Summer 2018

Last but not least, here are Jamie Beer’s reflections on her final Shabbos on Jolt Israel and her overall experience on the program –

This past Shabbos was are last Shabbos on Jolt Israel. It personally was a very meaningful experience for me. It was special to see that after only five weeks, everyone was meshed together like one family. During ebbing, everyone was very into it, and you could feel the energy in the air. When ebbing was supposed to end, everyone got together and just kept on singing. None of us wanted the moment to end. Today, we went to the Herzl museum which interested me because I had learned about it in school this past year. It was cool to see the thing I learned in school come to life. Throughout the summer I grew as a person because of the experiences I had on Jolt Israel. I will truly miss this amazing summer.

As we enter into our final Shabbos together at Kibbutz Chafetz Chaim, Lexie Alpert reflects back on her highlights of the last few days-

Yesterday, we went on a hike to Snapir. We specifically did the hike later in the day so that we could watch the sunset on the top of the mountain. We have done a million hikes this week but this one hike really stood out because it was a bonding experience. We all had to help each other climb up the steep mountain and once we made it to the top, it was extremely accomplishing looking down on the beautiful land Hashem has created for us. Seeing a view so beautiful made me very appreciative of Israel and the opportunities JOLT Israel has provided.

Shabbat shalom from the extended JOLT Israel family!!

Jake Froehlich shares his reflections on our awesome day yesterday – 

Yesterday was an amazing day. We started off at an vineyard where we picked our own grapes that we were able to keep. It was very meaningful because we were also able to experience picking fruit from the land we as Jewish people received from God. After picking the grapes, we went to another area of the vineyard to do ma’aser and make wine . It was a really amazing experience to do that. The next thing we did was biking. Personally, biking is one of my favorite things to do in my free time. While we biked, we were able to see the beautiful scenery of some of Eretz Yisroel and get to really appreciate the land Hashem gave to us.

Today we volunteered at a food packaging center in Tel Aviv and then visited the Gush Katif museum. After a full and meaningful day, Adeena Schwerd shares her highlights-

Today, we went to The Yafo Center to help package food boxes for kids and families in need. A lesson that this activity taught me is how much everyone takes for granted. As a camp, we did only a small act of kindness, and yet it left a major impact. It was crazy for all of us to see how many people are in need of food, and how easy it was for us to fix this issue. This is only one of the amazing chessed opportunities that Jolt Israel has to offer!

As we part ways for our free Shabbat, Marsha Joseph reflects on the meaningful final day we had together this week – 

Today we went to a graveyard for soldiers. There, we learned that even though the soldiers were in different divisions, they were all buried the same way, with the same style tombstone. The message I took from this is that we are all equal. After, we went to the pishpeshim market, and there was a lot of cool things to see. Some of us learned how to bargain, and we got ice cafe. Tonight is the start of our off weekend, and it’s going to be fun. Being on this trip has given me a great experience and I’m going to miss everyone when it’s over.

Here are Uriel Awerbuch’s reflections on another great and powerful day –

Today we went to Yaoz V’Gaon, the park dedicated in memory of the three boys who were kidnapped in 2014. We helped pick up fallen branches so that, if a fire breaks out, it will not spread. Our guide for the cleanup explained to us that, a few days ago, a molotov cocktail was thrown in the park and a tree caught fire; we were cleaning up to prevent greater damage. At the end, the guide told us that we were contributing to Israel and even the small things make a big difference. I will definitely carry that message with me moving forward.

Following a meaningful and unique Tisha b’Av commemoration, Rachelli Geffner shares with us the most impactful parts of her fast day –

Yesterday was Tisha B’av and it was one of the most meaningful fasts I have ever had. For Eicha we went to the Herodion which is the last place that the Jews were able to see the Beit Hamikdash burning. This experience put into perspective how much of a tragedy the destruction really was and it made me understand the pain that the Jews endured at that time. During the day, there was an optional tour of the Kotel tunnels, which has been one of the highlights of my summer (so far!). The tunnels showed how beautifully the Kotel was designed and how the Kotel was changed by the different nations who had control of it over the years. One of the most inspiring parts of the tour was that we were able to daven directly across from the believed position of the Kodesh HaKodashim. I am thankful for the experience I was able to have, and I can’t wait for the rest of the summer.

Here’s Esti Samberg’s reflections on her highlights from another incredible week!

Two nights ago  night we went to Avnei Eitan, a camping site where we got to experience a taste of the great outdoors. Our evening kicked off with a great dinner and was followed by a bonfire where we roasted marshmallows and had a very inspiring kumzits. After the songs and stories, we each had an opportunity to speak about and reflect on the camp we ran this past week and a half. Everyone shared meaningful memories or talked about ways that they felt they made an impact, or how they were impacted. It was really special to hear everyone’s thoughts and reflections on the amazing Chesed that we were able to take part of, and I know it’s something we’ll all carry with us for the rest of our lives!

Wishing our extended JOLT Israel family a beautiful Shabbos and a meaningful Tisha b’Av! 

Shlomo Shaulian reflects on our last full day with Machaneh Hachi Achi-

Today, JOLT Israel and camp Simcha Layeled went to a robotic dairy farm and fruit picking. The day was ended by an amazing talent show, with performances of all different varieties. Aside from all of the fun and excitement, I personally felt that there was a deeper message to learn from all the acts. On the first day of camp, everyone was a little nervous to meet each other, but over the course of a week we grew closer and became like a family. The fact that we were all able to perform on stage shows the Achdut of the Jewish people and the great amount of love one Jew has for another.

This week was jam-packed with fun activities and leadership opportunities as the teens set up for and started our camp with Simcha La’Yeled, Machaneh Hachi Achi. As we look forward to another incredible Shabbos, Noa Drazin shares some of her favorite parts of the week – 

One of my highlights from this past week was going water rafting with the Simcha L’Yeled campers. Seeing everyone’s smiles and everyone cheering together impacted me greatly. The bus rides brought us together and helped us connect and make amazing friendships. On the raft we splashed each other and joked around. It was so much fun and I can’t wait to see what we do next week!