Write On For Israel

July 2, 2011 • 5:59 am 0

A Collection of WOFI Photos

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June 29, 2011 • 6:58 pm 0

Today is Wednesday, June 29, 2011, and we spent the entire day exploring the Golan. We started off by taking an early bus ride to an observation point overlooking the border between Syria and Israel. Our tour guide for the day, Shauli, talked to us about the dispute between the Syria-Israel border; for example, we discussed what claims the Syrians feel that they have to the land, and the importance of Israeli settlements in the Golan to maintain our land. We also discussed their claims to the water of the Kineret, and learned about the three previous attempts of the Hezbollah to reroute water away from the Kineret by means of a canal system (luckily, Hezbollah was never successful).

After this discussion, we drove a few minutes to look around bunkers near the Syrian border. Continuing our talk about Syria, we learned about “our man in Damascus,” the heroic Israeli spy Eli Cohen. He was able to rise quickly through the ranks of the Syrian government and provide our country with crucial information via nightly transmissions. Tragically, he was discovered by Russians who had recognized his communications for what they were: spy transmissions. He was then publicly executed by the Syrians.

After eating lunch, we saw a short film at a kibbutz. The film documented the battle in the Valley of Tears, and the heroism our soldiers in Oz 77 displayed, despite being vastly outnumbered by Syrian tanks. Despite the difficulties, Israeli soldiers were able to defeat the much larger Syrian army and defend our border. We then drove to the Valley of Tears to see it for ourselves. We saw a Syrian tank, destroyed by our soldiers. Seeing the land that our soldiers defended brought a real feeling of pride and gratitude to us.

After such a serious day, we had some fun during a water hike. The water got deep enough to swim in, and everyone finished the hike soaked from being splashed. Tired, we drove back to the kibbutz for dinner and two optional swims.

Tomorrow we leave the kibbutz and go to Jerusalem. We’ll talk to you soon!

Love, WOFI

(Written by Danna N.)

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June 29, 2011 • 6:57 pm 0

June 27 Continued

After our trip to Tsfat, we got back on the bus and headed to Kibbutz Misgav Am, located in the northernmost place in Israel known as the “finger of the Galilee”. From our vantage point at the end of a mountain range, we could look east to the Golan Heights and Syria, and north and west to Lebanon. Our guide was Alex, an eloquent and powerful speaker who had made aliyah from the States at eighteen. Pointing out the Lebanese border only a few hundred meters from where we sat, he described life on a kibbutz overlooking Hezbollah.

As we took in our spectacular and volatile surroundings, he outlined a history of the region, beginning in the early years of negotiations when the Israeli border was drawn to only just enclose Misgav Am. He described in graphic detail a time when Lebanese terrorists crossed the fence, took prisoners in the kibbutz daycare center, and killed innocent children in inhumane ways. He talked about the necessity of sharing the kibbutz with the IDF, while camouflaged trucks roared by and interrupted his presentation periodically. While the situation on the border is much more stable than it once was, he described recent events as well, including the shooting of an Israeli landscaper cutting back the bushes along the border fence. He offered many opinions about current events in Israeli politics, as while as about the future of the border and of Israel as a whole.

Alex’s talk was thought-provoking and controversial among the WOFI participants, and we discussed his opinions and ideas in a group meeting in the evening, once we arrived at Kibbutz Gadot for the night. Before the more serious talk, however, we settled into our rooms, ate a delicious meal in the kibbutz dining hall, and even took an evening swim, since the kibbutz had offered to keep the pool open for us. Finally, we went to bed for some much-needed sleep before another busy day.

Written by Julia D.

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June 29, 2011 • 5:24 am 0

Tuesday June 27, 2011 – WOFI Blog

Hello everyone!

Tuesday morning, we woke bright and early to pack our bags and head out to Tsfat, one of Israel’s four holy cities. On our ride from Haifa east through northern Israel, we observed a beautiful rural landscape that was different from any other we have seen so far.

Upon our arrival in Tsfat, we were all struck by the unique beauty of the place. Tsfat, for those who have not been, is constructed high on the sides of a mountain out of yellow-white stone. While its narrow, twisting alleys and stairways are now filled with tourists and artisans for much of the day, it retains the fresh air and tranquility that originally drew learned Jews from all over the world to study and contemplate the mysteries of Judaism.

There, we were led on a tour of some synagogues and other special places, and heard many anecdotes about Tsfat’s earlier days. Afterwards, we ate sandwiches on the roof of a Kabbalah center, and were treated to a spectacular view of northern Israel while we chatted and ate. Some of us attended a workshop that taught us about the healing properties of certain herbs, while others chose to learn about the significance of different colors in Kabbalah and make some very unique candles.

To be continued…..

Written by Julia D.

Filed under: Uncategorized

June 28, 2011 • 6:08 am 1

Blog Post #1 by Danna N.

Hi everyone!

So, we arrived in Israel five days ago, and already we’ve done so much. In just a few days, we’ve driven from Tel Aviv to Gaza, then across the country to the West Bank, then north to the beautiful modern city of Haifa.

We spent the first few days of the trip in Tel Aviv, staying as a group in the City Hotel (Malon City in Hebrew). We arrived on Thursday evening, and spent the night eating dinner and resting from the plane ride. One documentary group, the group whose documentary focuses on the relations between Jews and Arabs in the biblical city of Yafo, took a taxi to the city to film footage of people and buildings. The others took a leisurely stroll around the city and the Tel Aviv promenade (tayelet).

On Friday, we began our programs. We started the day by visiting the Rabin Israeli History Museum, a museum that tells, simultaneously, the story of Yitzchak Rabin and the story of Israel’s history, both before and after the War of Independence. After a tour of the museum, we shared a short discussion with our tour guides about some of the political questions that affect Israel – for example, should Israeli laws be based on Jewish laws (Halacha), or should Israel be a secular country? And is it fair for Orthodox Jews to be exempt from service in tzahal (the IDF)?

After we left the museum, we had some free time to get lunch on our own in Tel Aviv. We walked around the urban-hip Shenkin Street and the Shuk HaCarmel, eating “traditionally Israeli” food or more “exotic” Yemeni dishes. After some more shopping in the market, we returned to the hotel for beach time, a Shabbat service in the park, and a game of beach volleyball at night. Relaxing on the beach and playing volleyball was awesome, especially when the rules don’t matter – for example, nobody cares if your team puts twenty people on the court simultaneously, or if you don’t serve outside the lines.

On Saturday morning, after a late wake-up in Shabbat tradition, we met with teenagers from the city of Cholon. We went with them to an interactive museum, where we experienced what it was like to be deaf. We learned some Hebrew sign language, and ordered snacks using what we knew. Then, we joined our new friends for a delicious home-cooked lunch. With them, we were able to talk not only about the kind of things friends would discuss, but we were able to have deeper conversations about life in Israel. For example, I talked with a girl named Bar about how she feels regarding people – like me – who are Israeli citizens, but live in the United States and won’t join the army like other Israelis. (I was relieved to find out that she has nothing against us [me]). After lunch, we hit the beach with our new friends, had dinner, and enjoyed free time on the Tel Aviv port (namal). Even though we didn’t get to go to the Max Brenner chocolate café (it had a two-hour wait for a table), we still got ice cream and relaxed with each other.

Sunday was a huge day for us. We toured the Intel plant, but more importantly, we visited Kibbutz Alumim, a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip that, in the past, has been the victim of Qasam rockets. We also talked with a resident of Sderot, a city famous in the media for the Qasam attacks it suffers, about the tragic loss of his seventeen-year-old daughter Ella. Even after he lost his daughter, he continues to live in the city – he doesn’t want to give the Palestinians the double victory of taking his daughter and forcing him out of his home. Following dinner, we talked to some Ethiopian students about their immigration to Israel and their new life, and then – exhausted – we went to sleep.

Yesterday (Monday), we packed our bags and left Tel Aviv. On the way to Haifa, we stopped at the West Bank and talked to a soldier guarding the wall that prevents terrorists from entering the country. We then met our pen pals at the Reali school in Haifa, and then toured a Druze village. This was an amazing experience, because we got to talk to young secular Druze woman about her life. The Druze are a unique and amazing group – though they’re Arabs, they’re not Muslim or Christian. They’re loyal to Israel, and percentage-wise, more Druze join the IDF than Jews (82% compared to 73%). So far, this was my favorite day – I mean, how many people can say that they’ve been to the West Bank, or have visited a Druze village?!

As I write this, it’s Tuesday morning, and we’re off to Tzfat – a Kabbalistic city in the north of Israel, where we’ll get to experience a bit of Jewish mysticism. We’ll tell you about it soon!

Love, the WOFI program (Written by Danna N.)

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June 8, 2011 • 7:47 pm 1