by Avi Bernat-Kunin and
Sam Hirschorn
One thing that kids look forward to in Middle School is the annual Magen trip to Israel. On this trip, students get to experience regular life in Tel-Aviv and also get the regular tourist visits to the big sites in Jerusalem. Students spend one and a half days in Jerusalem, where they were privileged to see the Kotel and tour the old city. The trip spans two important days for the Jewish people: Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day). The somber atmosphere of Yom Hazikaron is a valuable experience for our students, as are the festivals and barbecues on Yom Ha’atzmaut.
The students going on the trip left on Sunday, April 27 and returned on Thursday, May 8. When the students arrived, they went straight to Magen, our sister school in Tel Aviv. After a quick welcoming from the school, the hosts from Magen brought their Pressman buddies to their house. The next day was relatively light. Students had a school-wide welcome assembly and later visited the Diaspora Museum.
After two days of rest and recuperation, the action began. At 11:00, the students left for Ein Shemer, Caesaeria - Atlit, a kibbutz outside of the Roman town Caesaeria, and spent the day there. They were able to experience what it is like for Israelis living on a kibbutz. The next day, the sixth grade had a powerful experience at the Museum for the Blind. For one hour, the students were guided
through the museum where it was
completely pitch black. A sixth grade student commented, "We had to feel the objects around us to know where we were going." During their visit to this museum, the students were exposed to the life of those who are visually impaired.
On Friday, students rose early and went to Beit Guvrin, where they dug in a real archeological sight. They found different types of rocks, bones, ash, jewelery, and pottery. At 1:00, students went in the bus to Jerusalem, and immediately after arriving went to Machanei Yehudah, an open air market. They were exposed to a different way of buying and selling than the supermarket. Afterwards, they went to the Kotel. They had a meaningful prayer service at both the Southern Wall and the Kotel. The next day was Shabbat and students toured the old city . On Sunday, the entire sixth grade had a scavenger hunt in the Port of Tel Aviv and in the afternoon they went to the Yom Hazikaron ceremony.
Slideshow by Tyler Ekaireb
Monday morning, students had a moving experience when they visited Holocaust survivors in their own apartments. Monday night was erev Yom Ha-atzmaut and the entire school celebrated with a barbecue and fireworks at a park. Students ran around spraying each other with shaving cream and hitting each other with blow up bats and hammers.
The next day, the festival continued as each student went with their host family. On erev Yom Ha'atzmaut, the families joined together for a barbecue and sprayed each other with cream, which is an Israeli tradition. On Wednesday, students toured part of Tel-Aviv and they davened Shacharit at the New Conservative Synagogue in Neve Tzedek. That night, students packed up their luggage and said good-bye to their hosts. As tears fell from their eyes, the students boarded the plane and began the long and arduous journey home.
Memories for a Lifetime