#11 - Shalom Chaverim, Shalom Tel Aviv

Today our homestay came to an end. We began the morning with farewells to our new friends from kibbutzim around the Upper Galilee. For many, the homestay is a break from history; after traveling the country and seeing the ancient sites most of us have only read about and the more modern ones that mark the foundation of the modern nation of Israel 70 years ago, we finally experienced the lives of the people who live here today. Eli K. noticed, “Kibbutz life is so different. Everyone knows everyone else, and they all hang out together.”

 

Other students remarked that everyone was so welcoming and nice. After the first night, the host families were instructed to pack a small snack for the visiting students. I was so surprised to see many of our students arrive at the school with grocery bags brimming with food. The families were incredibly welcoming and many of the families even laundered the students’ clothes. Joya T. remarked, “We were immersed in culture and Bamba.”

 

After being well fed and entertained by teenagers and their families from the other side of the world, we hugged and exchanged Instagram profiles, and boarded our old friend, the tour bus.

 

From one homestay to another; We drove west, towards Haifa and, after a brief visit to see the famous Baha’i Gardens, it was on to Isfiya to visit a Druze village. There we met Ibrahim and were escorted to a home for a delicious Druze meal. After filling our bellies with the best pita and meatballs, Ibrahim told us about his life and the lives of the Druze people. The Druze started as a sect of Islam but have since broken off and are a monotheistic religion but no longer Muslims. They arrived in what is now the north of Israel in the 18th century and have since become Israeli citizens. Ninety percent of them serve in the IDF, including Ibrahim.

 

With full stomachs, we bid goodbye and headed back to where our journey began, Tel Aviv. This time though, we were no longer taken with jet lag, and it felt like we were coming home after a long journey. Tel Aviv is no longer a strange and new place, and we arrived and got ready to say goodbye to the week and welcome in Shabbat. For this Shabbat, we were guests of a wonderful, small congregation, Kehilat Sinai, a Masorti synagogue not far from our hotel. As a large group in a small synagogue, we did occupy quite a few of the seats, and while some of the tunes and prayers for Kabbalat Shabbat might have been new, the energy of the congregation’s voices were familiar and wrapped us in warmth, and we were excellent guests.

 

Shabbat Shalom,

 

Israel Trip Chaperone