Over the quick course of the past week we have studied, in our Core class from the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt and the time of the Rabbis, all the way through the Crusaders period, and the Spanish Inquisition, until the time of Jewish Modernity in the world. At Muss, it is not just about the vast history that we are studying, however, but it is about making Israel our classroom and actually stepping off campus to see these historical fantasies really come to life.

This past week, after learning about the Crusades, and the deeper impact that elements of Christianity of Islam have had on the Jewish people overtime, we got on the bus and drove up North for the day. We got to a place called Belvoir where we learned that the Christians had built one of their castles in a plan to attack anyone who wanted to capture the city of Jerusalem from them. We walked through the castle and talked about the true meaning of Jerusalem and Judaism to us in our daily lives, and were on our way! Our next stop was a few feet from the border of Jordan, where we got the pleasure of swimming in refreshing hot springs at Hamat Gader. After this break from our studies we continued on our day’s journey to the highest place in Israel — Tzfat. Tzfat has always been one of my favorite cities in Israel. It is a city almost entirely devoted to Jewish Mysticism (Kabbalah), and encompasses within itself, numerous decorative, ancient synagogues, beautiful artwork, candlestick shops, and good food — as always in Israel. In Tzfat, we learned all about the reasons that Jews from Spain decided to settle in Tzfat, and we even got to meet an American who made Aliyah and moved to Tzfat out of his desire for learning more about the Kabbalah. We got to walk around the artists quarter, and to watch the beautiful sunset over the Golan Heights and other mountains surrounding Tzfat. For dinner that day we stopped in a town called Afula, housing one of Israel’s best falafel restaurants. It was a great day, and the best part was that the next day was another tiyyul (trip) day too!

We woke up the following day and headed to Jerusalem once again. This was our day of Kehillah (community) and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). We spent the day first at an old age center called Yad Lekashish, where we got to explore and buy beautiful pieces of artwork crafted by the elderly people of Israel. Following this, we packaged food for the needy all over Israel at a place called Pantry Packers in the heart of Jerusalem. Our day concluded at the Israel Museum, a place to explore and understand Israel’s modern culture and life!

We spent Shabbat this weekend in Jerusalem as well. Our weekend started on Friday, after a big unit test, when we finally made it to the famous Machane Yehuda Street, finishing up there just in time for Shabbat. The shuk (marketplace) was crowded (typical for a Friday afternoon), and as I walked around I could really hear, see, and smell the real Jerusalem just as Shabbat was coming in. It was amazing, and I felt like a real Israeli; buying things like rugelach and actually ripe strawberries! We went to the Kotel for Kabbalat Shabbat and got to finally sleep in the next day. In the afternoon we walked around the heart of Jerusalem exploring her most majestic, hidden parts. We saw things like the prime minister’s house, the YMCA, and the King David Hotel of Jerusalem. We had some down time in the afternoon, where we had a snack in the park across from our hostel, and rested. After Havdallah, we concluded Shabbat on Ben Yehuda Street where we got dinner and had time to shop around, before the ride back to campus.

This was an amazing week ending with the most relaxing of weekends in the Holy City. I cannot believe that we have been here for close to a month now. I have been able to connect with nearly everyone on my trip in different ways. It is fascinating that coming from so many different places and backgrounds, every single person on my trip is able to connect in some way to the group and feel special. I couldn’t have asked for a better semester!