Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The beginning of Mini-Gap Israel 2012! - Nicole Eriera



From the build up of the trip no-one knew what to expect. We were pretty much clueless. But from the minute we all met all 11 of us just clicked, like we had known each other previously. On our first Shabbat we went to the Kotel on Friday night. I personally felt that this was one of the most incredible experiences that we could have witnessed, as a group that is now a family! All of the people there knowing we all have some sort of connection purely because of our Jewish identity. The whole atmosphere was incredible and is something none of us will ever forget. Also, during this week we volunteered at various places. I went to a soup kitchen and prepared all of the food to be cooked for people who are in need of meals. I felt that this was a very inspirational thing to do as we were there to help others and learn a bit about the soup kitchen including how and why it was set up. I just wanted to end by saying that we are all having an amazing time and boiling in this weather, but we wouldn’t want it any other way!
-Nicole Eriera

We have started to relive Jewish history at the sites where it occurred. Debby Davidoff said that “the views are just incredible.”

We have started to learn Hebrew and have learnt to say “ani rak medaber/et Anglit” (I only speak English!) and have heard many talks on various subjects related to us and Judaism. The most popular talk so far was by Dov Ber Cohen, who told us about his journeys in Asia until he got to Israel. Everyone commented on how inspiring a talk it was. The girls asked, “Can his wife come teach us yoga?”
 
We also met a religious scribe and practised writing with quills before baking challah in the Old City. Daniel Rose asked, “have you seen my perfect challah?” 















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