HaMirpeset Shelanu - Issue 19: TRY Update
Four of our campers are currently in Israel on the fantastic Tichon Ramah Yerushalyaim program. Rabbi Sykes met with them in Jerusalem during his recent trip and heard about their stories from the first two weeks. The following is an excerpt from this week's TRY Update. For more information about TRY, follow this link to the TRY site: http://www.ramah.org.il/programs/try/trydetails.html.
"As always we had another very busy and very exciting week here at TRY/USY high. Last Monday we started our 2 day tiyul at Robinson's arch where the group davened Shacharit together. Our torah readers were even able to help out another minyan by reading torah for them and all of our students were able to dance with a young man celebrating his bar mitzvah. The students then walked to Hulda gate feeling the excitement as if they were walking up to the temple in days gone by. They visited the Davidson Center and saw a virtual model of the Temple and then spent the second half of the day learning about it's destruction as they headed to the desert like the zealots of that time. Monday night they stayed at the Ein Gedi Youth Hostel and woke up at 4 AM to climb Masada. Their staff continue to notice how well this group has come together and bonded. While the climb up wasn't easy, all the students helped each other out and had a really great time.
Last week half the group went for desserts at our director Daniel Laufer's house, where they enjoyed home made dessert, a movie by young Israeli film maker and a very interesting discussion. Very soon the second half of the group will be getting their chance to visit the Laufer home.
Thursday, TRY/USY High learned about Bar Kochba on a tiyul to the Beit Guvrin area. First, the group went to caves where Jews were hiding from the Romans in the foothills of the Judean mountains near Beit Shemesh. Next they went to a Roman amphitheater where they learned, discussed, and debated the ideas of three different characters of this period in terms of their response to Roman culture. The first character, Bar Kochba, was anti-Roman and would fight Roman culture no matter what. The second character, Josephus Flavius, was a Jew who ended up believing that everyone had to accept Roman culture. And the third character, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai, believed that the Jews could accept Roman rule but had to also adapt Judaism in order to save their religion. After debating, everyone broke up into three teams representing each of the characters for various relay races. After lunch, students participated in an archaeological dig where they dug in caves from the times of the Hasmoneans and were excited to find ancient pottery pieces. After digging and digging, many kids bought shirts which said "Archeological Seminars: We dig Israel!"
To conclude our week of bonding, this past Shabbat we had a Shabbat Yachad - were everyone stayed in the chava together. On Friday night the group went to the Kotel, and even though it was a long walk back, there were no complaints. Shabbat was filled with a lot of ruach and singing, and ended with a beautiful Seudah Shlishit picnic in the park.
Some of our students are beginning their volunteer projects this week with Shutaf - a camp for children with special needs and with Yad Likashish, creating arts and crafts with the elderly. We wish them luck and know that everyone will benefit from the experience.We are also getting very excited in preparations for all the festivities of Purim week! Yes it practically does feel like a week of festivities here since Jerusalem celebrates Shushan Purim which can be a bit confusing, but the students will be learning all about it this week.
A few quotes from our students regarding the Masada tiyul:
Kerry: It was really amazing - being able to learn about a place while actually standing in it and the feeling of accomplishment at being able to have so much energy and climb so much even though we woke up at 4 AM!
Jamie: Hardest thing ever doing in my life - about the most rewarding cause you work so hard all day and are able to make it a learning experience and do with it friends.
Brianna: We got ¾ of the way up and stopped to pray. I was one of the last ones up and I got there right before the Amidah - I really felt a connection to the prayer. I literally felt it in my calves!
Avram: By climbing and learning about Masada we proved the phrase "Masada won't fall a second time", making sure that we know what happened here and to be aware of what our ancestors went through and to make sure that it doesn't happen to future generations EVER!
Molly: We pay to hurt this much? No seriously, the tiyul was incredible - knowing that you can do it is the most incredible feeling. You get to the top and you can't believe you just did. You look over the cliff and see where you came from, it's amazing!
Elie: It was a great bonding experience - great fun trip and it was a really good experience."