IST Summary Blog - Johnny Cass
365 days of anticipation, 100 hours on the plane (that may be an exaggeration but it felt like that), 35 days of fun, adventure, spirituality and education. It all comes down to 1 day, today, our final day of IST. As we stand in front of the Kotel we bid farewell to Israel. Our love, knowledge and appreciation for Israel has grown. Our love knowledge and appreciation of our friends, year group and for Moriah College has too. We leave Israel with heavy hearts but with memories that will stay with us forever. But just in case those memories fade, I have been tasked with the job of giving you a thorough account of the whole trip.
Week 1
Our IST journey began where it should, as an entire year group, at the Kotel. It was an amazing welcome to Israel, zig zagging though the Old City, singing songs, dancing and blindfolding those of our friends who had never seen the Kotel before.
On our first day in Jerusalem, we visited the Zion gate where we learnt its history as one of Jerusalem’s most historic gates. Then our dynamic tour guide Natan showed us the Southern excavations and taught us about the history of the people who lived in Jerusalem. We also learnt about the City of David and did an exhilarating tour through the water tunnels of the Old City. The next day was very emotional and meaningful, as Netzach went to Yad Vashem where we learned more about the horrors of the Holocaust and the history of our people in Europe and around the world prior to the Second World War. After the emotional tour of Yad Vashem we visited Mt Herzl and the leader’s cemetery, where we saw the graves of fallen soldiers, past Presidents and Prime Ministers of Israel. To cap off the day, we were spoken to by Beatie Deutsch, an Israeli marathon champion who spoke about her struggles of training while being negiah, and how she overcame physical, mental, and personal obstacles in her preparation.
On Friday, we visited Chan Sha’ar Hagai, an independent war memorial for the military truck drivers who had to drive through Chan Sha’ar Hagai to reach Jerusalem to supply food, weaponry and first aid to a struggling nation during the War of Independence. We visited the Machane Yehuda shuk for the first time where the hustle of the pre-Shabbat rush was crazy. Our first IST Shabbat was great fun as we spent Saturday relaxing, praying and playing fun games. The night ended with a spirited Havdalah before we met up with Lehava in Ben Yehuda Street for dinner. Our last day of week 1 involved a tour through the walls promenade with another very knowledgeable tour guide and a walk through the Kotel tunnels. Then, we proceeded to do a fun scavenger hunt in the Jewish quarter with the winning team being awarded free Aroma coffee. To end our first week we had an amazing, vibrant speaker Rav Gav who gave an interesting perspective on how people can positively change, when given the right help. Our first week of IST in Jerusalem was a wonderful introduction to the spiritual, historical, and cultural elements of Israel.
Week 2
A very strong start to week 2 heading North on Monday morning, filled with donkey riding and bread making in Kfar Kedem. Each donkey had its own eccentricities making the riding fun for some, and painful for others but in the end we all managed and were rewarded with a delicious homemade meal of pitot and various dips and meats. On Tuesday we split up into boys and girls, and the boys began with a walking tour of Tzfat and some of it’s beautiful shules and sites. We talked about Kabbalah and its role in Judaism with artist Avraham Lowenthal. After touring Tzfat we had a fun, party cruise on the Kinneret, with lots of dancing and music that energised us all, followed by dinner at a nearby steakhouse. Wednesday was a highly anticipated day, visiting Israel’s renowned chocolate factory, De Karina, where we tasted and designed some fun chocolate treats. This was followed by the beautiful Jilabun hike, which was filled with gorgeous greenery and water streams and ended with a scenic view over the mountains. Following the hike, we participated in a musical workshop at Katzrin Talmudic park, where we dressed in traditional clothing and learnt about the history of the people who had lived there before the town was destroyed by an earthquake. Amazingly, it features the partially reconstructed remains of a village with a functioning olive press and many other attractions true to its historic form. Thursday was a very active day with an amazing bike tour around the Agamon Hachula pools, followed by the Nachal Ayun hike which ended with a beautiful waterfall that was well worth the walk.
On Friday we started off with an early morning, praying schacharit at Ein Kshatot an archeological site that had been rebuilt after its destruction from an earthquake. After touring Ein Kshatot we did a fun short hike then went back to our kibbutz to start preparing for Shabbat. Saturday was filled with training, determination and team bonding as the Netzach boys prepared for the Netzach v Lehava soccer game and the girls prepared for the cheerleading contest. However, despite all our preparation, Netzach lost the soccer game 3-1, but definitely won the cheerleading dance. To conclude our week, we visited the Atlit refugee camp that housed European Jewish refugees after WW2. Then we toured Caesarea with our new tour guide Ovadiah learning lots about King Herod and his empire. I found this week meaningful as it gave me a broader insight into the history of the Jewish nation and the struggles we’ve faced, and the support that we have received from our own people that has allowed us to blossom into the proud nation that we are today.
Week 3
Week 3 centred around Tel Aviv. To start off week 3 we visited the ANU Museum of the Jewish People exploring the exhibition featuring synagogue scale models. We then split up to do different activities around Tel Aviv. I chose to attend the sport museum which focused mainly on Maccabiah. This was special to me as I had participated in the Maccabiah games earlier this year and it was interesting to learn the history of how and why they were created. On Tuesday, we did a tour of Jaffa and the flea market, and then went to the Blind Museum where we experienced what it was like to be blind for a day, walking through markets, purchasing food and taking public transport without the ability to see. To end our day, we visited Shuk Hacarmel where our senses were tantalised; our sense of smell with the aroma of fresh herbs and spices, our sense of sight with a beautiful array of foods, jewellery, fresh fruit and vegetables and our sense of hearing with the sound of shopkeepers bargaining and music blaring.
Wednesday saw us staying at Sde Boker and engaging in agricultural work. Much to the dismay of many, it was a phone free excursion to encourage us to engage fully with the work we were doing. Personally, I was very excited to have my phone taken from me to aid in connecting more to the land through the agricultural work and enjoying an unplugged and fun hike. To finish our day, we visited Ben Gurion’s grave which overlooked the Negev, symbolic of his dream to see the Negev one day flourish. On Thursday, we worked with a farmer and helped him cut down the weeds that grew near his plants. The camel riding that followed was highly anticipated and exceeded all our expectations with everyone leaving their camel with a bruised bottom but a big smile on their face. To end our day we heard Rabbi Jonny Sacks and learnt further about the Chanukah story.
Friday was the first day of our free weekend and my close friend and I stayed with my family in Modiin. Before Shabbat came in, we shopped at the mall for Shabbat food and played soccer with my cousins before a hearty family meal. On Saturday we slept in, had Shabbat lunch and then walked to the park and played basketball before Havdalah. The next day we left my family and returned to our year group at the Qumran caves which is where the Dead Sea scrolls were found in 1947. Then we heard from guest speaker Neil Lazarus about Israel and its role in the media and how to advocate for Israel. Week 3 was very special to me as it was an opportunity to reunite with my family living in Israel and to continue to build meaningful connections with new friends and mads.
Week 4
Week 4 started with a 4:30am wake up for our hike up Masada to see the sunrise and tour the fortress with the whole of IST. We walked down the snake path of Masada and went to float in the very salty, Dead Sea. After our Dead Sea swim, we went to Ein Gedi to hike through the national park, seeing the beautiful waterfalls and scenery.
It was then time to split up for our options. Originally my friends and I selected shvil, however, after a lot of convincing from the madrichim (in particular my cousin Marksi) we decided to switch to Yeshiva. We were all quite reluctant at first but once the program started we knew we’d love it. On the first day of Yeshiva we studied at Ohr Sameach for the day and visited the Israel Museum at night where we saw one of the full Dead Sea scrolls from Qumran. On day 2 we studied at the Gush Etzion Yeshiva and learnt in depth a portion of the Gemara and its applications in Judaism. Later that night, we went to the Machane Yehuda shuk to eat dinner and relax. On the last day we studied at the Oratya Yeshiva in the Old City and ended the program at Ben Yehuda eating lunch as a group.
As Shabbat approached it was time for the much anticipated bus shabbat. As a member of bus 4, we started the weekend with the Tel Saki mountain climb overlooking Syria where we heard a deep and personal story from one of the staff members about their family’s involvement during the Yom Kippur War. After Tel Saki we prepared for Shabbat at the Netivale Hostel. Saturday was a beautiful day with shacharit led by Rabbi Krebs and his son Yehuda who joined us for the weekend where we played board games and chilled in the sun. Sunday was straight back into it with us visiting Emek Tzurim, an archeological site where we sifted through sand trying to find special items and pottery. Then we met up with the rest of IST for Y2i day where we heard from motivational speakers Charlotte Korchak and an IDF soldier who was paralysed after his helicopter crashed but went on to win a gold medal in tennis at the Paralympics. After the talks we bonded with other students from other Jewish schools and programs and watched the Argentina vs France World Cup final. After the exciting game, we had a Chanukah party to celebrate the first night of Chanukah. To end our week, we moved into Neve Ilan with the rest of Netzach and enjoyed a night all together as one side. This brought an end to week 4, a week characterised by strength and resistance as evidenced by the story of Masada and the family living near Syria and the amazing Paralympian. It also marked a week of bonding, with existing and new friends on our options, with our bus group and with other Jewish students at Y2i.
Week 5
This week started with us travelling to the Sderot lookout of the Gaza Strip where we learned the history of the Gaza - Israel conflict. We toured Netiv Haasara, the moshav situated right next to the border of Gaza and had an interesting conversation with Roni who had lived there for many years. We left with an appreciation of the hardships they constantly face living there and how they have had to adapt their lifestyle to suit the environment. It could not come soon enough that on Tuesday, many of us ate our first pieces of fresh fruit on the trip, on the Shvil Hasalat, the salad trail. After that we went to the ANZAC Museum where we learned about the role of the ANZAC soldiers in the Middle East and their role in defending Israel, especially the charge of the Australian Light Horse Brigade in Beer Sheva during WWI. Wednesday was a relaxing day which began with a basketball activity with Tamir Goodman, a professional Israeli basketball player who is known as the ‘Jewish Jordan’. After basketball, we went to watch ‘Avatar: The way of water’ with the whole of IST at Cinema City which was lots of fun. Thursday was a packed day with us visiting the Kfar Etzion sound and light show, touring Gush Etzion, then visiting the IDF cemetery paying our respects to all the soldiers who died fighting for our Jewish homeland. To finish off our day, we heard from Kay Wilson who survived a terrorist attack and shared her personal experiences surviving and overcoming significant trauma.
The next day involved a visit to Mea Shearim, an ultra Orthodox community in Jerusalem. Although some IST groups were met with smiles and others were told to leave and go home, it was a unique experience to see an ultra Orthodox lifestyle with their more traditional customs. Our final Shabbat evening on IST was spent having a passionate tisch with the whole year, bringing us closer to one another and connecting us further, through our shared stories and experiences. Saturday was filled with playing games and a fun Shabbat program with the whole of IST. Then much to our surprise, Rabbi Benji came to do a musical Havdalah service with us. After Shabbat came out, the IST talent show took place, with the Netzach boys performance of Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ clearly winning first place. The next morning, we started off with an early wake up at 4:50am for an optional Neitz minyan at the Kotel, then we moved straight into our next activity at Magen David Adom where had a practical CPR training course. To end our day, we went back to Machane Yehuda, to buy even more food and presents for our family and friends. Week 5 was a week of connection and growth, with us all being together and experiencing our final IST shabbat together, bringing us so much closer as a year group.
Week 6
To start our second last day in Israel we had a jam packed day full of fun activities and events. We started off our day with a surprise, with Netzach all going rock climbing. After that, we visited the Beit Halochem sport centre which is a ZDVO funded charity providing a sanctuary for injured soldiers and victims of terror. We shot air rifles, played table tennis and played wheelchair basketball. Then immediately after, we went to the Jerusalem vs Tel Aviv basketball game where Tel Aviv won by 3 points. To end our day and IST activities we had a farewell party with lots of loud music and great food. Tuesday, our last day on IST was a very emotional day for everyone. We started off the day with our final family group time then moved to the Kotel for our final IST tekes, filled with musical singing and a meaningful prayers at the Kotel. Then as we arrived at the airport my friends and I had to say farewell to one of our best friends who was making Aliyah. Although, this was an emotional experience it made me appreciate how much I value all the friendships and bonds that I have and gives us all a very good reason to return to Israel soon.
As our IST journey concludes, on behalf of the whole of IST, I would like to thank our madrichim, both from Sydney and abroad, our teachers who accompanied us, particularly the head teachers, Ms Kaissis and Ms Kawalsky, group organiser Talya Wiseman, Y2i and Moriah Foundation for their amazing financial support, Lee-Ann Morris for her dedication and organisation, and of course Moriah College for taking us on this fantastic trip. The IST program was a unique, amazing experience that helped shape my identity and develop my love for Israel. IST was a journey of connection, to not just to Israel, but to the people in our year group. I have no doubt that the memories that we made and friendships that were solidified and formed will remain with us long after IST ends.
Johnny Cass
