Summer 2017

We started off our day with davening and when we finished Rabbi Rosenfled gave us a five minute halacha shiur about the power of saying Amen. Then we went off to breakfast, where I enjoyed cereal :). Today we were offered our first optional chabura with one of our advisors, Jed. He told us a story about the power of every mitzvah, I really liked it and felt very inspired by it. After, we all gathered in the shul and sat in a circle. Rabbi Weinberg and Rabbi Rosenfeld taught us how to interact with Israelis using only hand gestures! A few people role-played and it was very funny. Then the Israelis from Zichron Menachem came, and we all got to know each other before Machaneh Hachi Achi starts (which I am so excited for!)We heard from a psychologist, one of the directors from Zichron Menachem, Rabbi Weinberg, Rabbi Rosefeld about the importance of this camp we will be running and our duty as a counselor for the campers. We split up into groups to learn some new, fun, and crazy Israeli cheers. Then the whole group regathered and we spent 20 minutes standing in a circle dancing and singing with Israeli stuff. It was really cool to learn all the new chants and get so comfortable with all new Israelis that we will be working with soon! Then we headed over to lunch, it was falafels!! It was really good, the best meal yet. After that, we all chilled on the grass. Some people played sports, others just sat and bonded. Then we all walked to a shopping area to get some snacks. Now we are back at Kfar Etzion and getting ready for Shabbos. I hope Shabbos is fun, chill and meaningful. Cant Wait!

Eliana Raskas

Today was our first full day on Jolt Israel, and it was jam-packed! We had a bit of a late start since we were all tired from the flight. For breakfast, we had so many options like cereal, pancakes, French toast, and eggs. After breakfast, we headed to the visitor center of Kfar Etzion (the place we are staying for a few days) where we watched three clips about a group of people that survived the Holocaust and then fled to Israel where they fought passionately for this piece of land in Kfar Etzion. It was inspiring to see how these people were willing to risk everything just to fight for our land; they never gave up hope. Then we headed over to a lookout where we saw where the battles of Kfar Etzion took place. Our Madrich and Rabbi Weinberg, spoke more about the battles and how we can learn from in a practical way. After the this, we hiked Derech Avot where we got to see amazing views. We even got to see an old mikveh from ancient times that is no longer in use. Then we went to the “lone Tree,” which is a 700 year old oak tree that represents the destruction that happened to the Kfar Etzion, yet still the remaining hope to return there. While we all sat under the tree, Rabbi Weinberg spoke about how the tree represents hope, and how we now have the choice to decide what is most important to us and what we want to do in order to make a difference. At this site, we all sat under the shade and enjoyed a nice hot meat lunch. When we finished lunch, we headed over to the bread bakery, Pat Bamelech. When we arrived we watched a quick clip about the connection between bread and the Shlosh Regalim. Then we all learned how to make sour dough pretzels.  Then as they were baking we sat outside and learned about how sourdough is made. Once they were finished baking, we enjoyed the warm and yummy pretzels. Then we all got free time at the Shuk! This is my first time in Israel, so it was super awesome being able to see all the foods I have never seen before and just the culture of the place. I had a great time walking around with friends and just hanging out. Then we headed back to Kfar Etzion to have dinner, daven Maariv, and have our first chaburahs with our Advisors. In the chaburah we learned about the importance of being a leader. Overall, it was great first day for my first time in Israel. Looking forward too many more amazing days!!

Jone Skapino