Living on the Border - July 24, 2012

On July 24, we started the day by heading to Tzfat.  We learned about the religious views of the people there.  The Kaballah center of the world is in Tzfat and so many residents are very mystical in Kaaballistic learnings.  After learning about Kaballah and Tzfat ‘s role in past societies, we were able to go to a synagogue and view the beautiful murals all over the walls.  Next, we visited a candle shop.  They made amazing representations of religious and pop culture scenes entirely out of wax along with a large assortment of different candles.  My favorite was the representation of Samson pushing away columns from the biblical story of Samson and Delila.  At the shop, workers were creating new candles in front of a glass screen so that visitors could see how different candles were made and they gave out some of the new candles they made for free.  Finally, we were given free time to visit the shops at Tzfat and explore the city even more by ourselves.Next, we got on the bus and climbed up the Manara Cliff to a beautiful lookout point. We could see really far into the distance.  I really liked seeing the farms in the distance and the contrasts between the mountains and valleys. 
After taking a cable car down the mountain to the bus, we were on our way to the Jordan River.  The bus ride was short and everyone was really excited to go rafting.  Once we got there, we split into groups to raft.  We started off in a river close to the Jordan, until we met a split in the river that signified that we had entered the Jordan River.  I had a lot of fun sitting in the middle of the raft while Zach Broder and Julian Amkraut paddled for me.  We got shot at with water guns by every raft we passed, including non-Dillers!  The Jordan River flowed slowly and was deep, so the ride was very mellow and special for me.

Once we changed, we headed to another lookout over Metulla and met Liat, Co-Director of Diller in Israel.  Since Metulla is so close to Lebanon, we actually went to the border of Israel and Lebanon and a few kids picked apples.  We then went to Liat’s house and had dinner and were taught about Metulla’s role in Israel’s history.

Finally, we drove a few minutes to a place where we camped out.  It was extremely close to Lebanon, and we saw the Israeli soldiers potrolling.  The Israelis and Americans each had their own Maagals and we all attempted to sleep as best as we could inside sleeping bags on top of a thin mat over the ground.

Ultimately, it was a great day, but was one of our most eventful and tiring.  The experiences that I personally encountered are things that I will always remember with my Diller family.

-Coby Levine