Time in Kiryat Gat

On Thursday morning we headed north to Chicago’s partner city, Kiryat Gat, where we had the opportunity to meet with high school students from the local high schools. On the way we stopped at the Beta Israel village, a community built to provide resources for the Ethiopian-Israeli community and also to educate about the history of the community. In the 80s, the journey to Israel  was quite dangerous and involved walking through Sudan before taking a plane. Upon arriving to Israel, many were shocked to learn that there are Jews in the world who have white skin! We had the privilege to take part in the coffee and doba bread ceremonies, core parts of their culture. We then had the opportunity to learn a bit of Amharic, writing our names in the Ethiopian language.

We arrived to Yitzhak https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1sih49szXkIA9PYdWFUOifSRfjf57TI48https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ICa_20u_7Oj1WWsslc8P5Jyn2qLOSUwWhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1YykpvztmHKXU1pFtION0lY--vZRBE8_uBen Tzvi High School and had an interesting discussion about the relationship between Israeli and American Jews, what it has been throughout history, what it looks like now, and what we hope it could be. Students were then hosted with regal hospitality by their new friends. The stories of the hachnassat orchim (welcoming guests) is truly inspiring.https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1OHlEsv0ICFq1-_t7hGr9UeItaaOnJ7mXhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1A1BJSqFUplBlsRpaC-Pdc7M1YjzYVDgNhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1gwdOyg0WcR6M8uL6CMhOkx-Wy0zAKnuqhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1LIkcWviKGWceZlNB9FvQOvkUhFS6-e9mhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1c4LKy1lssSVU4BHRY8Kt4JTp8twZdG9Xhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1oFM52taAxKZVYaFi9Wxtp-8fer_kVffNhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1-8MoAk9LCPRpxPWW4v1vZu23G-l3k-_phttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=16n9k_rLufGOVIpZPiqYLhBf45KOq6S4Thttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=15ImJdyqOMc4PIBuzEyLKgwR71neclyXyhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1vDu7_AELfYNOk1RiU193Xne6YkNsLmh-

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Save a Child’s Heart

Image
This afternoon, we headed to the inspiring NGO, Save a Child’s Heart. The organization brings children from around the world for a variety of heart procedures and surgeries. To date, Save a Child's Heart has saved the lives of more than 5,100 children from 62 countries in Africa, South America, Europe, Asia, and throughout the Middle East and trained more than 120 medical team members from these countries. The organization also recently opened centers in two additional countries. So what did we do? Preston found a buddy who rode on his back for over an hour. Ariana led a circle game with around fifteen of our students and six of the children. Ari and Micah built a magnatile fortress and then called a cute kid to come and drive his car in to it, bringing forth great glee from the child. And who could  forget the dance party? While students couldn’t communicate in the language of the children or their parents, natural human empathy is universal.
Read more

The Circassian Community and Sandiyana Olive Oil

Image
In Israel, rain is a “Siman bracha,” a sign of blessing. The weather brought alternate plans from our planned hike and we made the most of the new opportunities in the Galilee.  We began the morning by visiting the  Circassian Community  of Kfar Kama. The Circassians are an ethnic minority of around 4500 people from the Caucus Mountains. The nation was originally brought to Israel by the Ottomon Empire in the late 19th century. The people continue to maintain their own traditions in several areas around Israel and are citizens who are devoted to the country in many ways, including serving in the army. We then headed to a neighboring community called Kfar Kana, where there is an olive oil cooperative of Arab and Jewish women called  Sindyana   which seeks to empower women to work and make money for their families. We learned about the origins of this company and were quite impressed how it exports its Gold Medal oil even to Italy — it’s that good. At the end of the presentation, student
Read more

#CulinaryZionism

Image
We stopped for lunch at the Dimona mall, where students had their choice of kosher food from around the globe. Rave reviews for Aroma, schwarma, schnitzel with multiple flavors, and sushi. Bteiavon!
Read more