5/11/14
I’m writing to you from just outside the Bedouin Tent. After
a hysterical story from Mr. Barry and a visit from a friendly bushy tailed fox
it’s finally quiet. We’re sleeping under the same moon as all of you, but we’re
½ a world away…
First and foremost, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! Today, the students
unanimously started calling Ms. Hegarty, “Mom.” It’s a term of endearment but
don’t worry—all you moms at home haven’t been forgotten! We were awoken once
again by the dulcet tones of the Kibbutz Gonen peacocks. Everyone had their
bags packed and by the busses on time so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast
before heading south.
Our first stop was a nature preserve in the Hula Valley. The
Hula Valley nature preserve plays a vital role in one of the largest bird
migrations in the world. Annually 500,000,000 birds pass thru the Hula Valley.
It was once a large swamp that was drained by the early Israeli settlers in
order to make the land more usable. Upon realizing the environmental impact the
swamp was redeveloped. It is now home to many beautiful animals including
catfish, water buffalo, and nutria (BTW—it’s great to be a catfish in Israel).
In the middle of the nature preserve we stopped to recite one of Judaism’s
simplest blessings that when translated means, “Thank you God for creating so
much beauty.” We listened to the humming of the ecosystem around us and felt a
part of it rather than apart from it.
From the Hula Valley we headed south toward the Dead
Sea. Over the course of a few hours we
passed from the swampland of the Hula through the farmland of the lower
Galilee, to the Judean Desert. We passed Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls
where found. Aaron R. commented that the sun bursting through the clouds
against the backdrop of the desert reminded him of the pictures in children’s
Bible Story books.
Though the Dead Sea is evaporating at a rate of 3 feet per
year there was plenty left for our kids to enjoy. When we’re finally able to
upload the pictures you’ll see each and every kid caked in mud. If it looks
like they’ve got something written on their stomachs it’s probably, “I love
mom.” Floating in the Dead Sea is a unique and unforgettable experience. It’s about
as carefree as life can get and our kids really seemed to understand how rare
such simple pleasures can be.
After washing off the salt we headed to the Ein Gedi nature
reserve for a short hike to a desert oasis. According to the Bible, King David
hid from King Saul in one of the many caves that line the path leading to a
magnificent waterfall. We cooled our feet, took some pictures, and made our way
back to the busses. Along the way Yishai told some of us about the antelope
like animal: the Ibex. In a carefully orchestrated hoax he convinced some of us
that he was eating Ibex poop (which was actually a pile of malt ball like
Israeli chocolate). It seems that Israeli tour guides can’t help but poke fun
at the ubiquitous Ibex.
As if we hadn’t had enough wildlife for the day we made it
to the Bedouin tent at dusk and quickly hopped onto a herd of camels for a
sunset camel ride. We were reaffirmed in our conviction that camels smell
better in photographs than they do in person. It seems that the presence of
human beings immediately triggers every bodily function that a camel is capable
of producing. Nuff said?
Dinner in the Bedouin tent is really special. In the
pictures you’ll see kids seated on the floor or on low benches, eating from
large platters with their bare hands. There were several other groups enjoying
dinner with us, but we lingered the longest and were the only group to applaud
the chef at the end. During dinner the chaperones commented on what a great
group of kids we’re travelling with. There’s a Jewish teaching that says, “Who
is rich? One who is happy with his portion.” That’s the teaching that came to
mind as we watched the kids enjoy the food and one another’s company tonight,
long after the dining hall had cleared out. Morah Orna commented that there
hasn’t been any homesickness this year. We decided that’s because the kids
really feel at home—with one another and here in Israel.
Today was a day of tremendous diversity. We had geological,
geographic, biological, linguistic, culinary, cultural, and even political diversity. The diversity
we encountered in Israel reminded us of two seemingly contradictory truths
about ourselves—1) in spite of our differences our kehillah shares much that is
the same—we share values, memories, relationships, songs, and so much more. 2)
In spite of our commonality, each one of us is unique and different. The
diversity we encountered today in Israel is no greater than the diversity we
encounter every time we gather together as a grade—it’s just more apparent.
Travelling with 80 individuals who are both deeply united and deeply
distinguished from one another is a true blessing. If our kids are able to appreciate the beauty
of this paradox then they’ll have understood something profound about the human
experience that most of us don’t grasp until much later in life.
Tomorrow we climb Masada and much more.
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