Most of Friday was spent in an Israeli high school in Lod. The kids there were very excited for us to come: they made had food for us, and made special signs. These kids were our own age, but had very different backgrounds. We spent some time there, and talked to the kids in the classrooms there. After our discussion, we went outside and played ball with them.
After the high school, a smaller group of us went to an Ethiopian
school/absorption center nearby. We went around the kid's school,
and met with them. We sat in a circle, and went around, each talking
a bit about ourselves and our backgrounds, which varied greatly
from each other. Interacting with these kids was very interesting,
and it gave me a different perspective on my own life. Soon, we
went back to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat.
[description of Saturday, April 16, 1994]
Shabbos, for a change, was relaxing and uneventful. We spent most of the day just hanging around the hotel, sitting out in the sun by the pool.
That night, we stopped by Ben Yehuda street for a little while,
just long enough to eat and walk around a bit. From there, we
boarded the buses to go to Masada. In order to get there before
sunrise on Sunday morning, we would spend the night on the busses,
driving down to Masada.
[description of Sunday, April 17, 1994]
We arrived at Masada on Sunday morning, well before sunrise. While it was still dark out, we saw a sound and light show there, which told the story of Masada. Afterwards, we set out to climb the mountain. Since it was still cool out, and we took the Roman ramp, the easier way up, climbing was relatively easy. Once up top, we gathered to watch the sunrise. It was a hazy day, and the sunrise was a bit of a disappointment, after all the trouble we took to be there. Anyway, next we davened, and gathered together for a quick history lesson. After that, we were left to wander the mountaintop at our own pace for a short while before climbing back down to the busses.
From Masada, we headed to Kibbutz Lochamei HaGeta'ot, a kibbutz started by Holocaust survivors, stopping for lunch along the way. The Kibbutz houses a large Holocaust museum, which we toured. The museum had a large collection of actual materials related to the Holocaust - Jewish art, Nazi paraphernalia, and models of the camps. After spending some time at the museum and hearing several speakers, we headed to the hotel.
We arrived at the Club Hotel in Tiberias, for what was to be our
last night together. While we still had a full day of touring
together the next day, we felt realized that this was the end
of an incredible experience that we shared. We all gathered and
talked for a long while in Tom's room. During the meeting, we
gave Tom and Matt gifts which we had bought in Israel. Matt played
for us for a while, while we sang along together. The last song
was one he has written about the march, which mentioned the name
of everyone on our bus. Eventually, the meeting officially ended,
and we went to hang out in the lobby. Since sleep was not at the
top of most people's agendas for the evening, we decided to go
for a swim at 2 AM. After a while, we were "asked to leave"
by a security guard. The rest of the night was spent just wandering
around the hotel, talking with friends.
[description of Monday, April 18, 1994]
Our first destination on our last day of the March was the Old City of Zefat. We had a walking tour of the city, home to many kabbalists, stopping to see landmarks here and there, such as the Ha'Ari shul. Before leaving, we spent a little while looking through the shops there.
From there, we headed up to the Golan Heights. There, we went on Jeep rides through the area. There were six in each jeep, and we rode for a few hours, singing loudly most of the way. From there, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and prepare to leave. We were left with some free time to hang out in the hotel, before finally heading to the airport.
After checking in, en masse, we boarded the plane. The entire flight was spent signing people's books, taking pictures, and beginning to deal with the inevitable good-byes. We all felt a bit better about parting knowing that we all lived relatively close together, and that reunions were not too far off in the future. After my bags rolled off, I got one last goodbye in with friends, and headed outside to greet my parents.
