Let The Games Begin!
All three summer programs participated in color war this week. The competition consisted of different games and activities, culminating in the ultimate dance battle. Following the games, our summer students attended the Big Tent Event in Rishon LeZion, bringing together thousands of North American teens spending their summer in Israel. There were a variety of food stations, activities, and the event ended in a huge concert with performers like Noam Bettan, who represented Israel in this year’s Eurovision.
The Explore group visited Burgin, an ancient archaeological site and nature reserve with caves from the Second Temple era. The students then went to Har Herzl where they heard personal stories from their teachers and counselors about what its like to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Explore also went jeep riding in the Negev Desert, and stopped for a swim in Ein Akev, a beautiful natural spring and cliffside waterfall. Afterwards they visited Ben-Gurion’s Hut, the original desert home of Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion which now serves as a museum and interactive educational experience. They finished the day with sandboarding on the dunes.
Later, the group visited Gadna, a military simulation in the forest consisting of different types of team bonding and training exercises to get a brief sense of what it might feel like to be in the IDF. At Neve Yam Beach and Atlit, they learned about the internment camp where thousands of Jewish refugees and Holocaust survivors were held between 1939-1948.
They finished the week seeing the beautiful Bahai Gardens and concluded their adventures with a Druze community with whom they enjoyed traditional food.
Muss Classic and Entrepreneurship both boarded a boat in Herzliya where they swam and went tubing. The most meaningful part of their week, however, was visiting Sderot and learning about October 7 directly from Nova survivors.
Classic students also got to experience jeep riding in the Negev Desert, swimming in Ein Akev, and visiting Ben-Gurion’s Hut.
Classic’s week concluded with Israeli Studies class and an open Shabbat to visit with friends and family, while Entrepreneurship has another NYU session: The Art of Experimentation.