Yerucham!!!

So for the 2nd semester, Nativ was split up into 3 different tracks. There were 30 kids that lived and worked on a youth village in the north called Kfar Chassidim. 29 others lived in another city in the north called Karmiel. Lastly, there was the last 30, including myself, who lived and worked in the development town of Yerucham which is locat. ed roughly 45 minutes outside of Beer Sheva in the dessert in the south.
The town has a population around 9,000 people and has one main road with everything stemming from that road. There is this area called Yerucham Park which has a lake which goes with the rain, so this year, it was actually more full than usual due to record rains in January and February.
Our living situation was 4 different apartments, 2 guys apartments each with 5, and 2 girls apartments, each with 6. There was also one house with the remaining 8 girls (yes, the ratio of girls to guys was 2:1 on my track).
Deciding who would be in which room was quite the adventure. We were allowed to pick our own rooms. So for the guys, we just decided to use a random number generator because we didn't want to get into fights like everyone else on each track was, and it turned out to work well for each of the guys.

Identity Towers

Things in Yerucham that we normally would see or used are a super market...just 1 super market. There were also 2 pizza joints, although we normally only went to one because it was cheaper and better. Speaking of that pizza joint, Benjy (one of my apartmentmates) and I somehow ended up having weekly Brian and Benjy pizza dates just to talk about anything and everything, they were pretty awesome. There was also a good shawarma restaurant, a falafel place, a general town center that was used for anything really. There were also many playgrounds, a small turn soccer field, and tennis courts. Something cool was also the Identity Towers that you'd see as you drove into town. Something that is fairly common in Israel, but not really at all in America which was cool is that there are workout playgrounds. They are essentially what they sound like. They are playgrounds with things to play on, but the things to play on is very basic workout equipment, but stuff that even little kids can use, and just play on.
Some of the jobs that people had were working in the kindergartens, working in the middle school, the religious/secular high schools, working as volunteer paramedics, working at a senior center, and then my 2 jobs, working in the community gardens which was basically weeding and cleaning, and then working in the archives which was helping create a digital history of the town.
We always had work Sunday-Thursday, except for Tuesdays, and had weekends free to do whatever it was we wanted, which for me usually involved traveling.
Tuesdays was Yom Nativ, which literally means Nativ Day. On Yom Nativ, a group of 3 of us planned an entire day based on some theme or topic. My Yom was Yom Other. In the morning we talked and had programs about Moroccan, Ethiopian, Russian and Indian Jewry. We also talked about women in Judaism, but not famous women, more of the generic women's role and rights in Judaism. In the afternoon, we focused on something unrelated to Judaism. We played a game which helped demonstrate other socioeconomic groups, and how they live.

That is the basics of what went on in Yerucham.

Poland

POLAND

My trip to Poland was one of the most incredible trips I have ever been a part of. I had to come back from my winter break plans early, but then (I think) 27 Nativers, 2 staff members, and our director made our way to Poland for an 8 day trip. We had I believe 4 learning sessions regarding different things about the Holocaust, Jewish history, and anything else that might be applicable to our trip, so we were already a bit more knowledgeable than we would have been had we just jumped into the trip. The tour guide for our trip was Jules Gutin, the director of USY who has been the tour guide for the Nativ Poland trip for a couple years now.

We started right away after we landed in Warsaw by going to the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery, and we were there for a few hours. We walked through it for a bit and learned things regarding the cemetery itself as well as those who were buried there. While it was not the most taken care of cemetery, its sheer size was incredible to be around. We also had an amazing thing happen. One of the people in the group, her and our director went to look for her great grandfather who was buried there. She didn’t know where, but knew that he was there. All of a sudden, they happened to stumble upon the plot. While I wasn’t with her at that moment, it must have been truly incredible to find the plot. After we left, we then did the couple hour drive to Lublin where we stayed for the night.

The next day we went to Majdanek, one of the death camps in Poland. Supposedly there was one time where a tour guide said to a group that Majdanek is so well preserved that it could in fact be up in running in only a few hours. While that is an incredibly eerie thought, there is no way that it is true. Yes, the camp was preserved well, and it was incredibly creepy how well it has been kept, but I think that adds a lot to the experience. We were able to walk inside a couple buildings, and see insides of others. We saw bunk houses where people slept. We walked through a gas chamber, and right near the gas chamber outside, you can see pits where bodies were placed and then burnt; the fact that the ground is still so clearly defined like that is incredibly weird to me. We also just walked throughout the camp and saw towers, fences, and other basic parts of the camp. There were also two memorials. One that sticks out though is one where there is this huge monument with a pit of sorts inside of it, and in it are ashes. Right then, when we got there at the end, that was what finally made the Holocaust personal to me. Just being at the camp itself didn’t do it for me, but the ashes, that for sure did.

After Majdanek, we went to a Lublin cemetery where the Chose (Seer) of Lublin was buried, and we learned a little about him. Next we went to the Yeshivat Chacmei Lublin, what was a prominent yeshiva in Lublin where we learned more about the yeshiva. The building is quite impressive actually. It is large and kept together well.

The next day we made our way to Krakow. During that day we went the Oskar Schindler’s factory (Schindler’s List, the same place) where, unfortunately it is not much a history of Oskar Schindler or what he did, but more of a history of Krakow in WWII. While that was interesting, it wasn’t much new for us, and also not at all what we were hoping to be learning from going to the factory. We then had some free time in Krakow before Shabbat. Most people, including myself, went to Wawel hill (I think that is the spelling) where there is a castle and huge cathedral. The hill itself was also interesting because there were many cool buildings there, and it was a good way to spend the last time before Shabbat started.

We then had Shabbat where we saw a couple different synagogues, and prayed in 2. Friday night we prayed in one shul, but it was just Nativers, and on Saturday we prayed at another shul with some other people there, and it was incredibly difficult to follow. That Saturday night after Shabbat let out, we had free time in Old Krakow. Some friends and I just walked around for most of the night, until Steph G. and I were told of this chocolate emporium of sorts. Naturally we had to go, and it was incredible. We each got a different type of chocolate drink and truffle and they were incredible. Unfortunately, we did not have a watch with us, so we did not know when we were supposed to meet back with the rest of the group in the center of the square, so our director and the person who told us came to get us, but naturally, we then got more truffles. All in all, we had a good experience in Krakow.

The next day, was a much harder day. We went to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II (Birkenau). First we went to the town of Auschwitzien where we prayed at the history center there, and then we were off to Auschwitz.

Auschwitz I was weird for me. I had always been told not to expect anything big or fancy. Well, with having been told so many times, it was actually bigger than I expected. It was weird, it kind of looked like a dorm area of a college campus, I personally thought of Princeton. Granted, Auschwitz I wasn’t a camp for Jews and other victims, but for political prisoners, and started much earlier than a lot of other camps. If I remember correctly, it was actually converted from old Polish army barracks. And then, when we went inside the buildings, it was very underwhelming. For me, the Holocaust had never been personal, and was a very fact based thing, and this trip was supposed to make it more personal for me, and until then, it had been doing just that. However, Auschwitz I is very much like a museum, and in doing so, it takes away a lot of the personal connection. Yes, there were pictures of people who were prisoners, and displays of people’s belongings. It was actually quite odd, in the room with a display of with luggage; there were 2 bags with names of people on Nativ, so that was pretty weird. There was another display that sticks out in my mind, even still. We walked into a room, and there was a display full of hair. I walked in and legitimately almost threw up. I couldn’t handle that part. It is a display of, essentially, people. Having a display of people’s belongings and then a display of parts of the people themselves have a much different impact. There was also the sign that a lot of people recognize in German, Arbeit Mach Frei, which can be translated to Work Will Set You Free. That was also pretty odd to see because for so long, for me at least, that sign has been the symbol of Auschwitz, and then finally seeing it, that did continue to make the Holocaust much more real for me. While in general, I was not a huge fan of the set up of Auschwitz I, it does do a pretty good job of at least teaching.

Auschwitz II, now that is a completely different story. You walk through the gates by the train tracks, and it opens up onto this enormous piece of land, and then you realize that about a mile out there is a line of trees, and then you realize that the line of trees is not even halfway through the camp. The train tracks are still there which is a pretty weird site. A lot of the buildings that were there are no longer there and have been destroyed. A lot still have a little brick patch, but nothing much more than that. While there, we did see a few buildings that are being preserved. There were a couple bunk houses, a “restroom” building which was essentially just holes in the ground, a place to wash hands, and more of the sort. We also saw 3 of the 4 crematoriums that were at Birkenau. They were all destroyed, but still have some part left, some more than others. There were also obviously guard towers and fences as well there. There was also one building there which was where prisoners who would not be killed right away would go through “processing”, but in the building, we also saw ovens. In this building, we were able to walk their path. There is also a huge memorial with little plack memorials for people of every country that died at Birkenau in all of the languages they spoke. At each place we visited, a group of 2-4 people had to do a presentation of sorts. I was in the group that had to do one there. I read a poem that was written about the 2 camps, Maya H. read a passage written by one of the doctors at the camp describing what happened in the gas chambers, Barry S. read a prayer for his grandfather, and Rivkah B did the same. It was quite emotional for a lot of the people there.

The next day we were in Lodz. We visited the Jewish cemetery there. The cemetery there was quite different from the one in Warsaw. Most different was the elegance and beauty of the gravestones, and just the general beauty that was put into the architecture there. We also visited a shul in Lodz. We didn’t pray there, but it was a beautiful shul that has been restored wonderfully. After the cemetery and shul we went to the umshlagplatz, or the platform where people were gathered before they were huddled into the cattle cars to be sent off to various camps. At the umshlagplatz, there were multiple memorials, a cattle car that you could go in (one of the creepiest feelings I’ve ever had), and a tunnel of different things regarding the people of Lodz, and other things to know regarding the umshlagplatz and those who departed from it. We then made our way back to Warsaw where we went to remaining walls of the Warsaw Ghetto, we saw the Nozyk synagogue, the Janusz Korczak memorial there, Mila 13 which was a base for the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and then a huge memorial for the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

The next day had a lot of driving in it. We first started out by going to the umshlagplatz in Warsaw, which instead of having memorials to countries, had memorials for people. It was essentially a giant memorial with common names of those who were sent away. We then drove north to Tykocin, where all of the Jews were marched into the Lupachova Forest and shot into 3 pits. We first went to the shul which has been restored in Tykocin. I must add, the restoration job is magnificent. Afterwards, we went out into the Lupachova Forest to see the memorials at the pits. There were tons of candles and Israeli flags all over the place. It was quite impressive for such a small area. Afterwards we went to Treblinka. For me, Treblinka was by far the hardest to handle. There is nothing at all remaining of the extermination camp…nothing at all. There are only memorials. There is one large one, memorials for each city of people that died there, but also, there is a memorial specifically for Janusz Korczak. All the memorials, except for the main one, are just rocks in the ground with the name of the city etched into it. The emptiness and nothingness of Treblinka was something incredible, and was quite difficult for me. Outside of the main memorial area, there were also larger stones with the names of all the countries that had people perish there.

All in all, this trip to Poland was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. It made the Holocaust very real for me, and I learned more about the Holocaust than I had ever learned before. I can’t possibly recommend enough for people to go to Poland on some kind of program to learn and try and experience what happened. I would personally recommend going in the winter like I did because it teaches you something that going in the summer can’t. It teaches you the strength of the human spirit. We were all in nice winter clothing and were cold. We can’t even imagine how people living in camps were able to surprise with no accommodations at all. It was a true lesson that only being there can teach you. Definitely one of the most incredible weeks of my life. 

England

My experience in England was a little bit different than France and Ireland. I was only able to spend one day in England because I had to fly back to Israel to then go on the Nativ trip to Poland, so for my one day, we did things that I wanted to do, or made sense for the group. So after getting in really late at night, we just decided to get a little dinner and then go to sleep in our hostel towards the outskirts of London.

The next day, we make it into the heart of London for yet another free walking tour of the city. We had a little trouble finding it, and had to do a lot walking, but eventually we made it to the start. The guy we had as our guide was a lot of fun. He is actually a trained actor, so while some of his talking was way over the top, in general he was a lot of fun. One really fun moment we had with him was in front of the parliament where we were discussing old torture methods, so he was demonstrating the method that would be used on people who committed treason. Naturally he needed a volunteer, and naturally I volunteered.

In general, we saw a lot on the tour and it was a good tour, and I’m glad I spent a chunk of my one free day doing that. In fact, towards the end of the tour, we ran into another person on Nativ who was in London with her sister who lives there, so afterwards we went to this pub to get lunch, and obviously I got fish and chips. They were delicious.

After lunch, we went as fast as possible to the British Museum, because that was the one thing I’d wanna see if I could. There was soooo much there. We only had an hour and a half, so I did what they recommended and I saw a bunch of really amazing things.

That night we went on a Tower of London/East London tour. It was basically a tour about the history of Jack The Ripper. Very interesting. Very creepy, and very odd that it was basically a story of Jews. 

London is a really cool city, and one day is most certainly not enough.

Ireland

Ireland was quite nice. Right away while we were flying into Ireland I thought it was incredibly pretty. Even more, once we landed and got into a cab, the cab driver was so friendly and nice. We then got to our hostel. It was the Generator Hostel in Dublin, and it was absolutely amazing! It was possibly the comfiest bed I have slept in all year. It also just had a cool atmosphere.

Highlights from the trip:

                Cliffs of Moher: We went to the Cliffs of Moher which are on the western coast of the country. That day we went on a full day trip that included the cliffs. It started out with waking up at 5 in the morning to walk to the start. We almost missed the bus because the starting point was incredibly difficult to find. The lady wanted to get to know us, so when she got to my name, she asked if I knew of any famous Brian’s. Naturally I answered Brian Barou who was a high king of Ireland, and she was incredibly impressed with my answer. We then continued on a bus and went driving throughout the country and it was absolutely gorgeous. Even on a cloudy and rainy day, the green was beautiful. We ended up at the tour guide’s cousin’s house (this trip was a “family” trip where you see their old home and farm) and we went on a short easy hike throughout their farm. It was pretty interesting.

We then got to the actual cliffs themselves and they were absolutely unbelievable. The sight was breathtaking and was a great picture scene as well. We then toook a long drive back which ended up just being a nice 2 hour nap.

National Leprechaun Museum: On Friday the 13^th, we were all pretty tired and were looking for things to do on our last day there. After going on a free walking tour where we did learn quite a bit of general Irish history as well as seeing cool sights in Dublin and Dublin history, we ended up going to the National Leprechaun Museum. Unfortunately, we did not learn about the museum until it was closing. Luckily, it was Friday the 13^th, and the managers decided, for the first time, to do a Friday the 13^th exhibit/tour of luck and omens. It was really fun, but also really creppy. At the end, we did bloody mary on a mirror that our guide told creepy stories about, and I broke a mirror with a horse shoe.

Guiness Storehouse: We went to the Guiness Storehouse one day, and while we were disappointed that we couldn’t go to the brewery, but it was still interesting. It was a very interactive tour of Guiness history as well as how Guiness is made. We were also allowed to get a complimentary pint, and one of the options was to “Pour Your Perfect Pint”. Naturally I did that, and it was quite exhilirating, but I also learned that pouring Guiness from a tap is not just flipping the tap, but there is in fact more to it. While some may say it was just a bunch of American tourists wanting to go to a brewery, and it probably was, it was still quite interestnig.

Old Jameson Distillery: On the same day as the Guiness Storehouse, we were planning on going to the Old Jameson Distillery. The girls in the group didn’t want to go, and since they couldn’t “go shopping” while we were in France, they wanted to go shopping in Dubling, so Blue and I went to the distillery. We learned specifics to their whiskey as well as differences in other types of whiskey. We were then able to have a taste test, but there was also an “official taste test” where 8 people were chosen to taste 3 different types of whiskeys: Jameson, Johnnie Walker Black Label, and Jack Daniel’s. The whole experience was really interesting and fun.

We also just had general walking around in Ireland and saw a lot of cool things. I’m really glad I could go, and I can’t wait to go back one day to see more of it. 

Winter Break: France

FRANCE

My first impression of France (well mostly Paris, the only time we technically left Paris was when we went to Versailles which is about 10K or so outside, but is on the same train system as Paris) was dark and dirty. That is probably because when we arrived, it was still dark out, and well, Paris isn’t necessarily the cleanest city there is. Eventually we were able to make it to our hostel, which was pretty nice.

That first day we first off took a nap because we didn’t really sleep at all the night we spent in Geneva, we mostly just hung out in our rooms. We eventually got up and found that there was a nice free walking tour that we could get on. Obviously, it was about an hour away at a place that is not super easy to find. We leave with about 90 min to spare but don’t end up making it. Instead we just do some walking around ourselves, and see Paris in our own eyes.

I realized then, Paris is one huge architectural masterpiece. Not only are there specific amazing structures and buildings, but everywhere you walk, the architecture is beautiful. I took so many pictures of random alleys and streets because they just so happened to look really cool.

Known things we saw:

                Notre Dame. That cathedral is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of surprisingly large amount of famous cathedrals after having been to Italy my freshman year in high school. There were almost no lights inside, so the natural lighting, while dim, accentuated the beauty of everything. Here were fantastic paintings, sculptures, and every other form of art. Truly a site to see if one is ever in Paris(granted, I would probably say that about everything we saw, but that’s just me).

                Versailles: I think I could be done explaining how amazing the Chateau at Versailles is by simply saying OH MY GOD!!!!! We went on a tour with perhaps the best tour guide ever. I fell in love with her immediately. She just had the most fun personality ever, which I can only assume made me enjoy going even more. This tour was just for the gardens which, I learned there, are about 1/100 of the size they were at the time of Louis XIV which makes it more incredible that it took 3 hours for us to go through the gardens. The gardens are unbelievable, and it wasn’t even spring or summer, so I could only imagine what everything looks like with more things in bloom and better weather. I am so glad we took that tour, for not only did we learn and see a lot about the gardens. We also learned a lot about King Louis XIV as a person, a king, and other French history. One fun part we learned was that there was a special way in which Louis XIV required people to walk while in the gardens. Naturally, when asked, I volunteered to be our tour guide’s dance partner(well, I was more volunteered for because everyone in the group at this point could kind of tell that I was in love with her as a tour guide, so after about 10 seconds of waiting, a bunch of people just told me to go and do it). After the tour of the gardens was over, there was the option of paying to also go inside the chateau. Naturally we did so, and it was worth it even just to see the famed Hall of Mirrors. Most rooms were restored in their original context, but instead there were placards describing what the room was for, and there was decoration that would have been there, so a lot of the rooms might have looked how they would have, but there was no guarantee of it. The Hall of Mirrors was absolutely gorgeous. You literally walk into a hall full of mirrors and amazing art all over the place. It was just this golden beautiful hall. The Chateau and Gardens at Versailles were absolutely wonderful, and a well spent day.

                Eiffel Tower: After our day at Versailles, we went to the Eiffel Tower. By the time we got into Paris it was night, so the tower was lit up making it look even more amazing. Also, every hour after sundown, there are lights that sparkle all over the tower for about a minute, and that looks really amazing. The 6 of us waited in line for at least an hour to get tickets to go all the way up, and it was totally worth it. The Eiffel Tower is a lot taller than it looks, and it looks tall. While it wasn’t too cool on the ground, with all the wind at the top it was quite cold. One really cool thing that is offered at the top is that you can get an extremely overpriced champagne flute. Naturally Adam and I took that opportunity because really, when am I going to be back? Something cool about it; it was really good champagne too.

                The Louvre: Another full day was spent at the Louvre. The 6 of us got there at about 10 am the day we went, and since it wasn’t tourist season, there was no wait. We walked right into the pyramid. There wasn’t really a plan on when we would leave other than to meet up for lunch at about 2. We all met up at the cafeteria they have. The 4 girls wanted to go shopping, Adam didn’t really want to stay, but wanted to more or less hang out around the outside because there was a really nice park outside. To the surprise of many, all I wanted to do was just spend the rest of the day walking throughout the Louvre, which I really could have done if we hadn’t all agreed to meet at the arch outside at 6:30. It was too bad, there was still so much I didn’t get the chance to see and it closed at 10. So to all who don’t know. I do love art, I just don’t like doing it, but I could have spent days and days in the Louvre.

                Arc de Triomphe: The Arc de Triomphe, first off, is HUGE! It is really really big. Secondly, it is such a pain to actually get to. It is easy to get to the circle that it is at, but in order to actually get to the arch, you need to find the set of stairs that lead underground and lead you there. That wouldn’t be so difficult if it weren’t for there being about 10 different segments of street to look and a bunch of the stairs leading to the underground instead. Eventually though, we were able to get there, and it truly is an architectural amazement. It really is very cool.

On our last full day, we ended up taking that free tour, which was good. Even though we had seen a lot from us walking around on our own, we did see some new things, learn some things (for example, what each position of the horse means when there is a statue of a man on a horse), and just had a good re look of the city. At the end of the tour, a bunch of the people from the tour went to this one café for a late lunch/early dinner, and it was really good. This was probably where I had the coolest meal of the trip. I had escargot with a wonderful rose wine. Now, I had escargot once when I was 10 on a cruise, and it was absolutely disgusting, thus making me almost decide to get the frog legs(you can tell that I was determined to get something unique and cool), but I decided to stick with my gut and get the escargot. It was prepared completely different this time, with the major difference being that the snails were still in the shell, so while they were not alive, I did have to work a little to get my food which I think help make it  more satisfying. Also, instead of being, I think, butter last time, the sauce/seasoning was completely different here. Yes there was butter, but there was some green seasoning in it which changed the taste completely and made it really good. Even more, Jess - another person in the group who never finishes her meal, nobody knows why, she just doesn’t – got a cheese plate, and the assortment of cheeses on her plate were delicious.

All in all, France was awesome. We were up early every day and late every night, so we were quite exhausted by the end, but it was definitely worth it, and while I wish we had at least another day to leave Paris and maybe go to Normandy, I’m glad we stayed in Paris because we didn’t run out of things to do which was nice. 

Adventure to Geneva

First off, I would like to apologize for the major delay in winter break blog updates. I will try and put these up soon. Please everyone, be patient. Please. Also, these may not be written with coherent thoughts or at the same time, so I also apologize for any disconnect or troubles reading.

Adventure to Geneva (1/5/2012)

Well, the 6 of us(Adam B., Teri M., Courtney K., Jessica L., Deena A., and I) are on our way. We are literally printing boarding passes minutes before we need to leave; absolute best preparation on our parts. Eventually the shirut (basically a large cab, but not quite) gets to pick us up and we pile in.

Airport time. So our plan is to fly through Geneva to get to Paris, mostly because it is cheaper than flying directly, but also because Courtney K. really wants to get her passport stamped as much as possible, and while im not as crazy as her, I kind of do too. Lots of little things pile up, but the major thing that next happens is that one of the bags we checked was too heavy, so the 6 of us needed to figure out a way to rearrange things in order to not pay extra fees. What makes it even more fun is that at this point, it is scheduled that boarding actually begins now, and we obviously haven’t gone through security yet. Somehow we fly through security and get to what we think is the gate. Nope. We get to an area that you then take a shuttle to get to your gate. At this point, we think there is only about 5 minutes until boarding closes. We then realize that everyone in this area is in the exact position as us, so we don’t worry as much. Eventually we get to the gate, and somehow still make the flight on time.

Now we land in Geneva, and what is the most exciting thing? Yup, you got it. Getting our passports stamped. The worst part though is that after having gone to baggage claim and starting the whole process over again, our flight is delayed for rain or wind or something, we aren’t sure. We eventually get on the plane and we are sitting there waiting. After about another 30 minutes or so, we find out that the plane was struck by lightning prior to landing so they were seeing if the plane could actually take off. With our luck, the plane doesn’t go off and we need to figure things out. No more flights that night. Luckily enough though, EasyJet is nice enough to comp a stay for us for one night. Where do we end up? Crowne Plaza. Yes, we did in fact get 6 rooms (1 for each of us) for free at the Crowne Plaza in Geneva. Now you’d think that near an airport that there would be restaurants or something open at about 11:30 pm (that was the time we ended up at the hotel). Well not in Geneva. In Geneva, everything closes down at 5:30, 6:30 on Fridays. So we are walking around in about a ½ mile radius of the hotel looking for something when we notice a boulangerie (for those non-french speakers, it is basically a bakery). At this boulangerie, the front door is closed at night, you need to go all the way around back and in a creepy alley, you can then order something. We end up getting croissants, and end our night. At about 1 am.

First flight the next morning? Of course it would be at 6:30 am, and apparently in Europe, you don’t need to show up 3 hours in advance for an international flight, one hour suffices. Not being exactly sure how to get to the airport, even though we are told that it is only but a 10 minute walk, we decide to leave at about 4:45.

Everything works out. Get on the flight. And get to Paris ready for 4 fun days.

(C)ha(n)nuk(k)a(h) (I think that is all the spellings)

Hannukah in Israel was amazing! There were street decorations and tons of kinds of sufganiot. It was awesome!

For Erev Nativ we basically did a Hannukah trivia game show where we were split into different groups. It was very surprisingly fun.

We also made our own Chanukiot. They are kind of cheap, but were still fun to make.

It is weird, and kind of annoying that we had school during Hannukah because it made it harder to really appreciate the beauty of Hannukah in Jerusalem, but even with it, it was still an awesome experience.

I apologize for the small note here, but because of school, I was quite limited.