Heading South in the Winter

It was an exciting week for both our spring and January students, filled with joy and learning.

Our January students spent most of the week in the South, leaving Tuesday morning to volunteer at Rimon Farms in Lahav. Students participated in hands-on work and showed dedication and teamwork. After lunch at the Dvir Picnic Area, we headed into Be’er Sheva for a historic walking tour and learned more about the city and its development. We returned to the Be’er Sheva campus in the afternoon. The evening ended with dinner, followed by movie night and karaoke, which was the perfect way to relax and bond after a full day.

Back on campus, our spring semester students spent the week preparing for Purim, studying the holiday's traditions and stories, buying costumes, packing gift baskets, and more, while also diving deep into the story of the Jewish people in the Middle Ages. We traced the development of the Roman laws that defined Jewish people's lives as Christianity became the imperial religion, and the terrible challenges to Jewish life in Christian Europe. The students prepared songs, skits, and posters that told the stories of Jewish leaders and heroes of the Middle Ages.

Wednesday was another impactful day in the South for the January class. We visited Tzrifin and David Ben-Gurion’s gravesite, and learned about his vision for the Negev and his leadership in Israel’s early years. From there, we hiked Ein Avdat and took in the incredible desert scenery. In the afternoon, we traveled to Mitzpe Ramon and visited the Ramon Visitor Center to better understand the unique desert landscape. The day concluded with DOTS programming in Be’er Sheva before heading back for the night.

On Thursday, our spring students explored a Crusader castle in the Galilee, swam in the hot springs at the Sachne, and saw the nighttime light show at Beit Shean. Further South, the January class continued their Be’er Sheva trip with a visit to Mamshit National Park, where they explored the ancient Nabatean city and its history. After lunch at Park Yerucham, we made our way back to the Hod Hasharon campus.

On Friday and Shabbat, the spring students will be staying over in the mountain city of Tzfat. There, we will explore Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), bake challah, and walk the alleys and streets of the old city.