Dear Wornick community,

Here is more news from our great 8th graders, now at the Reali School. Hear about those activities and how Purim was celebrated. The journey is almost at an end--and the excitement continues. Thanks to Irit and MArit for continuing this blog so wonderfully.

Susan Weintrob

Feb. 25

Today's blogger is Avi.

Hello from Israel!!

We have been having a great time with the Reali students. We met them again on Wednesday morning at the High School branch of the Reali. We did some leadership and team-building activities with them. We also were able to see some of the Reali students that came to Wornick last year! It was so cool seeing them again! Wednesday night, most of us went to the Haifa Mall, and we shopped around for a while. Later that night, all of us that went shopping, and even more of us, met up at the bowling ally in the mall, and had a great time playing. We rented out about 7 or 8 lanes, and we had, on average, 6-8 people per lane! There was a TON of us!

Yesterday, we had a few hours of activities at Matos, the 1st –9th grade branch of the Reali. We had a fun tour of the campus, and Ron Kitry, the CEO of all the Reali branches, gave us a presentation about our friends in Istanbul, Turkey, and other important topics too. After all that, we all headed home to have a nice night with our hosts.

Today...today is very interesting. Today in Purim in Israel, and its not just in the school. EVERYWHERE!!! On my drive to school today, I saw so many people in costumes, having a great time; people just walking down the sidewalk! In school, it is a very festive day. I have never been in a place with, as Mr. Wong would say, “So much fun and frolic!” I cant wait to see the rest of the day!

This is the last day of our Israel Blog, so Chag Sameach, happy holiday, and we are all looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Lehitraot!

--Avi = ]

Feb. 26

Today’s blogger is Sydney. 

Happy Purim!

Today we spent the day at the Reali School and celebrated Purim. Everyone had to bring in a Mishloach Manot basket, and today we exchanged them with other students during class. After we did the Mishloach Manot exchanges everyone went into the auditorium and watched funny skits, and bands. There was also a costume contest! Everyone had crazy costumes! There were costumes that ranged from Minnie Mouse to a refrigerator. When that was done, we proceeded to the gym to watch Chinese Acrobats! They were amazing! Purim in Israel is definitely different from purim in America. It has been an awesome experience to remember.

Sydney

Dear parents,What exuberance, thoughtfulness and fun we see through our bloggers' words. Enjoy!Susan WeintrobIlana and Rachel, Rebekah and Danielle are Monday's bloggers.Monday, February 22, 2010We started the morning taking a ride at the Time Elevator. This journey took us from the time of Abraham, to the Six Day War. We all sat in red, movie theater like seats. On the armrests of the seats their were headphones, and in front of us was a huge screen. As the lights dimmed and our headphones pushed tight to our ears, 3 parallel screens turned on in front of us, a lady in an old hotel uniform started giving us instructions. All of a sudden our time elevator "dropped" and the seats started to shake and we "fell" into a pit (of course this is all a simulation). An old man showed up on the screen named Tevyeh, and he told us he would show us Jewish history from the begining. He broke more of the rock that held us from falling, and down we went, back to the time when our Jewish heritage was born, starting with Abraham. We battled our way through the time of the Romans, Catholics, Arabs and many more, until we claimed victory in the Six Day War! Our journey was now coming to a closing, but we were left with a "first hand" understanding to how we battled our way to our own Jewish nation.Ilana and Rachel Ammunition Hill, a place of bloodshed from both the Israelis and Jordanians. It's a place where many were wounded, many were killed and above all, a place where the Jews showed their respect for their country, their countries citizens and for their foes. We walked through the routes the Jordanians made, and the Israeli soldiers walked through. Our guide, Jeff, reenacted some of it with us. We snuck quietly through the passageways, as if the Jordanians were actually watching us from around the corner preparing for a surprise attack. Rachel led us, playing the part of an Israeli commander, and there in the pathways, she sacrificed herself to save the life of her soldiers (the rest of us). As a basic soldier, some of us died, and others successfully maneuvered our way through the stone maze leading the Jews to victory. One of the amazing things of this war, was the fact that after the war was over, and we stood tall and proud over the Golan heights and proclaimed our win against Egypt and Jordan we remembered those who fell. We took not only those brave soldiers from our side who didn't make it, but also those of the opposing side. We took everyone and buried them in a military cemetery, acknowledging both sides courage and loyalty towards their countries. It was very cool but also a place to remember.Ilana and Rachel Tonight we went to Kfar Kedem in the lower Galilee. We talked about traditions such as having a Bar Mitzva, how they became traditions Jews all over the world do, in the Mishnah. In order to understand this, we simulated the life of a Jew living during this time. We wore traditional clothing of the time including head dresses. With a partner, we rode and lead donkeys. But don’t worry we all received our donkey driving licenses. We became very close with the donkeys, some people even named the donkeys. Others had difficulties controlling and riding their donkeys. Sydney and Gianni had a particularly crazy donkey. The way to lead a donkey is to walk in front of it so that it follows you. However, every time Sydney walked to go in front of the donkey it would start running to get in front. After riding donkeys we learned how to make pita bread from the plowing of the field to baking it. Some of our pita came out round but others were more like a blob. Next we got to eat the pita for dinner. We sat in a big tent around small tables and ate pita, lamb, chicken, tomato and cucumber, rice, tehina, and humus. Amir, our guide, was the funniest person ever. He made jokes about everything and everyone. It was such a fun night to end our busy day. Tonight we will be staying in Tel Chai, in the upper Galilee.~Rebekah and DanielleTuesday's bloggers are Jordan, Arie, Shaina, and RowanTuesday, February 23, 2010Today, we started our day by waking up in a very nice hostel in Tel Hai. After breakfast we were on our way to Tel Chai where 80 years ago today, Joseph Trumpeldor died. His heroic perception of battle has helped shape the defensive actions of Jews. After Tel Chai we went into the Golan Heights where the Syrians used to have bunkers and shoot down on Israel, and had a great view. Then we went zip-lining down a huge hill which was awesome. Zip-lining gave us an adrenaline rush and a good appetite. Then we went to a Mall in K'riat Shmona where we had cash lunch. We went to different places such as Burger King, Pizzerias, Falafel and Shwarma stands. After our filling meals we went to the border of Lebanon to meet some IDF Soldiers and check out the border and what happens. We toured around the border and a kibbutz with the Manager of the Kibbutz. We met lots of soldiers and had really fun experiences. We gave the soldiers gifts like food and drinks for them to enjoy. We went to the Kibbutz's bomb shelter to see what it was like. Now we are on a 1 1/2 hour bus ride to go to where we are staying tonight near Etzion which is near Haifa. Tomorrow we will meet with our Reali friends and have lots of fun. Well keep you posted!Sincerely,Jordan, Arie, Shaina, and Rowan

Thanks to Irit Kuba for send us the blog! Enjoy today's adventures.

Monday, February 22

Today our student bloggers are Lauren and Natalie, Rebekah and Danielle.

Dear Parents

Today we visited the Jerusalem Time Elevator, went to Ammunition Hill and saw a tent dedicated to the release of Gilad Shalit.

The Jerusalem Time Elevator is a motion simulated virtual tour of Jerusalem’s past and present successes and failures. It took us all the way through history from King Herod’s rule to The Six Day War in which Jerusalem was once again reunited with the Jewish people.

At Ammunition Hill, the site of a Six Day War battle, we were guided through trenches and bunkers that the Israeli and Jordanian soldiers used to fight. We were told many personal stories of the heroism of the Israeli soldiers who bravely fought for the right of Jews to be able to pray and have possession of the Western Wall. This experience connected us to Jerusalem and how it is a privilege to be able to freely visit and pray there like we have for the past few days.

On our way out of Jerusalem, we stopped by a tent where we sighed a petition to release Gilad Shalit from Hamas terrorists. 1335 days ago, Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier was abducted and taken by Hamas terrorists into captivity where he has remained since then. Israel is in the process of negotiating with Hamas to return him safely home and today we were able to show our support for him. Jerusalem has been an amazing experience and a lot of fun. We can’t wait for the rest of our trip!

Love, Lauren and Natalie

In the evening, we visited Kfar Kedem in the lower Galilee. We talked about traditions such as having a Bar Mitzvah, how they became traditions Jews all over the world do, as discussed in the Mishnah. In order to understand this, we simulated the life of a Jew living during this time. We wore traditional clothing of the time, including head dresses. With a partner, we rode and led donkeys. But don’t worry-- we all received our donkey driving licenses!

We became very close with the donkeys, some people even named the donkeys. Others had difficulties controlling and riding their donkeys. Sydney and Gianni had a particularly crazy donkey. The way to lead a donkey is to walk in front of it so that it follows you. However, every time Sydney walked to go in front of the donkey, it would start running to get in front.

After riding donkeys, we learned how to make pita bread, from the plowing of the field to baking it. Some of our pita came out round but others were more like a blob. Next, we got to eat the pita for dinner. We sat in a big tent around small tables and ate pita, lamb, chicken, tomato and cucumber, rice, tehina, and humus. Amir, our guide, was the funniest person ever. He made jokes about everything and everyone. It was such a fun night to end our busy day. Tonight we will be staying in Tel Chai, in the upper Galilee. ~Rebekah and Danielle

On Sunday, our 8th graders continue their Israel Journey Blog as they visited in Jerusalem Har Herzl, the military cemetery that corresponds to Arlington in Washington D.C., Yad Vashem, The Holocaust and Heroes Museum. the Kotel Tunnels and a second visit to the open air market at Macheneh Yehudah.

Susan Weintrob

Irit writes:

Today was a very serious day compared to the rest of the trip. We visited Har Herzl, a memorial cemetery and museum, Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial, and in the evening we explored the Kotel tunnels.

The Har Herzl Museum is an interactive museum in which we felt part of Herzl's Zionist Congresses. Our conclusion was that any dream, even if it may seem impossible, can come true. We continued to the cemetery for leaders of the country such as Yitzhak Rabbin, Herzel, and other important leaders. We paid our respects to the soldiers that died during the various wars that Israel has fought in. We went to Michael Levin’s grave sight. Michael was an American Paratrooper who made Aliyah and volunteered to the Israeli Defense Force.

Yad Vashem v'Givorim, the Holocaust and Heroes memorial, was a big part of our day as well. It was a very emotional experience for all of us. We saw pictures, videos, documents, clothing, possessions and more that were from the time of the holocaust. Together we remember the 6 million Jews that died.

Our student bloggers today are Scott, Sophia, Danielle and Madeleine

Today we came up with a few thoughts we would like to share with you:

Maddie: “The Hatikvah is now so much more meaningful to me. After witnessing the suffering of the 6 million Jews I remember the hatikvah that gave those Jews so much hope to continue living and to pick them selves up and start a new generation.”

Scott: “Now I vow not stand by so that nothing like this will ever happen again.”

Danielle: “When the Nazis killed one person, they killed an entire generation because the killed the generations that could have come from them. And for the people that lived, they were lucky because they weren’t supposed to.”

Sophia: “I admire bravery of the soldiers that went into combat or made decisions even though they knew they would die for the safety of their friends and fellow soldiers.”

At the end of the day, we saw the Kotel tunnels which were amazing because two thousand years ago people were standing in the same place we were standing and working on the same tunnel we were walking on. Even though it was a hard day, we got to eat at a Machaneh Yehuda market and bought lots of chocolate for Mishloach Manot for Purim when we go and visit an army base.

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Friday/Shabbat, February 19/20

The last two days have been even more exciting than the first days. OnFriday afternoon, our Reali School partners joined us with 2 staff membersand 25 excited 8th graders. As well, the picture was complete when Maritjoined our group for Friday and Shabbat. We began the morning with Tefillahon the Haas Tayelet, with an incredible view of the Old City ofJerusalem. Therewas no doubt which way to face during our prayers! We toured Ir David, theCity of David, the original Jerusalem, smaller and very ancient. Walkingthrough the ancient water tunnels under this part of the city brought usback more than 3,000 years! There was time to buy lunch in the JewishQuarter of the Old City—in pairs, students were given money to purchasetheir own lunches. Felafel, schwarma and shnitzel were favorites! Thestudents shopped in Macheneh Yehudah for special Shabbat treats to be sharedwith the Reali students on Friday night. Hawkers singing their wares wassomething new to all of us! Fresh fruit and vegetables, spices, pastriesand everything you could want for dinner was on sale!

We welcomed Shabbat at the Kotel, Reali and Wornick students partnered up. Wethen returned for a program presented by Wornick and Reali students. We canbe proud of all of them. Shabbat found us at various synagogues in thecity. We became one group again together at lunch, and for several specialprograms, including a tour of the first community outside the walls of thecity, a tour of the country’s only windmill, and an activity organized bythe Reali students. The afternoon was for socializing and then a goodye toour Reali friends, who we will see in a few days and then off to Ben Yehudastreet to give our students money and have them buy dinner and have time forshopping. A lot of excitement here.

I am at the airport, ready to send this off to you, sad to say goodbye toour students and the second part of the trip and excited to be back atWornick on Monday. The students will continue their blog and we all can’twait to hear what their impressions and highlights are!

Shavuah tov from Israel.

Susan Weintrob-- Susan WeintrobHead of School

Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School800 Foster City BoulevardFoster City, CA 94404650-378-2602www.wornickjds.org