Friday, 6/27

Today was awesome. We woke up, ate breakfast, and then got on the bus for our first tiyul(trip). We went to these caves/ruins from the second temple period and the byzantine periods. We got to be archaeologists, and dig for artifacts. We found a lot of pottery, and a few pieces of bone, most likely animal. It was really cool. We got to go in these tombs (which have been emptied) and through the escape tunnels from the time of the bar kochba revolt. It was truly amazing to see what these people were able to do so long ago. We then returned to the kibbutz for lunch and some free time in the afternoon. Around 5, we left to go to the old city in Jerusalem, and we had an evening Shabbat service at the Kotel (western wall). I am head songleader for the trip, and part of the tfilah(services) committee. The old city was amazing, and we saw so many Chasidic and Orthodox Jews in their suits and interesting hats. It was an amazing experience. After we came back, we had dinner at the dining hall, and then we had free time until 1AM. I hung out with a bunch of friends and we met a few Israeli teens who live here on the kibbutz. It was a lot of fun. Now, I am writing this here at 1:40 AM, so I am going to go to bed. Tomorrow, we go back to Jerusalem.
Laila Tov
Ben