Our first full group travel day began early in the morning to the wake up call of roosters at our campsite in Metula. Our activities began with a tour of Tzfat, one of the four holiest cities in Israel. We walked through the different quarters, and learned about the types of people who lived here. We also met with an artist who taught us about Jewish Mysticism, Spirituality, and how he developed his connection to Israel after growing up in Michigan.
At the cave of Rabbi Simon ben Yohai, we learned about the 13 years he and his son spent there studying Judaism. Since our time in Israel is coming to an end, we stopped to reflect on how we grew individually and as a result of other people's actions. We used the metaphor of each person being a candle and another person reflecting and showing his/her light to the group. It was meaningful for me to see how close we have come as a group and how we know each other well enough to identify important qualities. Next, we visited a Druze hospitality for dinner, but not before enjoying a snack of pita druzit in the village. At dinner, we learned about the Druze religion, culture, and beliefs. We found it fascinating that the religion is a combination of all monotheistic religions, mainly including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. As a Jew who knows how hard we fought for a state of our own, I personally was intrigued to learn about why the Druze do not want the same. They argue that since they already live peacefully in various countries, they do not want to create violence by fighting for a country of their own. I think this fact only increased our connection to and pride of Israel for the whole group. The Jewish people have endured wars to get the country and unity that we are all so proud of, and after touring the country for three weeks, we cannot imagine the Jewish people without Israel. This pride is what makes Diller and ISS so important to each of us in a unique way.
- Sarah Nelson
P.S. Shout out to Mom, Dad, Eva, and Taffy! I miss you so much and can't wait to see you in the morning!!
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