Day 28 - Netzach - Claudia & Eden
Waking up after last night’s movie experience was anything but easy. We had to pack up our giant suitcases and make our way to breakfast at 7. The array of yummy food made the early morning much easier. After breakfast we had another wonderful tefillah experience with Lori. Then we set off for the first activity of the day, the Anzac Museum.
After an hour and a half of driving we had finally arrived at the Anzac Museum in Beer Sheva. We were greeted by our lovely tour guides and taken into a cinema room that was designed to replicate the living quarters of the soldiers. We watched a short film on the story of the battle of Beer Sheva from the perspective of an Anzac soldier. The battle took place on the 31 October, 1917 which was won quickly by the Allied Forces. Once the film concluded we stepped outside onto a balcony overlooking the graves of the men who died during the battle. We were shocked to find out that the cinema room had been designed as an elevator and had taken us up to the balcony level throughout the film. During the tour of the cemetery we were taken to the only Jewish grave which belonged to S.J.H Van Den Bergh who died at the age of 27. We were then taken into the main hall of the museum which was filled with artefacts and other pieces of primary evidence. Our tour guide then summarised the journey of young Australians in World War l and the incredible acts that took place in the Middle East.
Once we left the museum we took a group photo and headed back onto the buses. Our next stop was an amazing place called Shvil HaSalat, which literally means salad trail. We were welcomed with some delicious hot lunch and then taken on a tour of the grounds. The area was full of different fruit and vegetable plantations such as tomatoes and cucumber. The farm was located in the middle of the desert, 7km away from Gaza and 7km away from Egypt. Our tour guide explained the different measures that are taken to keep the food pesticide-free and growing successfully in the desert. For example in order preserve water, sewage water is completely purified and used on the plants. We then walked around the plantation and taste-tested all of the fresh and delicious food that we could find. To end the tour we released messenger doves that have been used in Israel for hundreds of years as a form of communication.
After this we went to our new hotel and got ready for the surprise Masada show that was awaiting us. After covering ourselves in dozens of layers of warm clothing we started our journey to the Masada night show. This light show was absolutely incredible, it described the experiences of the Jews living in Masada after the destruction of the First Temple when the Romans invaded. We learnt the story of our people and the history of this amazing mountain.
Today was another amazing day of IST. These experiences won’t be forgotten and we can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us.
Claudia Petukh & Eden Stern - 15.12.2019
