This morning, the Americans had an amazing ma’agal (morning circle) with Lisa while the Israelis had theirs with Hila. Spending time to talk about our hosting situations and NAS so far is really great and engages everyone in the conversation. Today we toured two different Synagogues: Rodef Shalom (Reform), and Beth Shalom (Conservative); as well as a Church (Calvary Episcopal - Anglican). The tours were a fantastic way to learn and begin to understand the different sects and beliefs of both Judaism and Anglicanism. On the bus in between each destination, we were able to bond as a group by singing bus songs and eating all of our candy. After the tours we had an amazing lunch at Beth Shalom. We had falafel, pita, hummus, israeli salad, tahini, and brownies. It was a great way to get us ready for our shopping spree. The waterfront was probably the best place to go for these crazy kids because every store seemed huge and super cheap. Those two hours made a huge impact on the American economy.
Tonight our teens gathered after our shopping palooza. We ate a good meal of pasta and then gathered into four separate groups. Each group had a rabbi from a different sect of Judaism. We then talked to each rabbi for about 20 minutes and switched to another group. Even though we spent a total of 80 minutes talking to everyone, we could have spent two days talking to them. They kept us intrigued and were very knowledgeable about their sects. We discussed many things about how each form of Judaism practices their beliefs. Everyone has their own thoughts on what they believe being Jewish is. Even though I have mostly conservative views on Judaism, I go to a Reform synagogue. We may be able to form a perfect synagogue in our minds and even though these synagogues we think of do not exist, everyone is able to go to some temple and still make it their own religion. This experience has made me question what I truly believe in and will make an impact on the rest of my life.
Thank you to Rabbis Yehudah Lowy, Michael Werbow, Donni Aaron, and Malke Frank!
Written by Kayla Goldstein, Li Milch, and Zane Braslawsce