When life gets hard -Day under missiles

    Covered in dead sea mud from head to toe, two friends and I walked into a cold outdoor shower. We soon realized that the shower had not been water, but in fact sulfuric acid, and that all three of us quickly became blind as bats. Hands out in front of us, tripping over every single rock, we slowly made it to our backpacks. (Supposedly this acid and mud combo is considered a rejuvenating treatment around the world). 

                                                                                     
        While indeed this experience was somewhat shocking and uncalled for, it was one that I will never forget. I can honestly say that I have not laughed as hard during this year, as I did during that dreadful shower. 

     Later that day, following a deep and engaging conversation with a friend, I fully realized the capabilities of humor. It turns out that laughter not only instantly makes a person's day better and causes them to forget all of their troubles, but also causes them to completely change mindsets.

      On an average day, I would not consider myself an optimistic person. In fact, I like to think of myself as a realist, which often comes out as extreme pessimism. However I learned how the power of humor can, and more often than not will,  turn even the most pessimistic people, into happy rays of sunshine.  

     With the power of humor on my side, I began to put it to good use. Whenever appropriate, I would crack jokes about the Gaza missiles, and how we are miraculously still alive. For instance, as we were joyfully getting off the bus today, one of the ISI participants told the group that a siren had gone off in Jerusalem minutes after we had left. I swiftly responded with "WOOO, god does love us after all". Granted these jokes are rather cynical, but I instantly saw not only my attitude, but also those around me, turn positive.

     I firmly believe that humor, and general optimism, are some of the greatest survival skills of mankind. Optimism can keep a man sane, through all the ups and downs of our crazy lives. In harsh times, it allows us to believe in hope for a better and brighter future.

      This directly leads to my favorite quote of all time, one that has already been mentioned in this blog: "This too shall pass". The good in this world must not be taken for granted, yet the bad, no matter how bad, will always go away with hope and with endless optimism.

Il Negev, un mondo di sabbia

Il Negev, il deserto che occupa quasi i due terzi di Israele, è un mondo tutto da esplorare. Oggi lo conosciamo bene ma ancora non abbastanza.

Il Negev è stato di fondamentale importanza già dalle prime guerre d'indipendenza del 1948. Infatti punti strategici che tormentavano Ben Gurion erano Gerusalemme ed il Negev. Uno dei vari provvedimenti per proteggere il secondo fu la costruzione del porto internazionale di Eilat. Questo servi a proteggere lo Stato da sbarchi non autorizzati sulla costa del Mar Rosso.

Nel 1953 quando Ben Gurion diede le dimissioni da Capo dello Stato , si trasferì a Sede Boker un piccolo villaggio nel mezzo del deserto e contribuì alla sua edificazione.Così facendo cercava di dare l'esempio ai giovani e ad invogliarli a popolare il deserto.

Oggi gli abitanti di questi piccoli villaggi sono mossi dal desiderio comune di colonizzare il deserto e per scappare dalle popolatissime metropoli. Per farvi capire quanto sono affollate vi dico che Israele e la sesta nazione più densamente abitata del mondo. Ma dato che nei due terzi della nazione vi vivono solo 10.000 persone potete capire quanto sia drastica la situazione.

Sei milioni di persone vivono in uno spazio pari alla provincia di Siena!!

Ben Gurion oltre a popolare il deserto cercava di difenderlo. L'esercito sta spostando le maggiori basi nel deserto e usa l'ampio spazio disponibile per grandi esercitazioni.
Inoltre vari enti , come il KKL, stanno cercando di preservare l'ambiente e di fermare la desertificazione.

In più e' il luogo in cui vengono sviluppati i principali progetti Made in Israel. In primo luogo lo sfruttamento dell'acqua, poi lo sviluppo di pannelli fotovoltaici e solari e  pale eoliche.
La maggior parte degli sforzi sono rivolti all' agricoltura. Infatti l'obiettivo è quello di poter coltivare facilmente nel deserto.

In più è stato inventato un nuovo metodo di costruzione che invece di usare cemento e mattoni si serve di sabbia, paglia e fango. il prezzo e quasi lo stesso perchè il basso costo dei materiali è aumentato dall'alto costo della manodopera.

Oltre agli israeliani nel deserto vivono da secoli secoli i beduini. I beduini sono un popolo sereno ed ospitale. La loro economia si basa sulla pastorizia, vengono allevate pecore capre e cammelli. Fino a che la tecnologia non ha preso il sopravvento anche su di loro, il beduini erano un popolo nomade che ogni stagione migrava verso pascoli migliori. Questi sono veri e propri sovrani del deserto sono capaci trovare una quantità d'acqua pari della piscina olimpica scavando nei punti giusti. Oggi sono tutti cittadini israeliani ed essi si arruolano come tutti all.' IDF.

Tornando ad Israele, anche solo leggendo questo blog voi state letteralmente prendendo parte al sogno di David Ben Gurion, fondatore di Israele, che sognava in un futuro in cui lo sviluppo del deserto è un argomento vivo e attivo.

Personalmente, se non avessi quasi tutta la mia famiglia nella Galilea proprio sul confine col Libano, andrei a vivere in un città del deserto.
Le ore di caldo sono minori a quelle di freddo, il clima è secco e la giornata è accompagnata da una piacevole brezza. Il problema è che nelle ore calde, fa veramente caldo! Non i soliti 30-35 gradi che ci sono da noi in Italia , qua si raggiungono i 40 gradi come nulla!
Pero per il resto è un posto molto piacevole basta abituarsi al calore, avere spirito di iniziativa per costruire nuove città e poi è tutto OK.

In conclusione se Ben Gurion fosse ancora vivo sarebbe fiero di tutti noi che stiamo rendendo ,anche nel nostro piccolo, il Negev un posto migliore.
David Fiorentini

My Trip So Far

I have to admit, I'm a little shy when meeting new people. I'm an outgoing person however it takes a bit of time to crack my outer shell of shyness to reach my fun and sociable core.

Upon seeing my group for the first time in the newark airport, I began to wonder what to do. Should I go up and introduce myself? Should I play it safe and talk to one of the adults?

I decided to do the latter. I remember walking up to one of our group leaders, Ryan, and introducing myself. After introducing myself however I didn't have anything much to say, so for the next half an hour we exchanged awkward chit chat most of the time I was on my phone.

Little did I know over the next couple of weeks I would meet some of the most amazing and awesome Jewish people I have ever met.

As I sit here blogging from the reception room of our last sleeping destination, I can't help but remember all of the funny and special memories I have acquired since arriving in Israel.

Memories like singing hava nagila full volume while walking through the pitch black ancient water tunnel created by king David's men thousands of years ago. Or putting my note on the western wall for the first time (this is my first time being in Israel).

The mwise man once said, "it's not the years in your life that matter, it's the life in those years mean the most."

In this case 'the years' would be all the things we have done in Israel. For example, tours, hikes etc. And 'the life' would be the memories I have experienced with the other group members. Some sad, some happy, and some completely random.

50 years from now I probably won't remember hiking down the snake trail from the Masada or getting a tour of the church of the holy sepulcher, but I will remember the little things with the people that mattered most to me during my trip to Israel.

Things like getting beat by David's sock in a plastic bag and singing songs with people while hiking down the snake trail. Things like realizing my ray bans were water proof while splashing around the cold refreshing freshwater pools in ein gedi, things like realizing that I don't have a connection with god after placing my note on the western wall.

That's what this trip is for me. A collection of little things, some good, some bad, which I will bring back with me to the states and carry with me for many years to come.

Although we still have a six more days in Israel, I can't help but recall all the fun and memorable times I have spent with some of the most inspirational and intelligent Jewish people i have had the honor to spend my first time in Israel with.

As I sit here in this loud uncomfortable reception room, I feel like and eternity has passed since the first time I met the group and now.

Although I remember how shy I was upon seeing my group members for the first time now, 50 years from now  it will be forgotten. As they say, in life you don't remember the things that made you feel bad, rather you remember the things that made you feel good. These good memories I have created in Israel, I have to cherish forever.

Johnny Scher

Where the Road Ends

                I have always wondered where the road ends.
 Where the concrete symbolism of stress meets

                                nature

                                                and peace.

A soft knock on my door wakes me.

It is thirty minutes past five,

the light of day has already made its debut -

 the sun has not.

                feet moving quickly we trip over rocks until we can stand at the top of the mountain that isn't really a mountain at all.

we stand

waiting for the sun

and then we sit.

Waiting for the sun,

                or the world,

                                or the road to end or

whatever

                we wait.

And then like memories fading the sun arrives,

                slowly but then all at once.  

The bright light is blinding but I cannot remove my squinting eyes from the

                orangeyellow sun

ascending rapidly in the tangible distance,
I want to hold it in my trembling palms.

                we sit

waiting for the sun to reach our backs

                for the shadows to crawl away

we bask in the beautiful hues of palpable bluepinkpurpleorange

And whispering to disturb no one in particular

                we acknowledge the sheer beauty of the fact that the sun rises the same way everywhere.

                the sheer beauty of the fact that there is absolutely nothing  physical to the rising sun.

                the sheer beauty of the fact that we are so much smaller than we thought.

and I want everyone to know that I was here.

                That I experienced something in this infinitely small moment

that even though the sun rises the same everywhere this one was special.

                This one was meant for me.

but instead

I sit

and I wait

                wait for the sun to set

                                or the world to change

                                                or the road to end,

                                                                or whatever

and slowly,

it does.

-Sarah Eylon

Something For Myself

I wake up

Birds chirping dulcetly in my ears

I smile

I’m doing something for myself.

Lily is dreaming of a place far away

Lost in the abyss of her dreams, clouding her mind

I shake her awake

The dim light from the desert that surrounds us shines brightly on her defined face

Her hair untamed from the tossing in her sleep.

The ungodly hour of 5:30 AM haunts me

Why did I awaken this early?

I’m doing something for myself.

I knock my supposed iron fist on the door

Sarah answers my calling

The face of a girl whose is fatigued, but energy is ever constant

The three cognates head up the mountain

5:42

My heart stammers

The wind bites at my worn out body

I’m trying to do something for myself.

Is it working?

Ascending up the mountain, I think about the view that awaits me

It’s been a long time since the fresh sunrise has reached my eyes

I feel spontaneous.

It’s not even a mountain we’re clambering up on

Just a pile of rocks,

But then again

Everything starts from something

And when the earth spins and evolves and I will no longer be here

The once pile of rocks will be a mountain that has patiently waited for it’s turn

To nourish in the sunlight, with every inch growing solely upwards

The tired but ready three are on the to-be mountain

I smile and wait for the sun

I’m trying to do something for myself,

I think it’s working.

5:48 AM

At the peak of morning, the sun rises up

It’s lover, the moon, has fallen deep into slumber

The sun searches for him, climbing higher and higher,

But no sign of him anywhere

A hopeless form of love

Innocent.

The sky turns from blue to a rainbow of cotton candy colors

Sun kissing my face

My smile stretches as wide as it can

It’s been a while since I’ve been this happy.

In this moment, the pink array of colors in the sky above me

Only adds to the beauty of the vast crater that surrounds me

The organic smiles from my companions’ faces add to the warmness.

All together, the recipe for happiness is faced before me

Company and nature

I feel happy again.

6:00 AM

The sun is making its way across the sky, prepared for the 24-hour journey ahead

If only I had its courage

I would do things for myself.

 Leeor Acrich, 16, California

It's the climb

-- Lily Rebecca Buder

Three am. Great. In most situations I would've been angry and exhausted, but not yesterday. I bounded out of bed and before I knew it I was on a night tide through the desert with one location in mind, Masada. After a quick safety briefing, (because you know, cliffs) then we were up the roman trail. I had expected the hike to be long and gruelling but it was over in less than thirty minutes. Although there were many other groups up there I was able to zone out and just feel the moment.

I had never seen a sunrise like the one on Masada.

One group began to play here comes the sun,  a few boys behind me sang am yisrael chai. I know that everyone up there had different stories, different lives but we all had one reason for being drawn there. Everyone knows the story of Masada and it's tragic ending but when you think about it, it was the last time the Jewish people controlled themselves until 1948. What better way to celebrate the renewal of our Jewish homeland than by watching the renewal of the new day. As the sun goes down at night it  may seem hope is lost, but without fail the sun will rise every morning like the Jewish people. We will always rise.

The Vision of the Desert

The other night, I heard somebody say: "Why are we even here? There's nothing to do in the desert." 

To the casual observer, this is a valid question. In a country full of culture, history and excitement, why spend precious time climbing over sand dunes? What good comes out of blazing heat and blistering winds that tangle your hair and literally whistle in your ears? 

I, however, was offended by the comment. What's so special about the desert? Only the fact that the entire history of the state of Israel has revolved around the dream of making the Negev Desert bloom. 

The stories of the Bible didn't take place in the lush greenery and towering mountains of the Galilee. Instead, 3000 years ago, our ancestors wandered from Mesopotamia to the Negev Desert and began their new lives there. Abraham's tent of hospitality, Jacob's family camp, and Laban's house were all in the middle of the Desert. The Canaanite cities that the Jews conquered, the early Israelite settlements, the homes of the Prophets - all in the Negev. The Negev Desert was our people's land of rebirth and promise. After years of living as isolated people or wandering in the Sinai Peninsula, the Negev was the one place to which we returned. Despite its harshness, this land held hope for our people, and despite its barrenness, it held new opportunities. 

David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister, immigrated from Poland to Palestine in 1906. He was one of many Halutzim, young immigrants who went to Palestine illegally to work the land during the early 20th century. From the beginning, Ben-Gurion and the Halutzim had a vision of making the barren land of the Negev Desert green. As Prime Minister, Ben-Gurion made environmentalism and conservation important priorities. He thought that if the people and government of Israel could work together to cultivate the Desert and make it inhabitable, it would enrich the country and unite society. Thousands of years after the Bible, the Negev Desert remained our land of opportunity and hope. 

Today, the Jewish National Fund (JNF) continues to realize the dream of the Negev. Using funds from Jews all over the world, they find special trees that live with very little water and plant them in the Desert. Over time, these trees will enrich the soil and make the Desert cooler, allowing water to collect and enabling more people to live there. Israeli tech companies focus on water conservation technologies such as drip irrigation and efficient filtration systems. Environmentalism is at the core of the Israeli mentality: the combination of modern technological opportunities and the ancient hope of renewing the Desert. 

As our group's tour guide Orion likes to say, it looks like someone took a paintbrush and painted green lines across the sandy-brown desert. Those green lines are the pictures of our history and our vision for the land of Israel. Together, we looked at the Negev Desert and questioned its existence. Why is it even there?  It is there for us to cultivate and develop, to turn it into a crown jewel of our country.

- Kim Robins

Ariel University

The Ariel University ,located near Shomron, is the youngest university in the state. It was founded 42 years ago, and officially became a university only eight years ago. Like all universities in Israel, it's public.

There are about 14,000 students studying there, mostly Israelis. 85% of students comes from the territories under full Israeli control, while 15% come from the territories where there is only a general supervision of the Israeli state.

The university specialized in engineering and recently got a donation of $ 25 million for research in the field of high tech, a very advanced sector in Israel.
The university is working on many projects in robotic engineering. The most important supplies the Israeli army and is still to be finished. This is the most modern of the three and consists on a drone which can also roll and move to the ground. In other words, it is a drone in a pseudo-spherical shaped structure. For the monitoring of the robot indoors , as well as the use of GPS, a system is used that takes account of its distance from the lamps.

After the Department of Engineering is the very important Department of Physics that works with a FEL (free electron laser).The FEL consists of a five-ton particle accelerator about 10 meters long, which carries the particles from 0 volts to 1.5 million volts and then back to 0. Energy is not lost beacuse it is reused by subsequent electrons.

The radiation produced has three uses: cure cancer, reload satellites and control the soil for crops.
The use of radiation in medicine is increasing, in fact radiation causes the death of 98% of the cancer cells.The remaining 2% instead can be easily kept under control by the immune system. The treatment lasts a second and after 4 hours the doctors check that the treatment worked well.

The second needs the use of a laser, which charges satellites. Like this the satellite can remain in orbit until you decide to stop charging it. The use in agriculture consist of a method of control of the land, usually of crops, to see what is happening in the soil.A sample is taken, put in a glass box (material which retains the radiation) and after that the various tests are performed.

I met the vice-chancellor of the University, Igal, who spoke briefly about the courses and the languages of the University. In fact,they are speaking only Hebrew but for each faculty there is an exam in English .Even if it is famous for engineering the University also offers courses in History and Literature.

Although the University is international in teachers and in directors there is the typical Israeli informal and sometimes funny humor. For example, during the conferencwe Igal's cell phone rang so he replied, and he simply exclaimed, "Do not disturb, not now!" And he ended the call rudely and without even seeing who it was.

David Fiorentini

Challenge by Choice

The thing about the memories  you cherish the most, are that they usually occur from  moments of pure spontaneity.  Today as  I was sitting in my air conditioned room in Mitzpeh Ramon reading quietly, a few of the boys knocked on my door and asked if anyone wanted to join them for a hike. My instinctive answer would have been to say no, for I was comfortable and content with just sitting there, though I realized that I am in the middle of a dessert in a country across the world from my home and this opportunity would not present itself to me again. I put on my well worn in Birkenstocks and grabbed my sunglasses and with that, we were off. As we passed the eating hall to get to the gate leading us out of the camp, a few of our group members kindly let us know that leaving the camp was against the rules and then excitedly joined us.

We walked out into large mountains of stones and set our sights on the one we wanted to tackle.  Climbing up I focused on each step, for fear that if I put my foot in the wrong place I would lose footing and fall. Finally I reached the top and was overwhelmed by the beautiful view and how seemingly small everything that once looked big was. I ventured my way to the edge of the giant rock mountain and took a moment to feel the wind in my hair and whistling in my ear, and to appreciate where I was. Sadly my moment was cut short by Johnny asking me how many Shekels I would pay him to run down the mountain. While an amusing thought, I was not amused and shook my head telling him that if he ran down he would run through the Jordanian border and be shot by snipers. Despite this interruption,  I was able to fully absorb the moment, its simplicity, and its overwhelming beauty. 

              

Today I realized  for the one hundredth time in my life to take every opportunity presented to you. It is too easy to say no, but when you are able to say yes is when, you will be guaranteed memories of a life time.

---Sarah Eylon

One Jew, Two Opinions

When I was a kid I believed in true love. Thanks to all of those false-reality Disney movies I used to think that you should marry whoever you want to because deep down inside you truly love them.

As I grew older I grew more skeptical over the idea of true love and became more picky over who I would want to spend the rest of my life with. I started to care more about Judaism and marrying someone Jewish.

Today we were having our typical Shabbat discussions, when I walked in late. Upon walking in, I noticed some delicious snacks in our Shabbat stash, across the room. After picking up a few tasty treats and tossing them in my mouth, I noticed a piece of paper with the question: 'How important is it to marry someone Jewish?' I brought the paper to our group and upon asking the question above, everyone stopped what they were doing and the room erupted with people arguing their views on the topic and what I heard from everyone totally shocked me.

Being a Bay Area reform Jew I grew up with the notion that you should marry whoever you want. Yes marrying a Jew would be nice, but if you truly love someone go for them and don't let religion hold you down. I expected everyone in my group to respond to the question with this response, my expectations were wrong.

For the first few minutes I sat their in bewilderment of people's responses. "We need to marry Jewish people because our community is so small and we need to populate."
"We shouldn't have the choice to marry whoever we want, the person we marry needs to be Jewish."

Don't people have the freedom to marry whoever we want? It's a free country for gods sake and people in my group were arguing against freedom? I sat their in awe of my group members responses.

Although I was shocked by their responses, I didn't necessarily disagree with all of them.

I am somewhat shaky on the topic of the importance of Jewish marriage. I believe it is important, yet I don't think it should be too important.

One of the reasons why I would advocate for Jewish marriage with one another is because of our similarities. All Jews have similar traits. That is why we bond with one another so easily, and that is how we have such a strong community.

However I would say that if you choose to not marry a Jew, it's not the end of the world. As long as you love the person and he/she agrees to raise your kids Jewish, I say go for it.

In the end, I believe it's about the kids your raising. The next generation. I believe that raising your kids Jewish is important, but you don't necessarily need two married Jews to make that happen.

As my dad likes to call it, "if you marry a non-Jew your out of the will."

Although I know he's joking, like him I believe that Jewish marriage is important, but it's not the end of the world if you find a lovely non-Jew to marry.

-Johnny Scher

The Life Lessons of Onions

Stepping out of our air conditioned bus into the hot Israeli sun all I could think of was my own misery. I was sweating, tired, and sticky from sunscreen. We were standing in a large field in the heat of the day being asked to pull onions from their roots, pull off their stems, fill baskets, and dump them into a large bin which was to be taken to homeless shelters, and food banks around Israel. In the midst of this meaningful experience of giving back, all my group and I could do was complain about the heat and our exhaustion. 

Earlier that day my good friend Dana and I were talking on the bus about the impact our out-of-home experiences like summer camps and Israel trips have on us. We agreed that coming home from these experiences we feel renewed, in touch with our identities, and more socially and environmentally aware.  We marveled at the impact these short experiences can have on us but then discussed our mutual disappointment in ourselves that only months later we lose touch with all these wonderful revelations and values.

Standing under the blazing sun in the onion fields, hungry, hot, and with blisters forming on my fingers from pulling off one too many onion stems, I reflected on this conversation with Dana.  I thought back to all the values my previous trips and summer camp experiences had instilled in me. Things like being environmentally conscious, learning how to work with others, how to learn in general, how to find my own Jewish and personal identity  came to mind, but the value that stuck out most in my mind was community.

To me community means respecting everyone, being accepting and accepted, and most of all support. The power of communal support can change lives. I realized, in the heat of the onion field, that I needed to put my own selfish complaints on the back burner and focus on the fact that I was being given the opportunity of a life time. The opportunity to support those less fortunate than I, to create a ripple effect of good karma and positivity through the world. The opportunity to apply all the values I learned, to support those who haven't been as blessed as I am, and most of all to be part of a community.

---Sarah Eylon

Three Lives Taken, A Million Hearts Broken

Peace. When everyone gets along, when there are no wars, an absence of hostility. But of course, the world we live in isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. Especially in the Middle East, where the far away image of peace is a flying feather in the wind, the idea seeming ridiculous. Because in the land of holiness surrounded by enemies, the people who inherit the area feel as if peace will never be reached. After the tragic death of three young men in the army, whose ages ranged from sixteen to nineteen, the nation of Israel was immensely upset. Muslims, who took their fragile lives in their hands and crushed them, captured these boys, who were at the time studying in school. This had been the first Sabbath where their parents recited the Mourner’s Kaddish over their deceased boys instead of praying for their safety.

Why is it that this is such a tremendous tragedy in Israel? If an event similar to this occurred in the US or anywhere else, it wouldn’t have been so widespread. Which in fact, events like kidnapping, murders, and mass shootings happen every day in the US. So why is Israel taking this tragic event and placing it deep in the pulsing veins of their heart? The answer doesn’t require too much thinking: the population of the Jewish people is extremely important to them. Ever since the unexplainable tragedy known as the Holocaust where six million Jews lost their lives, this race isn’t up for losing any more lives. Even though this event involves only three mere people, this is a very, very big deal. Also, taking into consideration that Israel isn’t a very big country, about the size of Rhode Island, when something happens, everyone knows and the news spreads like wildfire. 

The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) was searching for the three boys, and in a span of eighteen days, they found their bodies. The Israeli people were trying to keep their hopes up, and instilled in their minds was the burning hope that the boys would still be alive. Within days of their known death, memorials were set up all over the heartbroken country, with statements written on them such as “They Killed Our Boys” and “Who’s Next?”. This says a lot about how upsetting the boys’ loss means to the Israeli people. Among the memorials, people left packages of candles and set aside matches next to them so people could light candles to represent the loss of the three deceased boys. In the center of it all, a stack of candles that were no longer burning with flames were piled up into a humongous stack, representing all the lives Israel had lost, and not only the recent deaths. So really, when you ask, “Why is this such a big deal to Israel?” the answer won’t be too far away.

Leeor Acrich, 16, California

A Loud Silence

Coming to the desert I have heard only that it’s very hot during the day and freezing at night. No one has mentioned the gorgeous mountains or candy colored sunsets. These past three days in Mitzpe Ramon I have had the most spiritual and meaningful time.

Every day in Israel is jam packed with long bus rides and fun activities seeing the country. Yet on Shabbat it’s the one day we don’t have anything planned. We can sleep as late as we want and just hang out the whole day. Last Shabbat was boring and hard to be stuck in the hotel all day. This Shabbat was a very different experience.

With the wind blowing and the heat beating down on me I decided to go visit the edge of the small field school we are sleeping at. The edge of the school has a fence and then a drop that goes down thousands of feet that leads to the bottom of the crater. This view then lets us see miles across the desert. The mountains and the blue sky. The view that you only see on postcards.

I just sat there and looked at the view. Even though no one was with me and there was no noise I have never been in such a loud place. I suddenly felt a swarm of thoughts buzzing around my brain yet the wide open space let them roam free.  Those thirty minutes I spent thinking about my life was more meaningful then the hours and hours I have put in to these thoughts anywhere else.  

--Hadas Ben-David

A Different View

Can you imagine being a test rat in a lab? Fluorescent lights beating onto your back, goggle-eyed scientists poking and prodding at you. It sounds like a dehumanizing experience, and I'm sure it is. Yet today I had a flash of this feeling when a group of teenagers sat in a circle in a small Beit C'neset in the middle of the Negev, analyzing their Jewish identifies. When we tackled the subject of intermarriage, I immediately tensed up and prepared for battle.

I'm used to being told that I'm not a "real Jew". With my non-Jewish father and Reform/Reconstructionist practice, many of my Orthodox friends have told me (both jokingly and non-jokingly) that I'm a "sortof Jew". I was ready for mainly negative opinions and people saying that there was no way that an intermarried family could produce children with strong Jewish identities (this is false, by the way). However, the opinions were pretty mixed. I felt as if since most of the teens haven't experienced intermarriage personally, they were relying only on stories from their friends and families. They hadn't exactly formed strong or clear opinions on the issue, because it hasn't been a part of their consciousness like it has always been a part of mine. Some of the opinions were quite harsh and offensive, but I couldn't exactly blame my peers for this.

What people need to understand is that a child with a multicultural background can connect completely to one of those cultures, while still respecting and honoring the other part of themselves. I am in Israel, experiencing the same feelings of love and awe for this country and for the Jewish people that all of my peers are feeling, if not more. Intermarried families have an inherent sense of tolerance and open-mindedness, and the children grow up appreciating both of their cultures and heritages. They learn from birth to love people no matter race or religion, because their families are composed of so many colors. I consider myself 100% Jewish, and I know that if not for my fathers' commitment to raising my sister and I as Jews, I could've had a much more confused and less concrete identity. I'm lucky, and I wouldn't trade my family for anything. By choosing to preserve through the difficulties that an intermarriage presents, my mother and father taught me valuable lessons about tolerance, appreciation, and love of ones culture.

- Lily Greenberg Call, 16, San Diego

2 Jews, 3 opinions

Sitting in a small circle in the middle of a sketchy synagogue, all 12 of us began to talk. The topic: Interfaith marriage and its role in the greater Jewish community. 

    While the discussion was really interesting, I was shocked more by the scenario itself. Jewish teens from all over the world came together to discuss a modern issue in the contemporary Jewish world.
    In retrospect, I don't believe that this type of conversation with such a depth could have happened with any other group of teens. There is something wonderful about the Jewish religion and culture that motivates us to question and to argue. In contrast however, the medieval church swiftly silenced its opposition, as to not cause discomfort within its followers. 

     Yet the Jewish arguments, whether purposely or not, are always productive. A magical aspect of modern Judaism is that, unlike other religions, it does not refuse to adapt. These critical questions have become the core of Judaism. Without them, Judaism would have been followed the same way it was followed hundreds of years ago, and most likely, it would not have been able to survive the recent Jewish diaspora. 

    So while some voices were raised during the conversations, and emotions began to intensify, I felt proud. Proud to have the freedom to question a religion, and know that I am ultimatly improving not only my life, but also those of Jews for centuries to come.

----Roee Landesman

Palestinians are Rioting the Streets

A few days ago, a Palestinian sixteen year old, Mohammed Abu was found dead after being kidnapped in East Jerusalem. His body was later discovered in a nearby forest with burns covering his body. 

A few days ago, three Israeli Orthodox Jewish teenagers were found dead in a ditch after getting kidnapped by Palestinians while hitchhiking in the west bank.

Immediately afterward, news reports and online web articles were popping up all over with headlines blaming Israeli Jews for killing the Palestinian boy.

Although I don’t believe that any Jewish person would burn a person alive under any circumstance, there are reasons why an Israeli person could have done such a thing.

A few days ago after the tragic death of Eyal, Gilad, Naftali, the entire country of Israel was in shock and was mourning the three teenagers. One could expect that some Israelis would retaliate after such a harmful blow to the state, and considering how Palestinians and Israelis are enemies an Israeli attack on a Palestinian boy seems somewhat probable.

However we have no proof. We have no proof that an Israeli Jew struck a match and burned a Palestinian boy to death. We also have no proof that a Palestinian burned his own child to death.

Recent reports are still undetermined as to who is responsible for the death of Muhammad as of July 4, 2014.

Meanwhile, Palestinians are rioting the streets of East Jerusalem putting blame on the extreme right winged Jews for the cause of the death of Muhammad, but they don’t have any evidence to support themselves of their claim.

How can someone form a conclusion without sufficient evidence to prove his or her claim?

---Johnny Scher

A Visit to the Independence Hall

Independence Hall

This past Wednesday I toured the Independence Hall located in Tel-Aviv- Jaffa. On May 14, 1948, members of the Provisional State Council gathered in the tight-spaced room and declared the founding of the State of Israel. The history of the location of the Independence Hall goes way back, specifically to the founding of the vibrant city of Tel-Aviv. In April 1909, 66 Jewish families assembled on an isolated beach filled with sand, to divide out the land by using shells. Tel-Aviv’s first mayor, Meir Dizengoff, drew the specific piece of land where the Independence Hall is currently located. In 1930, after Meir’s wife passed away, he founded an art museum in his home, in order to honor her memory. In 1932, the museum was opened up to public. Meir decided to expand the art in his household, and thus was the Tel-Aviv Museum established until 1971. On May 14^th, 1948, Ben Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel in the Tel-Aviv Museum, because it caught favor in his eyes.

The history of the hall amazes me for many reasons. Firstly, Dizengoff used the space in order to commemorate the memory of his beloved wife, and opened it up for the common people. Therefore, there it is as if his wife’s presence and essence is in the hall. The exhibition ultimately expanded, and became Tel-Aviv’s first art museum. This allowed culture to flourish, and inspired many people to find favor in art. Finally, Ben Gurion could have declared the establishment of Israel anywhere, though he chose the quiet, small space of the Tel-Aviv museum. This amazes me because it allows the hall to have a special sanctity and simplicity, and therefore makes the independence hall unique.

 --Ilana Stein 

Bitter-Sweet -Day 8

    Tired, thirsty, and sore from our mountainous trek, I realized how increasingly homesick I have become.
    First, for my bed. The soft, and magical platform that gives me a night sleep like no other. While I do appreciate the flower-scented pillows of this hostel in Mitzpeh Ramon, I miss my "roee-scented" bed more than anything.

     Furthermore, my family. I miss having a hot bowl of soup when I'm not feeling well, and even the never-ending pressure of my mom to be productive during summer. I haven't talked to Ronnie in quite a while, and though I'm positive she's doing great in her summer adventures, I miss laughing with, and at her. Lastly the small puppy that never fails to dissapoint. I'm extremely excited to see how much this little ball of energy has grown.

    The boys of Ramon AZA #195. Its an absurd thought that I don't have anyone who can come hangout and talk about life-issues within a matter of minutes. Standing above the nature-made crater of Mitzpeh Ramon, I can't help but remember the creative, intelligent, and caring leaders of Ramon. Ramonians, I miss you like crazy, and can't wait to come back home to hang out with y'all.

     I'm not ready to leave yet however. There are so many more views to be seen and experiences to be had. At this point, there is nothing better to do but just make the best of each every moment.

----Roee Landesman

Moment of Silence

Mosquitoes buzzed at my eardrums as they picked at my exposed skin. My t shirt was currently rolled up in my sports bra, desperately trying to transform itself into a sponge and soak up the rivers of sweat running down my body. I was hot, not too tired, but annoyed. The ISI group was hiking up Ramon Crater in the Negev, one of the only natural made craters in the world of it's size. The crater was sculpted by years of rivers flowing through the sand and rock. I was in love with the landscape, but could barely focus on appreciating the emptiness of the space because everyone else in the group was chattering and singing away.

In a moment of frustration, I yelled at everyone to "Shut up!" and asked if we could have one minute of silence. The train of teenagers came to a grinding halt as we stood still on the very top of the mountain. 

The thing about nature is that it has a very specific sound-- silence. The silence of a forest is the same silence of a hot desert. The silence was magnified on top of the crater, high above the ground of the Negev, just human flesh and the raw earth. No wind, no clouds. An empty blue sky blended seamlessly with the rows of water marks forever etched into the stones, and the metallic scent of raw mineral stung my nose as the silence permeated the space around me.

The loud sound of silence rung in my ears, building up a momentum until it became almost too much. As powerful as it was, I was relieved when Orion announced that the moment was done and would be continuing the hike. The silence had begun to become overwhelming.

I have never felt more at peace than I did in the center of nothingness during that 5 minutes. I am a small, insignificant human whose life span means nothing in comparison to the history that crater has seen, yet I felt connected. I felt like I was a part of something much larger. In the desert, there's nothing in the way of you and the earth--literally nothing. The desert gives you space, space for your mind to expand and take in the absolute majesty of this planet. The desert offers openness and freedom, something I can't experience in the rolling hills of San Diego suburbs or the bustling streets of Tel Aviv. I completely understand why the stories of the Bible were written in the Negev and in the desert, because to me, this is where G-d lives. 

--- Lily Greenberg Cal

L'Università Ariel

L'Università Ariel situata vicino a Shomron è la più giovane università dello Stato. È stata fondata 42 anni fa ma è diventata ufficialmente un'università solo otto anni fa.

Come tutte in Israele, è statale. Vi studiano circa 14000 studenti, la maggior parte israeliani. L'85% degli israeliani viene dai territori sotto il completo controllo israeliano mentre il 15% viene dai territori in cui c'è solo una sovraintendenza dello Stato israeliano.

L'università è specializzata in ingegneria e recentemente ha ottenuto una donazione di 25 milioni di dollari per la ricerca nel campo della Hi TEC, settore molto avanzato in Israele.

Nel campo dell'ingegneria robotica l'università sta lavorando sotto i principali progetti. Il più importante è in dotazione all'esercito israeliano ed è ancora da perfezionare. Questo è il più moderno dei tre e consiste in un drone che però può anche rotolare e quindi muoversi a terra. In parole povere è un drone dentro una struttura a forma pseudo sferica. Per il monitoraggio del robot ,oltre all'uso del GPS, negli interni viene usato un sistema che tiene conto della sua distanza dalle lampade.

Dopo il Dipartimento di Ingegneria di fondamentale importanza Dipartimento di Fisica sperimentale che conta su un FEL( free electron laser).Il FEL consiste in un acceleratore di particelle di cinque tonnellate lungo circa 10 metri, che porta le particelle da 0 volt a 1,5 milioni di volt e poi nuovamente a 0. L'energia non si disperde infatti viene riutilizzata per l'elettrone successivo.

Le radiazioni prodotte hanno tre usi: curare il cancro, ricaricare satelliti e controllare i terreni agricoli.
L'impiego delle radiazioni medicina è in aumento, infatti le radiazioni producono la morte del 98% delle cellule cancerogene.Il restante 2% invece può essere facilmente tenuto sotto controllo dal sistema immunitario. Il trattamento dura un secondo quindi volendo può essere rieseguito dopo un determinato lasso di tempo.Dopo 4 ore i medici effettuano un controllo per vedere se il trattamento avuto un buon effetto.
Il secondo utilizzo consiste nell'accensione di un laser ,che captato dal satellite, ne ricarica la batteria.Così questi possono rimanere in orbita fino a che non si decide di smettere di caricarli.

L'ultimo uso finalizzato dell'agricoltura, metodo di controllo del terreno ,di solito cerealicolo ,per vedere cosa sta accadendo a quel suolo. Viene preso un campione, messo in una scatola di vetro (materiale che trattiene le radiazioni) e dopo vengono effettuati i vari test.

Ho conosciuto il vice rettore dell'Università, Igal, il quale mi ha parlato brevemente dei corsi e delle lingue dell'Università. Infatti qui si parla solo ebraico ma per ogni facoltà c'è un esame in inglese.Anche se è famosa per ingegneria l'Università offre anche corsi in Storia e Letteratura.

Nonostante l'Universita sia internazionale, nei professori e nei dirigenti rimane il tipico atteggiamento informale e a volte divertente israeliano. Ad esempio durante la conferenza è cominciato a suonare il cellulare di Igal, egli ha risposto e ha semplicemente esclamato" Non disturbare, non ora!" Ed ha buttato giù rudemente e senza nemmeno vedere chi sia.

David Fiorentini