Day 11 - Lehava
Friday morning was a struggle as Lehava was woken up by mozzie bites at 6:45. We all showered, went to breakfast, followed by tefilla and eventually got on the bus to start our pre-Shabbat journey. To start off our day, we headed to the remains of a destroyed synagogue, which was a perfect time to chill and think about our emotions and feelings individually. However, when we arrived at this unique site, the smell of horse manure was not a great smell, especially to Ms Kaissis, but we still had a meaningful service. Then we got back on the bus for a quick drive to what many would say would be one of the highlights of the trip. Lehava arrived at Kfar Kedem, where we rode donkeys, made incredible bread and had unbelievable pita, humus, meat and warm tea. I really enjoyed Kfar Kedem and many others loved it too, because of how friendly the people were and the food mainly. After Kfar Kedem, we came back to the hotel to get ready for Shabbat and Shabbat photos. (Shoutout to Hillel for some incredible photos). After Shabbat photos, we gave in our phones and headed into the Shabbat spirit, where we davened, followed by an army panel discussion with many ex and current soldiers.
After dinner, Lehava was brought to the bomb shelter, where we participated in the Tisch. For myself, I really enjoy the tisch on Shabbat as it is a time to relax and sing Jewish songs with your friends, in particular Adon Olam, which was an extraordinary moment for everybody.
Saturday morning was incredible as I slept in till 9:30 and went straight to Shacharit and Musaf. After davening, it was a chilled afternoon where some people got ready for the soccer match, girls got prepared for their cheerleading, and others took a nap. The soccer boys had a team meeting where the gaffas (Janks and Davi Smith) inspired and motivated the boys for the massive game that was taking place at Netzach’s home turf later on tonight. In the afternoon, Lehava played a great debate game which saw many controversial answers and interesting questions from our year group. After the great debate, it was time for Maariv and then Havdallah. After Havdallah, everyone got ready to get on the busses for the soccer game. As the lads arrived, coach Janks gave another pep talk reinforcing what was going to happen and how the boys are going to play. The cheerleading began, which saw some unique cheerleaders show off their special moves. Then the huge Lehava vs Netzach soccer match kicked off just after Lehava’s “Haka.” Lehava won 3-1, which saw Cody Davis and Maor Rubinstein scoring the goals for Lehava and Netzach scoring a controversial plan which Lehava were not happy about (cheers ref Marksy). After the game everyone headed to get some pizza and snacks and watch the Socceroos play against Argentina in the round of 16.
Overall, it was an incredible couple of days. It’s been amazing getting to know our side on a deeper level, and becoming friends with those who otherwise may not have interacted with. I cannot wait to experience the rest of this program and looking forward to creating many more memories in the weeks ahead.
Dov Baron