Blooms of Remembrance: Connecting the Past and Present in Israel

This week, students had the opportunity to experience both ancient Israel and modern Israel, side-by-side. While much of the week focused on in-depth studies of biblical history and archaeology, we also took a day to visit the Israel Envelope (the area bordering Gaza) and discuss post-October 7 Israel.    

We began that day at the Nova Music Festival Site, now a memorial, where we heard firsthand accounts and met the mother of one of the victims. From there, we visited Shuva Achim, a volunteer-run rest stop that provides food, drinks, and essential supplies to soldiers moving in and out of Gaza.  

Later in the day, we worked with local artists to make ceramic anemone flowers, also known as Calanit. There is an initiative to place these ceramic wildflowers across the Israel Envelope region, as part of a national October 7 memorial. In normal years, the Israel Envelope is one of the best areas in all of Israel to see these actual wildflowers bloom. In the rainy season, fields of red flowers blanket the landscape, and tour groups from across the country travel to the area to celebrate ”Darom Adom” (The Red South) festivals. It only made sense that after crafting our ceramic flowers, we stopped at some of those fields to see the real flowers blooming.    

As the week comes to an end, we look forward to welcoming Shabbat in Jerusalem, where we will reflect, connect, and continue our journey together in this remarkable land.