Mon. 7-21

So Wednesday, the group went up north to Beit Shearim and learned about Oral Law. I was unable to attend due to illness. Thursday, We had Hebrew in the morning and then left on our tiyul to Abu Gosh. We visited a church, and learned about the beginning of Christianity. The church has nuns from an order in France. The wear different clothing than nuns in the US. Here, they just wear modest clothing, regular shirts and skirts. The church had a beautiful statue of Mary and Baby Jesus on top and the architecture inside the church was very simple, but very pretty. After the church, we went to have lunch in Abu Gosh. Abu Gosh is a town famous for it's culinary talent. Supposedly, the best Hummus in Israel is in Abu Gosh. I sadly did not find that I like hummus...again. After lunch, we visited a small mosque and spoke with an Imam to learn about Islam. Many of the world's perceptions of Islam today are very false. Some of these such as the goal of Islam is to convert the whole world in any way possible. That is completely untrue. Islam is a very peaceful religion and one not involving terror at all. In fact, Muslims have a pretty good history with the Jews. After the Mosque, we went back to Tzuba and packed for a weekend trip. Friday morning, we had Jewish History, and then drove up north to Park HaYarden. This is a park on the Jordan River. The Jordan River is very anti-climactic when you get there. It is more like a wide stream, with flat water only about 1-2 feet deep in many places, some even shallower. We then prepared for Shabbat services and dinner. At Park HaYarden, there are all sorts of chickens, peacocks, roosters, and other animals roaming around while you eat food, or just relax. That was an experience I am not so used to. After dinner, we had some time to relax, and then were brought on a tour through the park at night without much light. We were able to hear the natural sounds of the park, and the wildlife around us. Saturday, we woke up, had services, and then went rafting on the Jordan. The rafts were like inflatable kayaks. It was kind of fun, but the water is so shallow in some places that you feel the rocks under you, or get stuck. After rafting, we went to Luna Gal, a local water park. The people at the park were somewhat inconsiderate by our standards, and a shock compared to other people we have met in Israel. People cut in lines, and just seem to have some grudge. It was still fun though. After the water park, we returned to the campground (oh right, I forgot before, Park HaYarden is a campground, like with tents) and had a little bit of free time before going to Tiberia for the night. There is some shopping there, and it is a good place to get things cheap. We ran into a bunch of the other NFTY groups there, so that was fun. We then returned back to the campground and went to sleep. Sunday morning, we woke up and went on a tiyul to Tzfat. We had history class there and also got to do some shopping. Tzfat is famous for being the main birthplace of Kabballah. They sell the red Kabballah bracelets everywhere. We then went to Belvoir crusader fortress. It is basically what it sounds like, a fortress used during the crusades. It was the last fortress to be defeated. We then had a long drive back down to Tzuba. Today, we had classes as usual, and now, I am about to head out to the pool. I'll try and update soon.

Ben