Dear ID Parents,

We’ve just wrapped up another action-packed and meaningful week here in Israel, and I wanted to take a moment to share some highlights and give you a sense of the incredible energy your teens are bringing to the program.

We began the week with a visit to the mystical city of Tzfat, where we explored the artist colony, participated in a moving kumzitz in a cave, and delved into the world of safrut and Torah scrolls at Otzar HaSTaM. Despite the fast day, the group’s spirit was strong, and the atmosphere was filled with inspiration.

From there, our adventures took us to the Golan, where we visited Tel Saki and ancient Katzrin. The girls cooled off at AquaKef while the boys enjoyed downtime along the Tiberias promenade, followed by a beautiful party boat ride on the Kinneret. That night, we launched color war, which kept us busy in the evenings over the following few days. Our captains, Daniella Kaplan and Jacob Gorny for team red and Rachelle Eisenberg and Asher Frank for blue, were awesome and kept the energy high all week long. 

We kept on moving Tuesday with a visual tour and lecture at Misgav Am, the northernmost Kibbutz in Israel. We cooled off and hiked around the pools of Tel Dan, archeological site of the Tel Dan Stele, the oldest extra-Biblical proof for King David's reign. That night, our color war teams faced off in a highly competitive sports night, with basketball, soccer, and a ton of cheering. 

On Wednesday, the energy stayed high with raft-building and more fun in Tiberias, where the boys enjoyed Aqua Kef and the girls relaxed at the mall. We finished off the night with color war presentations and awards - shout out to team Blue who took home first honors, and to our incredible stand-up and improv comics for the night, Asher Siev, Baila Daniels, and Zachary Cantor.

Yesterday we hiked down Mt. Arbel with breathtaking views of the Kinneret and then traveled back in time at Kfar Kedem, experiencing the sights, smells, and tastes of ancient Israel. We relaxed at Aroma Cafe for Latte n' Learn with our advisors, and finished off the night with an opt-in Mishmar, complete with homemade cholent, snacks and drinks, guitar and reflection, and late night learning. We tackled some deep topics in Mesilas Yesharim - it was my personal highlight of the week. 

Today we headed west for a powerful tour of Atlit and then enjoyed lunch and shopping in Haifa. We’ve just arrived in Yad Binyamin for a special pre-Shabbos program with our Israeli teens, who will be joining us for the next week. This immersive opportunity to bond with Israeli highschool students promises to be a meaningful and unifying time, and we can't wait to get started! And tonight, we're looking forward to bringing in Shabbos with a musical Kabbalat Shabbat, together with the local youth group in Yad Binyamin. 

Wishing you a peaceful and uplifting Shabbos from Israel! 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Dovi

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