Tuesday, July 19 - The Beginning of a New Experience

Today marks a transition in our ISS from the Travel Week to the Congress week, beginning with 2 1/2 days at the NAK (North American Kenes-a pre Congress conference for just the North Americans).  Hard to believe that the first week is already behind us!

But first there is more to explore in the South together with our Tel Aviv fellows,  beginning with a visit to David Ben Gurion's grave. Located at his beloved Sede Boker kibbutz, the location of Pola and David BenGurion's resting, surrounded by carefully landscaped pathways with olive trees and shrubs, has incredible vistas of the stark and beautiful desert.  Ben Gurion fell in love with the potential of turning the desert green.  Was his dream fulfilled?  Is it still in process? Was his original dream counter to the modern concept of preserving nature?  These were questions the Fellows had to ponder as we traveled to our next location.

Next, we were privileged to be able to visit a really remarkable institution, Beit HaShanti.  When she was just 19 1/2, Mariuma Ben Yosef began inviting homeless youth into her home for Kabbalat Shabbat in order to give them a feeling of warmth, acceptance and safety. This was the beginning of Beit HaShanti.  Today, Beit HaShanti has two facilities:  The original in Tel Aviv, and the newer one in the desert between Sde Boker and Mitzpe Ramon.  The two locations provide love, support and acceptance for some of the thousands of abused and homeless teens in Israel looking for a place to heal and start a new life.  The sttory of Beit HaShanti is yet another example of "The Power of One:" How one person with one idea can make a huge difference!

Leaving Beit HaShanti, we went straight to eat a Bedouin feast in a Bedouin tent in the desert and to learn a little about who the Bedouins are and how they live today.  The meal, according to many of our Cohort, was the best one yet!!!!

Finally, it was time to say good bye to our Tel Aviv friends until we meet again at Congress, and off we went to Givat Haviva to start our 2 1/2 days of the North American Kenes together with five other North American Cohorts.

At the opening ceremony, each Cohort did a special introduction of themselves---L.A. rocked the house with their musical presentation!!  It's pretty amazing how loud 120+ teens can be!

Finally, the day was over and all of us were pretty exhausted!  However, with "Teen Zula" (A special tent/hang out place for Fellows complete with music and snacks and 100 new friends) beckoning, sleep would just have to wait!

There's so much more to come!!!!!

Shoshana