Starting to Feel Like Muss!
Barrack students have settled in amazingly. This week has been a great combination of being together, acclimating to life on campus, and experiencing what it means to spend a semester living and learning in Israel. Students have officially been welcomed into the Muss family, complete with their new hats and T-shirts (because obviously nothing says we belong quite like matching merch!).
This week, the students took part in a time capsule activity, writing letters to their future selves which will be kept away until the end of the program. We are sure that much will change in the coming months, and reading those letters at the end of the semester will be fascinating, but also quite emotional. But until then, Barrack headed to Jerusalem!
The day began at Crave, where the group volunteered together making sandwiches for Israeli soldiers. The group did more than volunteer — the entire atmosphere was amazing. With music, teamwork, and writing personal notes to Israeli soldiers packaged with each sandwich, the energy in the restaurant came to life. From there, it was time for a completely different Jerusalem experience: Machane Yehuda.
For some of the students this was their first introduction to the shuk, and it can be very overwhelming! The smells, the noise, the people, and the endless things to taste are all only part of it. Students wandered the stalls, tried different foods, and found lunch witht their peers.
Then they travelled considerably further back in time at Ir David (City of David) learning about the history and biblical stories connected to the site. The group journeyed underground, walking through the ancient water tunnel and witnessing history come to life before their very eyes. They weren't just learning about history, they were inside it,
Finally, the day ended at the Kotel (Western Wall).
After a day experiencing Jerusalem through food, volunteering, history and archaeology, they arrived at the place that wove together the threads of their exploration. For some of our students, this was their first visit to the Kotel, which made the moment particularly special. It was incredible to stand before the living piece of history that they had learned so much about.
Later in the week, Barrack set out to explore another part of the country. They hiked Nahal Yitzpor before cooling off at Sachne. They visited Neve Michael Children’s Village, and finally, traveled back to campus to prepare for Shabbat.
Over the weekend, the group will discover Tel Aviv — visiting the Peres Center, walking a city-wide graffiti tour, and exploring Shuk HaCarmel. They’ll stay overnight in Tel Aviv to welcome Shabbat together as a group, rounding out an extremely impactful and full week.