Day 13 - Netzach - Bella , Rebecca & Renae
We woke up at 10am after an incredible sleep in. Walking out of the room we took in the stunning view of the Kinneret as we drank our coffees and ate yummy pastries. We then had a beautiful & meaningful Mussaf service lead by Noah Joshua (who loved the Sefardi siddurim and Torah). This was followed by a powerful Dvar Torah from Saul, our mad, in which he spoke about the importance of being honest with yourself.
After shule we then went into family group tochnit time, learning about the Syrian refugee crisis. We talked about the Syrian conflict and if Israel should let the refugees in. We also discussed what Israel currently does to help Syrian refugees who need essential assistance at hospitals. We debated the two options:
1. They send them back to Syria after they are treated medically, or;
2. Keep them in hospital till they can get a visa e.g. from Turkey. We thought that Israel needs to fix their own problems before helping others.
Then came the time for the much awaited lunch. And BH we were not disappointed with the good vibes and good food which made everyone smile. Specific highlights includes the shawarma meat and the incredible Lotus and Oreo ice-cream cake. Lunch was followed by benching and free time. We played an intellectually stimulating game of Parliament, others played soccer or code names, and some people went for walks. Then we had a meaningful Mincha lead by Dovi Romm, followed by a stunning Suddah Shlishit watching the sun set over the Kinneret. Ilan got everyone laughing as he shared his past pranking stories and we ate snacks. We came back down to the shule for Marriv followed by a meaningful Havdallah with the Kinneret in the background. We then had 1 hour of free time to get ready for our night ahead. All the girls ran around straightening their hair while the boys just relaxed. We went on a fun 20 minute night bus ride, with Saul sharing random facts of the day, while we listened to chilled music. We arrived at the unexpectedly amazing Kinneret cruise where we danced and “partied” to Israeli music while we sailed through the water with shining lights of Tiberius in the background. We got back on the bus all buzzing after seeing our Lehavah friends, excited for the dinner to come. We arrived at a hall and were treated to El Rancho food, including delicious chicken, rice, hot chips, and for dessert the kind waitress handed us mint chocolate ice-creams with her hands. Delicious and hygienic. With full tummies we walked out the hall to the bus. The 20 minute bus ride home we all laughed and relaxed, the lights on the Kinneret shone as we got back to our rooms and went to sleep. What a wonderful first shabbos in Israel.
Bella Schlessinger, Rebecca Marks & Renae Lawrence - 30.11.2019
