Working the Land, by Claudia Elkharrat

This morning started off very early with a 4am wakeup. By 4:30 we were on the bus on our way to a kibbutz called Tirat Tzvi. There we learned to pull out weeds from a plant called Jojobas. We were split up into pairs to help each other out, so we could finish the job before it got too hot out. Once we began , the sun slowly rose over the mountains and the view was beautiful. Once we finished, we walked to the shul in the kibbutz and prayed. Then we had our daily mishna discussion and had breakfast.

The theme of the week is about us and our friends, so we are constantly involved in activities within groups of families. We had an activity to sit in groups and discuss/build a society in which we can all be stable and self-sufficent. From there, we got onto the bus and went to a base by the Kineret to learn about Israel’s water sources. We had a presentation and learned about the history behind the water in Israel and how it was developed. We also were able to see some of the pumps they use for the water. Once we finished, we went out for lunch, but this time lunch was posed as a challenge. The pioneers were split into their four families and were each given 50 shekel. They had about 40 minutes at a supermarket in Tiberias and had to compromise on what each group wanted, within the budget. Once the time was up, we went to a park nearby to eat the food that each family bought for themselves. After our delicious lunch, we were off to some horseback riding. Each group went on a half hour ride around the mountain and range. Some of us had interesting stories with our horses. It was an amazing experience. To end off the day we learned some tanach and went to a supermarket nearby.

– Claudia Elkharrat