Summer 2016

Dear Mom and Dad,

We spent this past shabbos at kibbutz lavi and had an amazing time! The food was awesome and there were so many diffrent options. On Friday night I spoke at dinner and on Saturday my friend  Rashi Pachino spoke. For me this was an extra special Shabbat because it was the 2 month anniversary of me becoming shomer Shabbat. I feel so blessed to have celebrated this accomplishment with such an incredible group of people! We ended off Shabbat with havdallah and an emotional and strong speech by Rabbi Lashak. We then spent the rest of the night getting ready to go to Jerusalem. We are all excited to finally see the holy city of Jerusalem!

All the best,

Rachel

Dear Mom and Dad

Today was absolutely amazing! We started the day with Leket Israel. Leket is an organization that collects produce that farms do not want, in order to give to the needy. We picked onions for those who are hungry in Israel. It truly was a fulfilling mitzvah. Each crate that we filled, feeds 100 family’s and we filled 5 crates! We then had lunch at the Drews town. The food was very tasty. We then headed out to When we got to Yom NCSY I was over the moon. I have never been so pumped and happy to be at an event. I was able to say hi and spend time with some friends that I haven’t seen in years. It seriously was an amazing experience and I loved every minute of it. We had a gigantic rock concert with a mash pit, pushing, shoving and dancing. I’ve never had so much fun in my life! Ok I have to go to bed cause we just got back to the hotel and its past 1AM, but I miss and love you guys!

Love,

Salvo

Dear Ima and Abba,

Today was honestly my favorite day of programming. Although wake up was early and most of us had gotten 5 or less hours of sleep the night before, it was nothing a good breakfast couldn’t fix. And believe me, this kibutz doesn’t just “do” breakfast, they OWN it. Like tornados should be named after the size of these meals. After we buried ourselves chin deep in pancakes and cinnamon buns, we headed into our learning Chaburas, in which I was inspired to live in the present, and experience all I can. This realization influenced me to chose the active tour instead of the Golani spa day, because you know Mama didn’t raise no quitter. We hiked through beautiful waterfalls and caught some rays which further darkened my fantastic farmers tan. We then devoured that amazing Israeli pizza and took a tour of the olive oil factory where I spent all my money on exotic skin products (sorry not sorry Abba). After, we toured the De Karina chocolate boutique where we had the opportunity to test chocolates (literally life right there) and even create our own to take home. We got back on the bus and I took a much needed power nap before cruising down the Jordan with my rafting crew. (Shoutout to Rachel and Uriel for literally carrying us through the Rapids). We ended off the day the best way I could think of: food. A surprise  BBQ at our current and hip tour guide Hannan’s house. And that’s it folks. Thank you Ima and Abba for sending me on this amazing program that continues to amaze me every day.

Love,

Rashi P.

Dear Family,

Today was probably the best day of the program so far. This morning we woke up and had the most amazing breakfast ever, although I gained 73939494 pounds from one meal it was worth it. We then went to visit an Ethiopian absorption center in צפת where we got to visit and play with little kids from Ethiopia who immigrated to Israel. They were super cute and it was an awesome experience. Next we went on a walking tour of צפת. We got to see the city and the old shul in it. We next went golf cart riding, where we each broke up into different groups and rode golf carts (and also got into intense water fights). The views from the golf cart was breathtaking. As if the food from breakfast and lunch wasn’t enough, we went back to our hotel and ate another huge and delicious meal. To end off the night, after dinner we took a boat ride on the Kineret. On the boat we had a crazy dance party and it was just so amazing. Today was the first time ever that I really experienced the land of Israel, and I have fallen in love with it. Thank you for giving me this opportunity I love you all.

Naomi

Dear Mom and Dad,

Last night, as we sat in our airplane in Italy ready to take off for Eretz Yisrael, I did a headcount of all the students on our group. When I counted all 42 of my fellow siblings, I reported “We’ve got 43 onboard and we’re ready for takeoff!” In that moment, something in my heart sparked that still hasn’t left yet–I realized that I am so blessed and lucky to be leaving for the holy land with the most amazing kids and advisors from across the country. Thank you for giving me this incredible opportunity!

Shalom from Eretz Yisrael! We finally arrived in the most beautiful country in the world around 3:00 AM this morning. We walked through Ben Gurion airport with pride, tears, and a bit of slumber all around. We drove up to Tiberius, and we are currently staying in the most beautiful hotel ever–with the best food too! After breakfast and “mandatory shluffing,” we prayed and headed on the bus to a quaint little village with…donkeys! All of us dressed up in typical 10th century garb, complete with a headscarf, and together we baked delicious pita bread over a large pan. We even rode on the donkeys around the village! We ate freshly grilled kabobs and chicken for lunch, and then headed back to the hotel for a peaceful evening of swimming and, of course, casual dance parties. Some of the students from other youth groups even sang and partied with us! I miss you guys so much but I love it here too! See you soon!

Love,

Neda Shokrian

Dear Mommy and Daddy,

Oh my goodness!! Today is our last day in Europe, and it’s been a blast. We woke up ‪this Sunday morning‬ super pumped to leave for the holy land tonight! We ate breakfast, davened, and loaded the bus with our 400 snow globes and luggage as we headed for Vatican City. We stood outside the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peters Basillica and learned about the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. We even saw the Pope walking by!! Next, we traveled to the beautiful park of Bia Borghesa and ate delicious egg sandwiches for lunch. We then had our Chaburas, and mine talked about Conversion in Judaism (Ephraim says hi Jakey!!!). Afterwards  we walked to the famous Trevi Fountain, aka where Lizzie Mcguire met Paulo!! (life dream COMPLETED.) It was even more stunning in person. Next, we arrived at the Jewish Ghetto of Rome where we had 2 hours of free time, walking around buying amazing gelato, Italian pizza (shoutout to our mozzarella balls), and gifts for our besties back home. ‪At 5:00pm‬, we got on the bus and set off for the airport, with a schnitzel dinner in hand (thanks Rabbi and Wifey!!!) We are currently on the plane, excitement rising as we’re about to take off. See you in Eretz Yisroel!!

All the best,

Nesiah

Dear Mom and Dad,
FIRST FULL WEEK OF EURO ICE!!!! Whoooooop whoooop!
Although most people had two full weeks, I have only been here a week and a half. The virus prevented me from flying with the other NCSYers but everyone was very welcoming. I think I even know everyone’s names! ‪Friday night‬ we davened in the gorgeous old synagogue of Rome. I don’t think I have been in a more beautiful shul. Then we walked to the restaurant Yotvata, where we ate dinner. Afterwards we walked through the streets of Rome, back to our hotel. Shabbat morning we slept in! When everyone was up we walked again to the Great Synagogue of Rome for davening. We next walked to a restaurant called Ba’ghetto for lunch. After, we took a short walking tour on our way to the hotel. When we arrived, we had minucha so most of us slept for three hours. In the afternoon, Rabbi Lashak gathered us for a “Shoot the Rabbi” session, where we asked questions. Following that we walked back to the restaurant for seudat shlishit. We then ebbed Shabbat away and ended it with a beautiful Havdalah by Tanzi.

I can not wait to continue this amazing trip in Israel!

Always,

Kayla e

Dear Dad!!!

Thank you so much for sending me on the most amazing trip. Today we got to go to the legendary city of Pisa. We got to see and walk up the leaning tower of Pisa. When you walk up its actually feels slanted! It’s amazing! After we went to the most beautiful beach. It was the bluest water I’ve ever seen with a turnout tint that faded to a dark blue!! We finally ended the day in Rome with a delicious meal in the Jewish ghetto. We got to try the Roman delicacy of artichokes. They were great! I’m so excited to get to spend Shabbat in this beautiful city.

Love,

Dina

Dear Mom and Dad,

Wow! We finally made it to the most gorgeous city in all of Italy, Florence. Although the bus ride was lengthy, the vintage and magnificent scenery of Florence without a doubt made up for those long hours on the ride down from Slovenia. We ended up having a relaxing evening in one of the nicest hotels in Firenze. This morning we had a delicious breakfast in the hotel. There was cereal, yogurt, fruit, and different assortments of cheeses. We then took a short bus ride to the center of town where we toured the first and only remaining synagogue built in Florence which is still in use. When I first walked into the shul it seemed so ornate, each individual detail was so well put together and it created an image in my mind of unification for our religion. On the other hand, our tour guide mentioned that there were also a similarity in the Shuls to the cathedrals being built at the same time. So as well as the Jews being united, we also continued blending our culture by gathering ideas and other elements from the churches. After the tour we stopped for a bite at a restaurant adjacent to the Great Synagogue called Ruth’s. We then had some time for shopping and sightseeing around the Florence flea market. For dinner we ate another delectable meal at Ruth’s. We ended off the night with Chaburahs and a fun night activity game of Snort. Can’t wait for more fun!

All the best,

Zoe Sugar