Am Yisrael Chai

The plane landed this morning and we were home. In the bursts of applause you could hear for the pilot's excellent landing I heard a faint chanting of "Am Yisrael Chai". It was amazing. We loaded on our new Israeli bus and were ecstatic to be in Eretz Yisrael. Our first stop in Israel was the stunning Palmachim Beach. The sun was shining as bright as can be. The weather was simply outstanding. We all joined together as groups and shared the feelings of the excitement running through our veins. Our pulse beating with love for Israel. I took off my shoes, rolled up my jeans, and was ready to get my feet in the Mediterranean. The water was gorgeous, the atmosphere around me was stunning, it all felt right. Our entire group was rundown with little sleep, but, the beautiful sight of the beach in front of us was rejuvenating. One of the most meaningful moments was what followed; we had a incredible morning service on the beach. One of our staff from the BBYO international office is Rabbi David Kessel. He lead a service that included a meaningful Shehecheyanu, to mark a new experience in Israel, and a very moving sermon done by Ian Kandel, one of the other staff. It really was such an incredible welcome to this beautiful country and set the stage for an outstanding week ahead.

Now, running on only a couple hours of sleep, I will admit that the day was very long and I do not remember all of the details but I will try explain it briefly. After the beach we drove to Kibbutz Yad Mordechai. A Kibbutz, if you were wondering, is a very socialized living community where everyone helps each other and is there for each other living and working together. This Kibbutz was founded in the 1930's by Polish Jews. However, in 1943, their original community was too small land wise and they moved to the current location. That was when they named it Yad Mordechai, in honor of Mordechai Anilewicz. It is interesting that this was one of our first destinations in Israel because it tied up both ends of the trip. Anilewicz was the leader of the Jewish Combat Organization that led the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. We walked around parts of the Kibbutz and saw the beautiful sights around it. We could even see the Gaza Strip which was only about seven miles away. The coolest part of this stop was the Museum. In the Kibbutz, they constructed a Museum about the Polish Jews in the Holocaust and the Warsaw Ghetto and the Uprising there. It was so interesting because only two days ago we were standing on Mila Street and we were at the Umshlagplotz. One of the most interesting things at this museum was a scale model of the Warsaw Ghetto. Even though we were just there, the Ghetto was all destroyed in the war and this model was a unique way to envision the Ghetto in 1943. There was also a room in the museum that simulated a bunker that the Combat Soldiers would fight and live in during the uprising and they showed us a video to help us understand what occurred during those three weeks of fighting. This was an cool destination because it showed us the significance of Polish war time and pre-war history in the establishment of today's Israel. For more info on Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_Mordechai.

When we finished our tour we had a delicious Israeli picnic lunch and then loaded on the buses to go to Tel Aviv. Our first of two stops in Tel Aviv was Independence Hall. This is the site where the first Israeli Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, made the proclamation of Israeli Independence on May 14, 1948 in the main hall. This day, interesting to know, was a Friday (Shabbat). Because of this, the ceremony began at 4:00pm and ended 32 minutes later. We watched a short film in this hall on the history of the Independence and formation of the State of Israel. There are a few reasons why the building I was standing in was the site of Gurion reading the proclamation. Most significantly, was because the house we stood in was Meir and Zina Dizengoff home build in 1909 as the first home in Tel Aviv way before it was the thriving metropolis it is today. Meir Dizengoff, interestingly, was also the first mayor of Tel Aviv. One other reason why it was chosen was because the main hall was built on the basement level and the delegates meeting needed a safe place to be. In fact, only one day after the proclamation was made, war broke out in the new State of Israel. Nonetheless, the hall was very interesting. I stood in the place where it was first announced that my people, the Jewish people, had a homeland. The lady who spoke to us at the hall really made us feel welcomed and comfortable in the country. It was a beautiful feeling. Coming from Poland, where we were treated rudely and not wanted, Israel is the complete opposite and I am loving it. For more info on Independence Hall, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Hall_(Israel).

The other thing we did in Tel Aviv was exploring. Other then the beach this was the best part of the day. We walked a bit from Independence Hall to a market in the middle of Tel Aviv and broke up in small groups to explore. Now my first stop was to got authentic Israeli Shwarma. Well I will tell you, it was so delicious. What is Shwarma you may ask? I had no clue either. So, it is sliced turkey (or lamb but I got turkey) on pita with Hummus, Isreali Salad, Chips (or French Fries as we call them in the states), I had some onions, and a spicy sauce. It is all rolled up and amazing. I was starting to think that Polish food was decent but boy was I off. We finished up there, and just wandered the square. We walked through some back allies and through markets; into some stores. This city was beautiful. The sun was smiling down to us, welcoming me. One thing that made me feel so comfortable was the fact that everywhere I looked, on every sign and every billboard and every store, everything was written in Hebrew. It is such a pretty language. Such nice characters. While I do not speak more then three words, it is welcoming and comforting. After some time we all met back up got on the bus and drove up North to our hotel in the Galilee. Tomorrow is Shabbat. Shabbat in Israel, how sweet and pleasant it sounds. To make it even better, we are also going rafting on the Jordan River tomorrow well I didn't sleep much in the past two days so it's time to catch up on that.

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