Wednesday (Dec. 29th) in Israel…

Wednesday, our last full day in Karmiel, was definitely a good one. We started our day with a visit to Kishorit. Although Sophia described the village in detail on one of yesterday’s posts, I wanted to make sure you got to see some pictures as well. And in case you forgot, here are a few more words about this incredible and unique place…

Kishorit is a village for adult special needs people where they live and work and create lives for themselves. Out tour started off with a video about various members and their families speaking about growing up as a person who didn’t fit in or in their parent’s case, feeling lost about where their child would one day fit into the world. It then went onto describe Kishorit and all it has done for not only the people who now live there but also their families. There are various options for the people who live there to create a livelihood. Whether it be by making toys in the factory (where there are now clients all over the world) or helping out with the award winning dogs they raise or even with the goats (which Pittsburgh donated 200 of the 500 goats to). The members also have a choice when it comes to the way they want to live. They can live in an apartment by themselves, with a roommate or even a partner.

While walking around and interacting with some of the members, it is so easy to see how happy these people are at Kishorit and how revolutionary of a concept and the program really is. What a cool and amazing thing for our group to see and potentially be a part of when we return home to Pittsburgh. Many, if not all, were so touched and inspired by Kishorit that they have already begun to brainstorm ideas about how we can help and stay connected with this amazing place.

Some of the children's toys made in Kishorit.

Inside the toy factory.

Beth and Carolyn with their purchases from the toy factory gift shop!

The outside of the factory.

Um, the cutest pup ever! This is the area where they keep the dogs (some are award winning!)

Pups! (and Carolyn and Sara)

Some of the lovely goats. They were actually kind of fun :)

A member on a horse.

Once the afternoon rolled around we were sure in for quite a treat. There is a P2K bike trail that Pittsburgh had helped to build and we were lucky enough to bike on it. This wasn’t just any biking either, this was more like mountain biking. We got off to a pretty rocky (haha) start but once we got used to being back on a bike, we were off! There are many trails on the path and we tended to take the easier ones for obvious reasons. There were beautiful views of Karmiel that we often stopped to take in.

Our bikes!

The map of the P2K bike trail.

We're all ready!

We had to practice a bit before we went on the trail...

And we're off...

Once our bike riding adventure came to an end, we stopped at a lovely place in the woods for lunch. This wasn’t just any lunch either. One of the young Karmielians that hosted 2 of our group members was waiting for us with ingredients to cook our own feast. The cool thing is that he owns his own catering business so he actually knows what he’s doing! We worked as a group for well over an hour to prepare the most delicious meal ever for everyone. It was a great effort but was well worth it in the end.

Shir, Sophia and Becca choppin' away...

Cookin' away over the camp fire.

Beth and Evan peeling the peppers.

Rich and Shir!

Makin' dessert!

Nice looking pita, Hara!

The amazing looking spread...

Be careful with those knives boys...

Our evening ended with a summary meeting with all the people involved with the partnership. We opened the discussion up to the big question of what we do now and how do we continue with the amazing bonds that have now been made. Our brainstorming session was quite successful and we are all very excited about moving forward. We also HAVE to get this group of young Israeli’s from Karmiel to Pittsburgh. This is a must! After dinner and our discussion we were entertained by a very special performance by Robbie Gringras. He did a one man show (with help from his friend Adam on the guitar) about why he made Aaliyah from England and built his family here many years ago. He was very entertaining and it was a great way to end an amazing day.

Robbie and Adam performing for us!