Friday - March 30

Friday morning started bright and early at 8am in Whippany. Me and the other Israelis began the day with a Ma’gal boker, and a really fun activity! Even though it was so fun, we were all anxious to get on the bus to the Willowbrook Mall for some good American shopping. We immediately got in partners and ran around the mall going to as many stores as possible in just two short hours! We got back on the bus with pounds and pounds of clothes, shoes, and accessories, and headed to Lester Senior Housing where we ran Kabbalat Shabbat for the seniors there. Zohar and Adi planned great activities for us to do with them! We got into small groups and talked about how we celebrate Shabbat and shared our personal experiences.

Next, we played a great game where Bar, Zach, and Anais pretended to be famous Jewish people looking to ”get married” to the Shabbat Bride who was being played by one of the senior residents. Zach won in the end and was lucky enough to marry a senior woman! Also, each Israeli gave each senior a custom-made flowerpot, which we made last Sunday on Good Deeds Day!

After some quality time with the great seniors, we went back to the federation and surprised Dar with a birthday cake for her 16th birthday!! While all this was going on, I (Marisa) was preparing for my brothers bar mitzvah services! When Yuval got home around 4:30, we both got dressed up and headed to my aunt and uncle’s house for a Friday night dinner, and then we left for my brother Adam’s Friday night service! Yuval really enjoyed meeting my whole family, even though it was probably really overwhelming.

Friday was a great day for both of us, even though we didn’t get to see each other until later at night.

We are both soooo sad that the NAS is coming to an end in just one more day. It feels like it just started yesterday, and no one wants it to be over so soon. However, it is hard to be so upset when we talk about the amazing trip to Israel coming up this summer! The NAS was an amazing experience and we can’t wait to continue making new friends and memories this summer.

- Marisa Parnes and Yuval Moriah