Friday, Shabbat, and Sunday

On Friday, the group ascended Mount Bental in the northeastern Golan Heights. It was a little hazy, so the group was unable to see all the way to Damascus, but the view of Syria and of the entire immediate vicinity drove home how strategically crucial the location was in battles for the Golan Heights some forty years ago. Bus 35 also did a hike through the Jilaboun Canyon. The group heard tales of Eli Cohen, an Israeli spy whose legendary work in Syria in the early 1960s continued to benefit Israeli intelligence and military operations even after he was exposed and hanged in 1965. His successful suggestion to the Syrian army to plant fast-growing eucalyptus trees for shade around their bunkers allowed the Israeli air force to readily locate and destroy many of those bunkers during the 1967 Six Day War. On Mount Bental, the group also learned of a turn-around victory during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Avigdor Kahalani led 30 Israeli tanks in overtaking ten times that number of Syrian tanks. Had the Syrian tanks prevailed in that location, it would have been very easy for Syrian forces to press forward into Haifa and perhaps even to Tel Aviv. The group had the chance to step inside of a bunker on Mount Bental before tasting the fare at Coffee Anan, the highest-altitude cafe in Israel. "Anan" is the Hebrew word for cloud, but the pun in light of the cafe's proximity to UN sites was not lost on the group.

Throughout the day on Friday, Bus 35 saw evidence of abandoned Syrian outposts, rusting shells of Israeli military vehicles, and other silent memorials to the area known since the bloody battles mentioned above as "The Valley of Tears." Those stark remnants contrasted poignantly with the lush, green, post-volcanic natural surroundings. The group climbed up and down cliffs, saw volcanic rock up close, and even enjoyed tea made from locally-growing vegetation.

That afternoon, everyone had the chance to do some pre-Shabbat shopping and prepare themselves in the spirit of "Hiddur Mitzvah," beautifying the way one carries out a Jewish practice (lit. commandment). The group gathered outdoors on a sprawling lawn at Kibbutz Gonen, their home for the final three nights of the trip, to welcome Shabbat with a songful prayer service. As the sun was setting with the hills of Lebanon and Syria in view, the evocative words of Psalm 29 describing that very locale rang especially true. Bus 35 was ready for a day dedicated to resting and savoring one another's company, and everyone enjoyed a really nice Shabbat dinner together as a group. Following the meal, the group was treated to a special Oneg Shabbat complete with Israeli wine and desserts. A handful of students had put together a "Whose Line Is It Anyway"-style series of improv games for the group to play, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the impressions of the different staff members that were showcased before the night was over.

On Shabbat morning, everyone had the chance to sleep in. Those who wished participated in a late-morning Shabbat prayer service. Later in the day the group was treated to a tour of the kibbutz where they were staying, which has an agricultural focus. Bus 35 learned about the general changes the kibbutz movement has undergone over the years, and the group also heard about how Kibbutz Gonen in particular was affected during the Second Lebanon War during the summer of 2006. The group gained an ecological understanding of the area as well. The Chula Valley had been a large swamp at the time of the founding of the state of Israel, and in the 1950s people set out to drain the swamp in order to eradicate malaria and make the region more hospitable. However, this dramatically impacted the existing ecosystem. Deprived of an important source of water, waves of Afro-European bird migrations were no longer able to stop there. Attempts to re-flood parts of the area and restore some of its natural robustness have been explored in recent years.

Following Shabbat lunch, the group kicked off an impromptu soccer game with some of the young kibbutzniks. Several of the students elected to celebrate becoming bnei mitzvah, reaching the age of Jewish adulthood, on this trip. Goucher students Abby and Ben offered thoughtful and touching reflections as to why they were choosing to celebrate their emergence as full participants in the Jewish community at that moment in their lives and in that location. Both their words and their choice to be called up to the Torah that afternoon testified to the power of the community they have discovered and created as part of this journey. The bar/bat mitzvah celebration was a truly crowning experience for the entire group.

Bus 35 bid farewell to Shabbat with an intimate havdallah ceremony, marking the separation between the sabbath and the rest of the week with song, sweet-smelling spices, a braided candle and a sip of wine. The ritual elements help individuals hold on to the multi-sensory sweetness of the Shabbat that they have just experienced, carrying those individuals through whatever the coming week may bring.

On Saturday night the group visited a brand new mall in Rosh Pina. The Goucher contingent set the record (with the help of a few willing translators) for Hollywood trivia in a sushi restaurant that had just opened there. The group also made its mark at a karaoke bar later in the evening.

This morning, Sunday, the group loaded up the bus for the last time on this trip. The students, soldiers, and staff were bound for Misgav Am and a clear view of Lebanon this morning, to be followed by a few hours in the mystical city of Tsfat. They are to make their way to Tel Aviv this evening for a final banquet, and the students from Baltimore who are not extending their stay will be boarding a plane in just a few hours.

The group is bringing many mixed feelings into the remaining hours of the program. Often, a participant pointed out, one is ready to return home by the end of a trip. That may not be the case for Bus 35, however. It seems that this trip will mark only the beginning of a long-term, evolving relationship between the participants and the land and people of Israel, as well as their personal Jewish identities.