The 2011 Rubinites have arrived in Israel and are excited to begin their journey!
נאות קדומים(Neot Kedumim) – Biblical Garden and Nature Reserve
After touching down at Ben Gurion International, the group was greeted by our tour guide Amir, who took us to our first destination in Israel, Neot Kedumim, which translates to “Beauties of Ancient Times.” Neot Kedumim has become a tradition for each of the prior Rubinite groups visiting Israel. This Israel-prize winning park, which was established in 1965, was developed to recreate the physical setting of the Torah and provide a real life connection for modern day Jews, both within Israel as well as those living in the Diaspora. We were greeted by our Neot Kedumim tour guide Patrick, who explained our first activity, which was leading a flock of sheep and a herd of goats – first from one designated area to another and then around a circle making sure to keep the animals on the outer part of the circle. The final exercise split us into groups, where each group attempted to guide the goats into one designated circle and the sheep into a separate designated circle. It seemed like the goats were a bit more stubborn than the sheep!
The final portion of our time spent at Neot Kedumim was spent learning a few more interesting facts related to Israel courtesy of our tour guide Patrick (shown in picture below with Hilary). Given that the site is roughly the mid point of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, he pointed out the close proximity of the controversial “Green Line.” He also taught us how to order a cappuccino in Israel, kaffei hafukh (translates to “upside-down coffee), showed us a Tamarisk tree (which was the tree Abraham planted at Be’er-Sheva in Genesis) and reenacted the courtship of Isaac and Rebecca, with some help from up and coming actors Hilary (shown below with our guide) and Jason.
Dinner with Israeli Soldiers of the Lone Soldier Center
The group met with three Israeli soldiers at Uno Restaurant in Tel Aviv. These soldiers were unique in that each were born in the United States, but decided to voluntarily move to Israel to serve with the Israeli Defense Forces. Through their strong Jewish upbringing in the U.S., these soldiers felt an incredible connection to the State of Israel and as a result made aliyah. Through various sources of funding, the Lone Soldier Support Center was created to assist individuals in similar situations become acquainted to Israeli society. We all enjoyed the unique opportunity of hearing the remarkable stories of these individuals over dinner and learned quite a bit about their passions in life as well as their view of life in Israel. We will be sure to keep in touch with these amazing individuals.
