Wooah, what a mifgash!

After some teary goodbyes, we are back with our original Alberta gang. We have our final Shabbat and then Yom HaZikaron and Yom Haatzmaut, so still a lot of exciting things to see and do. But we will certainly miss those pen pals!

Our final day with the Israelis was spent in the Golan, between the Banias, a jeep ride, and Har Bental. I don’t have any pictures of Har Bental because Daniella and I had to make an early exit, but I heard from Michal that while hiking to the overlook, she kept telling Sasha and Ethan that they were going to see Syria. They simply would not believe her until she showed them Emek Habacha and Quneitra!  

At our closing summary, Edmontonians and Israelis both expressed how happy they were that they got to be part of this mifgash and how they hope to stay friends and remember their time together forever. It truly was a special group and we will miss them a lot!

Today was spent in Tzfat! We saw a superb presentation on Kabbalistic art and saw other galleries, jewellers, and chachke stores. We went to the medieval synagogues of Isaac Luria and Yoseph Karo, bought a lot of presents, and went on to Kibbutz Farod where we will spend the next three nights.

I'm just getting ready for Shabbat now, so I will sign off and Ethan will add to the blog after Shabbos.

Shabbat Shalom and Go Oilers Go!!!

Taking off the Tourist Goggles

"Wow, this part of the trip is much different than the first part," is something like what Sasha said to me when we got to the Top Rope amusement park in Kfar Blum yesterday. This is already three days into the "penpal visit" part of the trip also known as Partnership Together, P2G, or "the mifgash." So I'll back up.

We left that "first part" Sunday morning and wound our way north to our sister-school Emek HaHula at Kfar Blum. Nine grade 9 students from Emek HaHula visited Edmonton in October in the first leg of the P2G program. They stayed with our students and got to know them a little. Since then, the 12 of them have been in touch on the WhatsApp. So what I saw at the bus station when our kids saw their penpals (also referred to as "the Israelis") for the first time was a really authentic reunion. 

There were big hugs and yelling. Katey baked us a Canada cake and cupcakes. None of the teachers were available so the Israelis found a place to lock our luggage, took the Edmontonians on a tour of the school and on the path by the river, played some games, rolled down some hills, and then the buses came and took them away.

The next morning was Yom Hashoah and I didn't really spend too much time with the kids but we all went to the ceremony together and stood for the siren, sang Hatikvah, and had a chance to make sure that they were being treated well at the Israelis' houses. 

And then was day 3, I saw everybody at Top Rope, and Sasha said what she said. She said until we got together with the Israelis we really haven't met a lot of Israelis besides Michal. We see them around, and we interact with them, but they're not really part of the trip. They're kind of extras in the stories Michal tells us about the piles of rocks.

Tourist Goggles can distort the view that way. Then we took away Michal, we handed them over, and the extras became the main leads. The Edmontonians are now eating like Israelis, sleeping like Israelis, speaking, laughing, and pushing like Israelis. Now the tourist goggles are off and they are seeing a whole new place.

One of Ethan's goals before the mifgash was to use the Hebrew he's learned and learn a little more. One of the things he has learned is that his last name, Buck, when put into Google Translate, is "Eyal" in Hebrew. So he is now known as Eitan Eyal. They've merged the schools and each is now known as the Edmonton or Kfar Blum campus of Talmek Tor-Hula. Rolls right off the tongue.

Today we went to the Agmon HaHula nature reserve, did science experiments with students at the Tel Chai College, and visited our mini penpals at Lev HaEmek, our sister elementary school. These are all projects that the Federations of Western Canada have had a hand in developing, so it is great to see them flourishing and feel we had something to do with that. 

I'm really glad that the Edmontonians and the Israelis have opened up their circles to include one another. It's a wonderful experience to be a part of and facilitate. We have one more incredible day planned with hiking and jeeping, likely some ice cream, and a nice cooscoos (kuskus? cuscoos? cuscus?) lunch.

Laila tov for now and.... 

Let's go Oilers!!