, and so much more in just three days! We’ve all become a lot closer to Israel and to one another. We participated in group discussions where we debated whether the Jewish people are normal or special and how we felt connected to Israel. It’s truly an amazing experience, learning about everything that’s happened in the short 60 years since Israel became an independent Jewish state in 1948 and at times overwhelming when we try to order falafel and shwarma.
Personally, I feel better than ever about my decision to become more active in the Virginia Tech Jewish community, and coming to Israel may have been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Israel is an amazing country, and being here in our homeland makes me feel so proud and I know that whatever the trip brings, I will relish as much as the pita and hummus I had for dinner.
Very tired, but very, very happy,
Sabrina Wilbern, Virginia Tech
Shalom from Eretz Yisrael!!!
We’re three days into our journey to and around our homeland, and things couldn’t be going any better. So far we have been spending our time in the central portion of the country, based out of our hotel in Ashquelon. We have done quite a bit of sightseeing in and around Tel Aviv-Yafo, including Independence hall and the Israeli version of the Pentagon (don’t remember the name though it was some pretty sweet architecture). We also went to Yitzchak Rabin Square where we discussed the “special-ness” of the Jewish people (apparently we are quite special…).
Today, Sunday, can pretty much be described as awesome, as the entire day was simply amazing. We started the day with a fun Icebreaker and then another interesting discussion. Following that we visited Ayalon Institute, which was a factory hidden under a kibbutz that was used to make bullets from 1945 until 1948. Then we went to visit the Israeli Armored division memorial and museum, where we learned abou the history of the armored corps of the IDF, and managed to fit everyone on our bus onto one tank.
Time to go pass out,
Zach Gottlieb
Richmond ‘10
P.S. No trouble yet mom…
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Day before Taglit-birthright israel winter trip!!!!
We're so excited. We're doing last minute packing.
Go bus 703!!
Go bus 703!!
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