Wishing you a happy Israel Independence Day!

This is Reuven Arye, Mini-Mester Israel Studies educator. I would like to introduce myself and share some stories from our first week together.

I have been teaching at Muss since 2019. I teach the core Jewish and Israel history component of our curriculum, which integrates classroom learning and touring throughout Israel. I live in the small town of Pardes Hana, not far from the coast and the town of Caesarea, with my wife, Shoshana, and our 3 children.

I love my work as a teacher. I consider it the highest honor, responsibility, and great fun to guide young people on their journeys around Israel and through Jewish History, and I know personally and from experience the great power and benefit that experiencing Israel in a deep way can bring to our lives.

We spent a peaceful Shabbat together on campus. We sang, danced, and ate together, and after Shabbat, the Madrichim (counselors) took the students on a walking tour of Hod HaSharon.

On Sunday and Monday, we met in the classroom and began our studies in Jewish history, exploring the structure of the Tanach (Bible) and taking a spin through its many types of poetry, literature, design instructions, and wisdom.

On Tuesday, we set out on our first all-day tiyul (trip). We visited the Rimon Farm, a beautiful vegetable farm and vineyard that serves as a therapeutic farm for teens from the Negev desert region. Jewish and Bedouin Arab young people from difficult backgrounds come and work the land, learn to work together, and gain skills to help them make a better future for themselves. We met the founder of the farm, who was inspired to dedicate his life to helping and healing after surviving a terror attack. We worked on the farm, weeding the vineyard.

In the afternoon, we drove to Jerusalem and visited Har Herzl (the national cemetery) and attended the English-language Memorial Day ceremony at Ammunition Hill.

We celebrated Israel's Independence Day with a fun-filled day at the beach in Herzliya.

On Friday, we return to Jerusalem and will spend Shabbat there, visiting the Western Wall, exploring the city, and experiencing the beauty and peace of a Jerusalem Shabbat.

Wishing you a happy Independence Day and a Shabbat Shalom!