Monday 15th: Tribe Tour in Tel Aviv

Our day started at Independence Hall, the place where David Ben-Gurion announced the founding of the state of Israel on Friday 14th May 1948, just before Shabbat began. It was oddly nostalgic to see the chairs and table where the declaration was signed and read out, and to imagine all the people crammed into such a small room. The juxtaposition between the significance of the moment and the place in which it happened was an extraordinary indication of what Israel was like as an infant in 1948.

After independence hall we travelled to the Children’s Museum in Holon. Here we learnt how deaf people go about their daily lives and the challenges that they face. It was amazing to place ourselves in their shoes and to try to experience some of what they experience in their daily routine.

Our next activity of the day was a tour of Old Jaffa. One of the Southern parts of Tel Aviv, Jaffa is among the oldest areas of Israel, dating as far back as biblical times. The city has also served a strategic importance and is now a beautiful area, hosting many weddings, as well as being one of the more mixed Arab and Jewish areas in Israel.  

After a busy day we boarded the coach and returned to Jerusalem. If Tel Aviv is the bustling metropolis of Israeli commerce, then Jerusalem is its soul, where the spiritual atmosphere fills the air and lifts everyone's spirits. It was great to drive from one to the other, since these two cities epitomize the mix of old and new in Israel, with enormous skyscrapers and funky feats of engineering in Tel Aviv, alongside the centuries-old buildings and ruins of Jaffa and Jerusalem. Even the main motorway between the two cities lies atop the ancient road that led from Jerusalem to Jaffa - it's more than three centuries old! 

We returned to the hotel for a big dinner which was the first step of our Tisha B’Av preparation. We then drove to the walls of the old city where we sat as a group and

learnt about the significance of Tisha B’Av, before Rav Binstock came to read us Megillat Eicha. It was amazing to be sitting in Jerusalem, right outside the Old City walls, within which it all happened.

Since it’s a fast day, tomorrow won’t be quite as busy and we got an early night in order to preserve our energy! 

Mia Berelson said, “The deaf museum was exhilarating, exciting and inspiring.”

Amy Phillips said, “Independence hall was quite special and one of a kind.”

The Tribe Team 

Sunday 14th: City of Gold

Our first stop of the day was Machon Ayalon, an underground ammunitions factory from the War of Independence. It is located in Rehovot, was established in 1946 and was in use as a factory until 1948. Today the factory is used as a tribute to the brave men who worked there in the most extreme of conditions. To mask the activity and noise, the factory was disguised as the launderette of the kibbutz. We were shown the laundry room and the secret entrance to the factory, under the washing machine. In total they manufactured more than two million 9mm bullets which were inventively transferred around Palestine in milk cartons, and later in fuel trucks.

From there we travelled on to the spiritual centre of Israel – Jerusalem. To introduce us to this ancient and significant city we visited the Ha’as Promenade where we were treated to, without a doubt, the best spot to enjoy magnificent views of Jerusalem in all its glory.

From there, we went to hear about Jerusalem’s history at the City of David experience, where we walked through Hezekiah’s ancient water tunnels. The tunnels were designed as an aqueduct to provide Jerusalem with water during an impending siege by the Assyrians. Walking through the water in complete darkness caused quite a stir among the group who had fun splashing around!

A tour of the Jewish quarter came next. Jerusalem is split into four quarters; Jewish, Arab, Christian and Armenian, all built with beautiful Jerusalem stone and a special place for all. The Jewish quarter is inhabited by around 2,000 residents and is home to numerous yeshivas and synagogues, most notably the Hurva Synagogue, as well as great restaurants, markets and shops and, of course, the Kotel.

Having toured much of Jerusalem, it was time to rest our feet back at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, where we will be staying for the next four nights. This evening those who had friends or relatives in Israel enjoyed their visits, giving them the opportunity to get very excited telling them all about everything we’ve been getting up to!

Sam Barnet said, “Today has been a wonderful experience.  Seeing some amazing sites in Jerusalem the holy city was great.  I’m so excited to see the rest of Israel”

Nathalie Freedman  said, “Visiting the bullet factory showed an interesting way that people lived their life at one point, before the state of Israel was born, when things were much more dangerous. The lookout was beautiful and going into that blindfolded made me appreciate that beauty a little more. It was fun to walk the water tunnels and sing our hearts out. Visiting the kotel was an amazing and emotional end to a brilliant outing. When we arrived at our new hotel the food was incredible and meeting friends and family from Israel was also a good experience.”

The Tribe Team

Friday 12th and Shabbat: Knowledge in the Negev

Today was the first full day of Tribe Tour and it was a real eye-opener, as we began to understand the reality of living near Israel’s borders.

One town that has particularly felt the effects of the security issues Israel faces is Sderot. Sderot is a small city in the South of Israel, located less than a mile from Gaza. We were given a tour of the town and were shown the effects the rockets that have landed there in the past have had. One of the police officers explained the situation and what they do to combat it, such as the Iron Dome missile defense system. Hearing the same brief that the press who visit hear, the group gained a deeper understanding of the political context and the threat Sderot residents have faced for the last thirteen years. The group acted in a really mature fashion and asked some astute questions when given the opportunity.

Seeing the school with its huge concrete canopy to create a buffer zone from any rockets was another affecting moment, as was seeing the play areas around Sderot, whose facilities include bomb shelters – some designed in child-friendly shapes like giant caterpillars. Although it was an emotional day, the group acted responsibly, were extremely sympathetic to the situation, and we left feeling pride in the stoic residents who live here, in Sderot, on the front line.

The group then had a Pizur lunch, where they were given money and had a choice of what restaurant to spend it in, before we drove to Shvil Hasalat. Shvil Hasalat is an environmental farm where they produce new technologies to make the Negev bloom. We had the opportunity to pick and eat fruits, vegetables and even some edible flowers grown in arid and hostile desert conditions. Part of developing a knowledge and love of Israel is understanding all the problems Israel faces. The South of Israel may encounter difficulties with security, climate and agriculture, but it learns to resolve them in innovative ways and the region could also be the solution to the over-population of central Israel.

After a thought provoking and enlightening day, we boarded the coach once again – a place soon to become a second home – to return to Ein Tzurim and prepare for our first Shabbat of Tribe Tour!

Katy Goldstein said it was “A wonderful experience and I can’t wait for more. We went to see how they do agriculture in the Negev which was very interesting and got to go round and taste all the fruit and veg. I’m looking forward to Shabbat and seeing the differences between home and Israel.” 

Saturday 13^th 

Shabbat has always been a pride of Tribe trips and is always a highlight of tour. Being the first Shabbat of Tour, it was bound to be extra special.  We were also lucky to be joined by David Collins and his family which made our Shabbat extra special. It began with a tuneful and uplifting Friday night service, the whole group looking smart and refreshed after the first couple of days touring. The singing, dancing and clapping created an amazing atmosphere, not just during the Friday night service, but also at meals and other services.  After dinner we had an Oneg of games and snacks which was run by our madrichim.

After a well-earned, longer rest, it was time to enjoy the rest of Shabbat on the kibbutz. Following davening (prayers) and lunch, the group had some free time to bond more, the madrichim led some games and discussions and we were taken on a tour of the kibbutz. We learnt about the origins of kibbutzim, the communal ethos and the importance of all the production that goes on at Ein Tzurim.  

In true Tribe style, Shabbat ended with an inspirational havdalah with everyone singing and swaying arm in arm. It really felt like we were becoming one incredible group.  

“It was incredible to spend Shabbat with some of our participants that had never had a Shabbat experience until today. A great time was had by all and it was also nice to catch up on some well needed sleep. Tribe Tour 2013 is fantastic and I cant wait for the rest” – Helena Baker Madricha Tribe Israel Tour 2013

The Tribe Team

 

Wednesday 10th & Thursday 11th July: And they're off!

Never has there been such a buzz at the Tribe offices or at Chigwell shul as there was on Wednesday afternoon! As the 17 participants climbed up the coach steps the atmosphere was full of anticipation and excitement.

During the whole ride to Heathrow the participants were chatting and raring to get going. With everyone introducing themselves and getting to know each other better, we wondered whether they’d have anything to learn about each other when they have their team-building sessions!

David Collins, Tribe Israel Manager and the brains behind Tribe Israel Tour said: “As an organisation that loves Israel, it’s exciting that Tribe are returning there with another tour group. It just goes to show the success of last year’s trip. Participants have come from all around the country showing we are a modern, inclusive and authentic organisation that everyone here feels a part of. We have fantastic madrichim who we are sure will inspire the group and give them a great time.”

We arrived in Israel on schedule, wearing our bright blue Tribe Israel Tour t-shirts, and waiting there to meet us was our Israeli tour guide – David, Sahal – our security guard and Anna – our Israel Tour Coordinator. We loaded the coach and headed to Mini Israel, where the group had fun visiting all the sites we are going to be seeing over the next few weeks, all in miniature form! It felt odd to tower over the Western Wall and see little people mechanically shockeling (swaying) in prayer! We boarded the coach to travel to our next stop, Burma Road. It was amazing to hike along the road that the pioneers created to reach Jerusalem. We also got to take in the breath-taking scenery and we all really started to bond as a group.

After our tiring hike we went to Mevesaret Tzion mall where we got to choose what we wanted to eat for lunch. After lunch, we arrived at our first base – Ein Tzurim – where we will be staying on the kibbutz for three nights. Here we had an orientation with some icebreakers, went for a quick swim, talked about our expectations of the coming weeks and heard the rules. The group had done so well considering the night-flight and touring during the day, so after dinner we advised the group to hit the sack and re-energize in preparation for everything to come!

Over the next 3 ½ weeks, Tribe tour will be hiking, abseiling, swimming, jeeping, cycling and, of course, coaching across the length and breadth of Israel. They will float in the Dead Sea, snorkel in Eilat, volunteer, experience Jerusalem’s Old City, ride a donkey, fly in a helicopter and much, much more.

We’ll try to include some quotes from the kids most days in the blog; here are the first!

 “It was a tiring flight but an awesome day and weather. Today was fun. Just been for a swim – it was great to cool down. Now we’re off to play some Frisbee!” -  Georgia Silver

“Today was hot! The hike was quite hard but really good. Everyone enjoyed themselves and came together as a group. The group has grown together even after one day and I feel that everyone has made close friends in just 24 hours. Can’t wait for the rest of Tour!” – Jake Haddon

Watch this space to follow everything they get up to!

The Tribe team