Holy camel!!!
Today has been the most exhilarating day of my entire life! I woke up and rode a donkey and a camel, climbed to the top of mount Masada, and floated in the Dead Sea…not your average Monday. As we breathed in the magic of Masada, we felt the presence of our family while reading the letters from our parents. Although the Dead Sea was freakin freezing, I’ve never felt more alive than when I was covered from head to toe in mud and floating in the saltiness of the Dead Sea. Today I realized how truly grand the world can be. Needless to say, today was very eventful and I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep tonight.
Emily Baumgarten, LA, CA.
USC 2013
Our trip staff
After a packed week, we finally have a moment to catch up, relax at a beautiful Kibbutz down South, and tell you about the trip leaders. Hilik, our Israeli tour guide, is extremely knowledgeable and answers every question we have. He shares his personal experiences of his service in the army and growing up in Israel. He also likes to have a good time- as you can see below smiling in his 3D glasses!
Slavik, our medic and guard, is 24 years old, he recently finished his army service in the IDF and is currently saving money to travel the world. he is always there, with an ice pack, a bandaid, or a hug.
Micha, our fearless bus driver, makes sure we have ice cold water every day and carries us safely from on place to another. It is amazing the way he can maneuver that bus through the windy, narrow streets!
Alison is 26 years old and grew up in Los Angeles, CA. She works at USC Hillel and this is her fifth time staffing Birthright. She enjoys seeing Israel through the eyes of the participants traveling to Israel for the first time and can point out a great snack at every stop.
Ido is also 26, a native Israeli working as the Israel fellow at USC Hillel for the past year. He provides a unique perspective and comparison of the differences between Israel and Southern California. His Israel sense of humor is a great addition to the group.
Isryan
As I sit here on the bus and the Tel Aviv skyline fades into the distance, I’m beginning to feel a deeper connection to the Israeli and Jewish identity. I’ve been discovering, over the past few days, just how relevant the history and culture of Israel is to a reformed Jewish kid from a Los Angeles suburb. Truth be told, I didn’t really appreciate this association prior to embarking on this experience. But its become apparent that Israel and its people have had a profound impact on our everyday lives; whether its the plethora of Israeli startups that are pushing the boundaries of the technology we use every day, or the change in global relations brought about by the establishment of an independent Israeli state, Israel’s presence can be felt everywhere.
And aside from all this learning and discovering, I’m happy to say I’m having a damn good time! Our group is full of bright, witty, and all around good people, and that truly enriches the experience. Our group of Israeli soldiers joined us today, and the insight into their everyday lives is really cool. They’re a lot more like us than I ever thought.
From the first dinner in the Kibbutz, to the tour of Technion, and everything else, its been an amazing, fulfilling experience. And its only day 5 
Ryan Darling, Oak Park, CA
Sababa!!!
What an amazing two days we had!
On wednesday we toured the Technion, israel’s institute of technology, we met some students, had a tour of campus, we visited the agricultural department and an amazing 3D lab.
From there we went on to an amazing view point of the city of Haifa, on top of the Bahai gardens.
Then we visited Amdocs, one of Israel’s top high-tec companies, the president himself spoke to us about the company, and we had an incredible presentation of their innovative lab.
On thursday we drove down to Tel Aviv, we visited Rabin square, and then went on to tour the old city of Jaffa. We had beautiful weather, and some free time for shopping.
In the afternoon we went to volunteer packing groceries at the Jaffa Institute for less fortunate jewish and muslim families in the area.
Tonight we are going out in Tel Aviv, are the local bars and clubs ready to handle 40 american party lovers??
Day 2- Mmm shwarma!
After a great night sleep, we were ready to conquer our second day in Israel. We began driving north to Mount Bental. Our guide explained the history of the bunker as we overlooked the border with Syria. We heard both sides of the perspective on potential peace between Israel and Syria. Next stop for the day was the mystical city of Tz’vat. We had a first taste of falafel and shwarma! Everyone loved it! We learned about the creation of Kabbalah and visited ancient and Sephardic temple. We were lucky to have a few locals welcome the group with unique melodies. After the tour we continued to explore the beautiful artist colony. Back at a kibbutz in the evening we experienced the Israeli culture through music. We sang traditional Hanukkah songs and learned a few new ones too. Journey continues tomorrow…
Hanukah candle lighting in our Kibutz
After a long journey we had a nice evening at the Kibutz, where we had dinner, candle lighting , and got to know each other
