Yom HaZicharon and Yom HaAtzma’ut

by Erika Apel,      grade 10,        Ontario

Yom HaZikaron was one of the most powerful things of this semester. Being able to commemorate Yom Hazikaron in Israel was an experience that I will never forget. We stood in silence with all of Israel in memory of fallen soldiers and victims of terror for two minutes. We got to go to a community ceremony, called a Tekas, in the town of Mevasseret-Zion where we heard testimonies of mothers who have lost their sons, wives who have lost their husbands, and more. I was especially moved by the son even if we didn't understand all the words, the emotion was easily conveyed. We also got to go to a ceremony at our home Kibbutz Tzuba where we could see the direct connection with fallen soldiers and the kibbutz. Commemorating this holiday in Israel was truly remarkable.

The most interesting thing I experienced on these days was the quick switch from extreme sadness to joy. From fallen soldiers who fought for our independence to celebrating the independent state we have today. We went to the ceremony at Tzuba, one second we were singing sad songs and the next we were dancing and celebrating. We then went to Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda Street where we danced with hundreds of other teenagers. All of the stores throughout Israel are all decorated to celebrate and all festivities are in full swing.

One of the highlights on Yom Haatzmaut was joining in on a tradition that thousands of Israelis do which is go to the beach and have a picnic. We had Macabbia competition on the beach where we played many different games. We filled up buckets with water using only our shirts and the ocean, we bobbed for apples and much more. We then had a barbeque lunch and had free time on the beach. It was very interesting getting to see how Israelis celebrate this holiday and celebrate among them. Participating in these very important holidays gave us a beautiful insight into Israeli culture.

Sea to Sea Hike      by Aaron Orshan and Leah Sehati

First half of Yam le Yam      by Aaron Orshan,    11^th grade,      NJ

The first half of yam le yam (sea-to-sea hike) was a very odd one from what the average Heller High student has experienced in the past. On the Saturday night prior to our departure for the trip were informed that rather than going to the scheduled water hike we would be going to a place called the Canada Center in Metulla. Though quite surprised, I was excited to see what it would be like. On our first say at The Canada Center we had the opportunity to swim, jump in a trampoline park and Ice skate. I had never ice skated before and it was very cool experience to learn and also to do it in Israel. That night we slept in the Center’s basement with sleeping bags and mattress.

Merkaz Canada ice rink and recreation center in Metulla in the north of Israel. We even slept here!

The next morning, we woke up to go bowling and then watch a 4D film about pirates. After these activities we drove to what would be our future campsite for that night to eat lunch. We departed on the bus to the very surprising cold. As we ate lunch there was an overall general feeling of depression as we fought the cold to cook our food. After lunch we were bussed to a part of the mountain with a higher elevation with the knowledge that were going to hike back to the campsite we had just eaten lunch at. As we departed the bus it started to drizzle, which only further lessened our spirits. As we began the hike it started to become a lot more fun and seemed to warm up as well. Our tour guide, Shmuel, would stop every few meters to point out a cool species of plants or mention some animal species that’s habitat is here or play a game. As a result of these activities the experience was a lot more enjoyable. The highlight of the hike was when there was a steep part of the hike that due to the rain was very muddy and also slippery. At this part of the hike many people fell, including me, which made all of just die laughing at one another. When we ended the hike we were happy to be greeted by hot soup and tea, a much appreciated gift. For dinner, the outdoors company running the trip made us these amazingly good sausages with very tasty rice. As the sun started to go down it started to become cold again. The night, though cold, was not as bad as I had expected. Overall a great two days.

 

Nahal Amud campsite where we camped the second night of Yan le Yam

Second Half of Yam le Yam and Shabbat at Kfar Blum

By Leah Sehati,     11^th grade,       Southern CA

The second half of yam le yam was very fun, tiring, and eventful. On the third day we hiked a lot through rivers and learned how to do navigation. We started off by cooking lunch in our little groups and then we navigated our way through the forest by looking at a map and following the color codes of the yam l yam trail that are marked on rocks throughout the path. This path then led us out of the hiking area into the parking lot where the busses then picked us up and took us to our next campsite. Once we got there we set up our tents along with sleeping arrangements and then ate dinner and s’mores with matzah. After that the two group leaders Tomer and Shmuel (who were our tour guides for the whole trip) taught us how to start a fire so the two groups had a competition of who could build the better fire. (Shmuel’s groups won just in case you were wondering) The following day we made our breakfast and then continued with a lot more hiking, except this day consisted of crossing rivers multiple times, falling and getting very wet. Along the way we also stopped by a part of the river just to take a deep breath, relax and even get a good tan. We then made our lunch next to the river which consisted of sausage, rice, tuna, vegetables, and some tasty halva. After lunch we began our hike to our last camping destination. This was probably the hardest part of the yam l yam experience because it was going uphill for maybe 15-20 min., but as we got higher and higher the view got more and more amazing. Once we got to the top we stopped there and our tour guide pointed out the Monfort crusader fortress to us.  Then we walked all the way to the top to settle at our last night's camp site. Once we got there we ate dinner, sat by the fire, made s’mores, and made more lasting memories with friends. On the final day of yam l yam we biked from our camping site to the Mediterranean Sea. Once we got to the sea we ate lunch, talked about our experience during those days, and then enjoyed a fun time by the beach with ice cream and friends.

 

The Monfort Crusader Fortess we hiked to in the western Galil

The highlight of my trip was when I was walking with a few of my friends just telling stories and bonding and then out of nowhere Allie Cohen (from Josh’s JHist class) slips off the side of the hill where there is a dried out river below and after she slipped she was just holding on to the edge waiting for help, meanwhile she is laughing but I am dying of even more laughter on the side. And then finally two of our friends drag her back up. Also during yam l yam it was very amazing to see the new friendships and bonds that people made with each other and seeing everyone help each other to cross the rivers, some people even carrying each other across. Overall my experience during yam l yam was very memorable and so much fun because I got closer to so many people that I don’t think I would’ve if it weren’t for this tiyul.

 

Bezet Beach in the western Galil where we finished biking on the Yam le Yam hike

We concluded the week by going to a kibbutz called kfar Blum located by the Jordan River where we then saw our teacher David Alon (DAVID OAK!!!) (Which is the name I like to call my JHist teacher). The weekend at Kfar Blum was very relaxing because we just got to hang out with friends and sit by the pool and river and I even did yoga outside which was taught by my friend Sylvia Smily (who is in Evan' JHists class). We also had Shabbat services at Kfar Blum which was very beautiful and peaceful. Overall my time at Kfar Blum was amazing because it was nice to have a little weekend getaway after a very tiring week.

view of the Jordan river next to Kibbutz Kfar Blum where we spent shabbat after the hike