Following the prior day’s shock regarding our abandonment in Netivale, the relatively late 7:30am wake up commenced a solemn morning. As a cause of said recent events, the madrichim tried their best to elevate the mood of the Bus 4 members through cracking jokes and encouraging us to participate in their banter.
The breakfast was nutritious at best, as the majority of my meal consisted of orange cordial which was served in a large metal pot. Despite past events and the sub-par meal, Bus 4 was ready for the relaxed, yet physically intense day ahead.
The trip to Tel Azeka hike was a seemingly short 7km drive. In spite of the short commute, Israel’s notorious traffic caused the bus ride to span 25 minutes. At Tel Azeka, we entered the battlefield where David fought Goliath (the most notable story of an underdog’s success that even put Morocco’s run in the World Cup to shame). The hike only took an hour and a half, yet our amazing tour guide Avadia was able to provide a concise yet fascinating history lesson which revolved around David and why he was ‘chosen’ to fight Goliath in order to protect Israel from the Philistines. Reliving and analyzing the battle was nothing less than inspiring. David - a short and scrawny redhead who was rejected by society - proved that mental strength always outweighs the physical.
Following the walk, Bus 2 and 4 traveled the treacherous journey to a local mall where the majority of the food-deprived students went to a high class Japanese restaurant… really conforming into the ‘needy Moriah’ stereotype.
After boosting both the economy and morale, we boarded the buses and travelled back to our lovely accomodation to prepare for Shabbat. There, we took Instagram-worthy photos during golden hour and after bringing in Shabbat with candle lighting, we went to the Shul for Kabbalat Shabbat. Mr Schlessinger moved us all with his speech about religion in his world.
We walked into the once slightly decrepit dinner hall which had been decorated beautifully. The Michelin star worthy hall was a testament to Irit and Dassi’s efforts. This was much appreciated and we devoured the brisket and other food served to us.
After dinner, Dassi, Gabe and Yehuda had a Q&A, where we asked questions and learnt about their stances on Judaism and life in general. Following this, we had a tisch, which revealed the closeness of our bus as many of us stood up to share stories and messages which impacted and influenced us. Yehuda blessed our ears with his outstanding singing ability, which did manage to drown out most of the tone deaf melodies emerging from the rest of us.
The curfew of 10 pm swiftly turned into 11 pm, then 12 pm and finally 1 am. An empathetic Irit got increasingly more anxious and conscious of the surrounding inhabitants within the hostel. By 1:30 am, the kibbutz fell silent as each child dreamt of Bus 3’s accomodation at Neve Ilan in addition to reflecting on the amazing day they had and the key morals that they had derived.
Saturday
The wake up of 10:30 am for Bus 4 was much
needed due to the mania which the past week entailed. Shacharit and the subsequent Torah reading - led by Rabbi - was especially meaningful as we were in Israel, a country with an immense amount of history and spirituality embedded within it. Kiddush followed the morning prayers as many non-Shacharit participants huddled over the food, quickly grabbing the special lollies before anyone else could. Musaf occurred thereafter and I was proud of myself for leading the service and acting as an asset to Bus 4. Kedusha, a section of the repetition of the Amida which is sung collectively, was special to me as I was able to intertwine my unique style into the service in an attempt to introduce new significance to the prayers.
Prior to lunch, we had an activity with Rabbi Krebs which, similar to Dassi’s, Gabe’s and Yehudah’s Q&A, we got to ask Rabbi both halachic and general Jewish questions in addition to more secular ideas. It was within this session where we were able to open up with new questions and get insights into some of the most complex issues, most notably the situations in Mea Shearim.
Shortly after, lunch began during which the weekly Saturday Kiddush was recited before we dug into a delicious meal consisting of two different types of chicken. Additionally there were mini-cakes that were frozen solid, forcing all of us to contemplate if it was worth it to hurt our mouths in order to try the amazing looking food.
We were then handed the most precious gift one could ever receive… free time! The priceless period spanned until 4:15pm where we played a variety of games as a bus, further building our communication skills in addition to bonding as a group. By the time the games concluded, it was time for Maariv and Havdalah which was, once again, an immensely valuable and uniting experience.
At the conclusion of Shabbat the madrichim, who pitied us for the accommodation we had been subjected to for the past two nights, surprised us with a night out. We were elated when it was revealed that we were going out for a nice dinner and bowling. The food at dinner was amazing. We were served with two massive kebab sticks of burger meat and chicken in addition to mounds of hot chips and drinks. Sitting at a large rectangular table, it felt as if we were having one large family meal - a perfect metaphorical representation for the aim of the Bus Shabbat. Following dinner, we headed on a “9 minute walk” towards the bowling alley, heroically led by Natan. Bowling was another amazing experience in which we bonded as a bus and strengthened both our old and new friendships. Few of us took the games seriously. Most people played casually, trying to bowl the fastest ball or knock down as many pins as they could. Following a quick rush hour at the store within the alley, we headed back to the bus in preparation for an hour drive back to the hostel.
The bus drive back was full of silent sleepers in which the overused cliché could be perfectly used to describe the scene, “You could hear a pin drop”. Arriving back at the hostel at 10:20, we were swiftly guided into the חדר אוכל as we had - in true Moriah tardy fashion - left the activity to the last minute. The menorah decorating activity reignited the energy within our bus as the room kids battled over the few glues scattered throughout the room. 20 minutes later, with the limited minutes left in the day, Rabbi Krebs shared the meaning of the Kibbutz through illuminating the true morality of the Jews and how highly they value life, risking their lives to help spare the life of a civilian who would later deceive them. Directed straight to our rooms and with Irit on curfew duty, we all passed out pretty much immediately.
Overall, the past two days were amazing and acted as testament to the deep family-like connection we fostered as a bus. Through the weekend’s programs, we were able to connect and enhance our collective relationship to a profound extent.
Saul Pinshaw
