Israel Tour Update day 4

Dear Israel Tour Parent,

JERUSALEM

Tours 1, 2 & 3

The groups enjoyed lunch in one of the most fascinating places to be in just before Shabbat, the famous Machane Yehuda Market!

In this one hundred year old marketplace one can purchase fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers; the smells of freshly baked breads, spices, cheeses, olives is absolutely mesmerizing (Jamie Oliver would be over the moon if he were there)...

Machane Yehuda market (the shuk)

The Shuk has become a gathering place of locals from all walks of life. From home cooks to gourmet chefs, one can find them among the aisles, seeking the finest fresh ingredients.  The Shuk reflects the multi-cultural Israeli table; one can find the necessary items for many ethnic cuisines including Yemenite, Tunisian, Ethiopian, Moroccan, Polish, Iraqi, Iranian, Kurdish and many more...

Being in Jerusalem for Shabbat is a special experience. Not only does the city come to a virtual stand stil as the traffic dies down and the busses stop, but also some of the most vibrant Reform communities gather for services.

The peacefullness of Jerusalem over Shabbat sits slightly uncomfortably with some of the Reform community, because there is an associated cost. On the one hand, you can absorb a Shabbat atmosphere as if by osmosis, but on the other, should non-Jews really be encouraged not to work if they want to? Why should the national public transport service stop because of a traditional and potentially outdated understanding of what it means to work? These are some of the debates that being in Israel stimulates, and have been the catalyst for many interesting conversations on tour so far.

Tour 3 were privalaged to be able to meet Noam Shalit, the father of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was kidnapped 4 years ago by Hamas in the Gaza strip. He spoke with them about his hope for the release of his son and the group shared a poem that they had written for Gilad.

The tours will be walking to the Kottel and then will be holding their own unique RSY-Netzer Shabbat service in their hotel. After a Kabbalat Shabbat Dinner they will finish off the evening in true RSY-Netzer style, with lots of singing over Oneg!!

Quotes

Tour 1:
"We brought Israeli pants in the market, and I love it... I'm being Israeli" - Louisa

"The humous was the best thing ever." - Zack

''I may have only brought this whole watermelon for 60p but I still dont want any of it to go to waste." - Joe

Tour 2:
"Machane Yehuda was buzzing especially the cross youth movement banter." - Joe

"Our dance moves were insane" (during flash dance in Ben Yehuda) - Jamie

"The flash dance was crazy"- Rachel

Tour 3:
"My shwarma lunch was brilliant."-Anna

"We busked in the middle of machane yehuda and only got 1 shekel, shows how good we are! Then we realised our friends from loads of other movements were staring and laughing at us. But it was great to see them all." -Jess and Catherine

"Lunch was really great to be able to get some authentice Israeli shwarma with our friends. It was amazing to be able to contact the family of Gilad Shalit's family, and learn more about his situation." - Andrew

If you want to see the UJIA Summer Snap photos from your child's tour just go to: http://www.ujia.org/israel-experience/snap/photo-gallery/2010/

Make sure to take note of the procedures in the Notes box, if you want to get in contact.

Best wishes from the Israel Tour Team

Alyson Joseph
Senior Administrator

Ben Jardine
Shaliach & Israel Tour Co-ordinator

Katie Pollock

Mekasheret (Office Contact) in Israel