Friday 19th and Shabbat 20th: Tribe Tour hotting up in the desert!

Friday

Despite the heat of the desert, the group donned their hats, slapped on the sun cream and filled their water bottles ready for a tiyul (hike) through the Ein Avdat Canyon. The hike took us through the largest Wadi, or dry riverbed, in the Negev. We also got to take some awesome pictures.

We were then joined by the ODT group which ran some team building exercises for us which included hoola hooping and tight rope walking. These exercises were designed to help us work together and to make the group closer.

We then went to a super market to buy snacks for Shabbat and a special present for our Guardian angels (shhhhhhh don’t tell anyone who you have). After the supermarket we returned to our Negev base – Midreshet Sde Boker – where we went for a much deserved cool down in the pool.

Leon Jackon said, “The tiyul was really fun and we took great photos. The hike was very scenic and it was amazing to see Israel in its natural habitat. Team building exercises definitely brought us together as a group and helped us trust more. It was great cooling off after hiking and a hot day by the pool. I’m really looking forward to Shabbat” – Leon Jackson

After our swim we got ready for our second Shabbat of Tribe Tour….

Shabbat 

Another fantastic Shabbat, this week down in the South of Israel. Friday night and havdalah were once again lovely and tuneful and the day was full of fun games and discussions. Spending Shabbat at Midreshet Sde Boker, right next to Ben Gurion’s home and overlooking the beautifully arid Negev will be an unforgettable experience.

Despite his high profile and relative wealth, Ben-Gurion chose not to settle in the heart of Israel, but lived what he preached when promoting the settlement of the South of Israel, setting up his modest retirement home in Sde Boker. Today we went on a walk to visit Ben Gurion’s tomb and then had fun and games at the park where we are staying. It was really nice to be able to chill out and relax with our friends.  

Clarice Telford said, “Shabbat was fun and it was great having the Godfrey family with us. The group activities were great and it was nice to hang out with the group. I enjoyed the walk today and I never thought that Israel was so big and so mountainous.”

The Tribe Team