As we move into our third week together, it has been really special to see how comfortable and engaged the students have become. They are settling into a routine and showing real curiosity and openness in everything they do. This week, we continued our journey through Jewish History and the land.

We began the week by celebrating Tu Bishvat with a big, shared Seder in our Bet Knesset. The students learned about the New Year for the Trees and talked about why we eat fruit and what it represents. It was a joyful way to connect Jewish tradition to the land and to ideas of growth and responsibility.

On Tuesday, our spring semester students headed to the Jerusalem hills, touring the beautiful Sataf Mountainside Agricultural Park and the village of En Kerem. We spoke about the ancient Jewish connection to the land and agriculture of Israel. We also toured the City of David, the ancient core of Biblical-era Jerusalem. We looked at some of the incredible archaeological discoveries made there, which completely remade the scholarly view of the historical accuracy of the Biblical narrative.  We caught a quick glimpse of the President of Israel, Yitzchak Herzog, as he was also visiting the site.

We ended our day with a visit to the incredible Machane Yehuda Market, the Jerusalem Shuk, for dinner and treats.

Meanwhile, our January mini-mester students traveled South for an overnight tiyul. Our first stop was Beta Yisrael in Kiryat Gat, where students learned about the Ethiopian Jewish community and their journey to Israel. This visit opened up meaningful conversations about identity, resilience, and what it means to be part of the Jewish people.

We then visited an elderly home in Be’er Sheva. Spending time there gave students a chance to connect across generations and reflect on the value of honoring elders and building community through simple presence and conversation.

The next morning began very early with a climb up Masada via the Roman Ramp. Students learned about the history of Masada and the events of the Great Revolt as they watched the sunrise over the desert. It was a powerful moment that brought history to life. Afterward, the group enjoyed time at the Dead Sea and stopped for hummus in Ein Bokek, a well-earned and much-loved break.

On Thursday, we will be touring the Gaza border, visiting the city of Sderot, which survived and thrived under Hamas rockets for 20 years before October 7th. We will visit the Tkumah site, where around 2000 cars that were attacked and destroyed are kept. These are the cars of people attacked by Hamas on the roads on the morning of October 7, and the storage site has become a memorial. We will end the day at the Nova festive site, seeing the various memorials and meeting a witness who was at the festival and escaped the Hamas Terrorists.

It will be an intense day, a day of heartache, but also a day that we hope will show the resilience and hopefulness of Israel.

This coming Shabbat, we will have a relaxing Shabbat on campus for our spring students, while our January class will enjoy an open weekend.