Sunday 4th: Coming to an End

Next up seemed to be the moment we’d all been waiting for; you could feel the excitement in the air as the group came to realize that next up was… the helicopter ride! In small groups we got ready to board the helicopter and were taken up in the air for a breathtaking, bird’s eye view of Jerusalem. The view was spectacular and the experience incredible! After travelling the length and breadth of Israel on foot, in water and by coach, this was a unique and unforgettable opportunity that added another dimension to Israel.

After coming back down to earth we continued our love of volunteering by giving back to Israel one last time on our trip at Yad Sarah. Yad Sarah is the largest voluntary organization in Israel, and provides a spectrum of free or nominal cost services designed to make life easier for sick, disabled and elderly people and their families. The whole group, as usual, got into the volunteering spirit and seemed to get a lot out of it. 

We went off to the Kotel for a final time and a closing ceremony  which was a very powerful way to end Tribe Israel Tour, at the centre of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide. We came at the start of the trip with hardly any knowledge of Israel and Jewish History and are leaving with a wealth of knowledge and inspired by our homeland.

We had a gala dinner back at the hotel which was a wonderful way to end, as well as having a farewell party. Each one of us spoke briefly about what we had got out of tour, what we will take forward and such lovely things were said by all. The night wasn't over yet though! The party continued before we prayed an early Shacharit and ended with a powerful group rendition of the Israeli national anthem - the Hatikvah - before we boarded the coach to the airport!

Sadly, our time has come to an end. We have all had a fabulous time with wonderful experiences which we will always remember. We can’t wait to get back and tell our family and friends all about our time on Tribe Israel Tour. 

Shalom and lehitraot,

The Tribe Team

Friday 2nd: Our final Shabbat

On Sunday we enjoyed some more Jerusalem scenery with a hike in a picturesque area in the Jerusalem Hills to a place called Kastel, the ruins of a Crusader castle located on a hilltop close to Jerusalem. From there we went to Ha Radar, a lookout from where we could see for miles and miles across Jerusalem. 

After over two weeks in Israel the whole group had lots to reflect on so we headed to the Kotel, the Western Wall, for a moment of reflection before getting ready for Shabbat. It was a chance for us to take a moment for themselves at the holiest place on earth for the Jewish people. It really was a special sight to see the whole group standing in front of the Kotel and it was one of the most spiritual highlights of tour so far. It was absolutely packed with all sorts of people descending on Jerusalem before Shabbat.

Trying to capture some more of the Jerusalem spirit, we headed to the shuk also known as Machane Yehuda,  famous for its hustle and bustle and haggling opportunities! We were given money to buy lunch and enjoy the various culinary delights of the market.

We then went back to the hotel to prepare ourselves for what we knew would be an inspiring final Shabbat on Tribe Israel tour.

Saturday 3^rd

Friday night dinner was one which we will never forget. Along with David Collins and Rabbi Gideon, we had the opportunity to sit in the Old City at the most spiritual time of the week, in the most spiritual city, while we ate, sang and chatted. After dinner we walked back down to the Western Wall Plaza and everyone was struck by the stark difference between how packed it had been earlier and how empty it now seemed. The Kotel has the power to evoke such different emotions depending on whether it's busy or empty. 

 On Shabbat day after davening we had a session of games and discussions before lunch and then we went on walking tour of the Jerusalem neighborhoods. It was really special seeing how all the different types of people – Orthodox, Ultra-Orthodox, secular, Arab and tourists – and areas, come together to make this city so wonderful.

As Shabbat went out we had another special seudah shlishit  (third meal) singing songs that the we had learnt, followed by a beautiful havdalah to bring out our last Shabbat of Tour.

On Saturday night we got to experience the buzz and excitement of Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall on its busiest night, which the group really loved!

The Tribe Team

Thursday 1st: An Emotional & Inspiring Day

Today was an extremely powerful day, as we visited Yad Vashem – Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and exhibition.

Yad Vashem is a unique museum as it really has transformed Holocaust memorial for the twenty-first century. Yad Vashem presents the story of the Holocaust from a unique Jewish perspective, emphasizing the experiences of the individual victims through original artifacts, survivor testimonies and personal possessions. It allows the individual victims the chance to become people in their own right with a story of their own, taking in past historical fact and enables us to truly feel what we lost as a people. We had an incredibly interesting and moving tour led by Rabbi Shaw around the museum. 

One of the last exhibits we went to is called the Hall of Names. This is the Jewish People’s memorial to each and every Jew who perished in the Holocaust; a place where they may be commemorated for generations to come. The powerful exhibit features images of faces and the sound of names as they’re read out. It was a moving moment for the group standing there together and Yad Vashem was an experience which we will be taking with us for the rest of our lives.

We moved on from the horrific deaths suffered in the Holocaust to Mt. Herzl, where those that have died defending the Jewish State, born from the ashes of the Holocaust, are buried. Mt. Herzl is not only the spot in which Theodore Herzl’s tomb is situated, the founder of modern Zionism and the most influential of all campaigners for a Jewish State, but also where Israel’s military cemetery and ‘the nation’s great’ are buried. Though a cemetery, Mt. Herzl is a testament to the strength and accomplishments of the State of Israel and is a life-affirming site as well as an emotional one. Here we saw the graves of Israel’s Prime Ministers and Presidents as well as many of the graves of soldiers killed in the line of battle. 

We went from learning about the disaster and destruction depicted in Yad Vashem to seeing the miracle of modern Israel and inspirational stories of Israel’s achievements in its mere 65 years at Mt. Herzl – it was a wonderful juxtaposition.

As the sun went down and the group thought the day was over, we announced a special surprise! We boarded the coach and went on a special late-night visit to the Kotel tunnels! The Kotel tunnels are underground tunnels that expose the full length of the Western Wall including the part of the wall said to be closest to what was the Holy of Holies of the Second Temple. It was a truly unique experience and the whole group loved it.

The Tribe Team

Wednesday 31st: Pioneers of our State

Today we started our journey back towards the centre of Israel travelling along the beautiful Mediterranean coast. We had a relaxed morning on the beach chilling out and playing some games on the sand.
Next was the Atlit detainee camp, a detention camp that was established by the British at the end of the 1930s. The camp was established to prevent Jewish refugees known as ‘Ma’apilim’, mainly Holocaust survivors, from entering what was then the British Mandate for Palestine. We watched a fascinating and entertaining re-enactment of one of the boats sailing to the beach and the Ma'apilim arriving at the camp.
After that we travelled to Zichron Ya’akov, a picturesque city with cobbled paved streets. Zikhron Ya'akov was one of the first Jewish settlements of pioneers in the country, founded in December 1882 by Baron Edmond James de Rothschild and named in honor of his father Jacob. First Aliyah tour of the city 1882 when 100 Jewish pioneers from Romania
After Zichron Ya’akov we headed back onto the coach for our drive back down to Jerusalem where Rabbi Shaw came to meet us to lead a preparation and thought provoking session for our visit to Yad Vashem tomorrow.
The Tribe Team

"Ummmmm the beach was very sunny and relaxing after a night of camping. After the beach we went to Atlit which was really interesting, it was about how Jews from after the Holocaust came to Israel and it was also interesting to see how the British army treated people in Israel. Zichron Yakov was cool it was great to learn about how passionate people were about creating the state of Israel. We also saw the amazing Anna and made her skip around a tree. Then we went to Jerusalem and checked into the Ramada - cant wait for a good night sleep. Finally we saw Rabbi Shaw who spoke to us about Yad Vashem and prepared us for our visit there tomorrow." Georgia silver