Sorry for the delay...

Hi all!


First off, so sorry for the delay in posting about the last few days of the J'Burgh Israel Trip. Things definitely got a little hectic and we also had limited internet access. 


So without further ado, here's what went down on our last few days in Israel...


Thursday, December 31st, 2010


Our day started at 9am once again and we were off to explore more of Jerusalem with our tour guide, Peter. Peter gave us a one of a kind experience that morning. We drove outside of Jerusalem and right into the West Bank. The first thing we did was stop at a very special kibbutz where we were shown a movie about how it was started way back before Israel was a state. Being in the West Bank, it had its trials and tribulations and fell quite a few times. The important thing is that it kept rebuilding itself from nothing. The founders and the people living on this particular Kibbutz stood for everything they believed in and kept fighting, no matter how high the stakes were.

After the movie was shown, the screen opened up to a whole separate room where the actual bunker is shown. This is where many of the Kibbutz members stayed in when the Kibbutz was under attack.

After the visit to the Kibbutz we stopped at a very special place that definitely managed to put smiles on all of our faces after the heavy topic of the Kibbutz. As we were driving along the road there was a small little building on the side where we pulled up next to. This little building is a very special place where members of the nearby communities run through donations and their own free time. It's a place where the Israeli Soldiers can come and go as they please and a snack, a cup of coffee, or even just have a nice place to relax for a short while. The place is called "A Warm Corner" in English and it is exactly that. The people inside are all volunteers that take pride in what they are doing. It is so easy to see how much it is loved based on the fact that the walls are covered in memorabilia soldiers who have stopped by and enjoyed this special little place. 

A group of us with some soldiers who stopped by at "The Warm Corner". (When there are 5 cameras taking one picture people tend to look in every direction!)

 Volunteers behind the counter and many badges on the wall that were left behind by thankful soldiers.

A recently donated foosball table for the soldiers to enjoy in their down time. 

Just a few of the hats that have been given over the years from the soldiers.

Our last stop before heading to Tel Aviv was a rather special one. Peter, who made Aliyah with his family in 1990, took us to his home in the West Bank Settlement of Efrat. We were invited into his living room to continue the discussion on Israel and its borders. It was also very interesting to see a settlement in the West Bank and how very large it actually was. Peter was very informational and we enjoyed having him as a tour guide very much.

After a nice lunch in Efrat, we got back on the bus and headed towards Tel Aviv. Once we arrived, we had plenty of time to explore our surroundings (our hotel was basically right on the beach!). Since it was New Years, we wanted to do something special for the group and one of our Israeli friends that was a part of the young adults from Karmiel invited us to come to his apartment in Tel Aviv for dinner. We were all very excited to see Uri again and be able to celebrate New Years all together as a group. 

Jesse, Hara, Erin, Kiki and Rachel at Uri's place in Tel Aviv!

Jesse and Justin bought the all the girls roses and handed them out during dinner! So sweet boys...

For New Years itself, many of us stuck together and rang in 2011 on the beach right by our hotel. It was a lovely evening and definitely one that will not soon be forgotten.