The Start of Israeli Independence

Winter is slowly making its way to Israel, bringing cool evenings, crisp nights, sunny days, and our first heavy rainfall of the season.

This week, we continued our history studies, focusing on the final years of the British Mandate and the birth of the State of Israel. We toured Tel Aviv and explored the many layers of this remarkable “First Hebrew City.” Walking through its earliest neighborhoods, we learned about the bold vision of its founders — to build a “New York of Israel,” a city that would blend the ancient and traditional with the modern and innovative.

And of course, no Tel Aviv experience is complete without the beach and the shuk. We enjoyed lunch at the charming Levinsky Market and ended the day together with a reflective conversation on the beach at sunset.

In class, we explored the War of Independence, the emergence of the Palestinian refugee crisis, and the roots of the ongoing conflict. These topics are complex, painful, and heavy, but we are dedicating significant classroom time to understanding their depth and long-lasting impact.

On Thursday, we will ascend to Jerusalem, learning about the fierce battles of 1948 to break the blockade on the city. We will also visit Har Herzl, Israel’s national cemetery in Jerusalem.

This Shabbat, we will rest and explore in the beautiful Druze village of Peki’in in the Galilee. The village is home to an ancient synagogue and the ancestral home of the last Jewish family from the old Peki’in community, who lived there for more than 500 years.