Giving Back to Israel

We are having a beautiful week here in Israel. As we continue our studies, we are delving into the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the refugees, the PLO, Israeli settlements, and more.

On Tuesday we travelled to Jerusalem for a day of fun and volunteering. We visited the Yad L'Kashish community center. This nonprofit was founded in the 1960s in the Musrara neighborhood to employ and take care of poor and elderly Israelis. At the center's workshops, men and women create amazing crafts and Judaica, working with materials such as clay, bronze, fabrics, and embroidery. The crafts are then sold in a gift shop, which provides funding for bus passes, meals, and government social workers who look after them. This is an amazing example of a private organization that has created a community of care, dignity, and a safety net for old people who would otherwise struggle.

We traveled on to the Temple Mount Sifting Project, where we participated in sifting archaeological finds from the earth around the Siloam pool in ancient Jerusalem. We found bones (animal), glass, and pottery.

We had some free time in the amazing Machane Yehuda market, and we volunteered at Pantry Packers, where we packed food for impoverished families throughout Israel.

On Thursday, we toured Southern Tel Aviv, exploring graffiti, gentrification, and the Jaffa Flea Market, and this Shabbat, our students are heading out for their last free weekend of the semester. 

We are coming to the close of our semester, but this is the time for us to be the most present, open to the learning and experiences of the semester, and appreciate the amazing community we have created here this semester, students, Madrichim, and teachers.