Dear NCSY TJJ Lion Pride,

The last few days have been absolute opposites!!

Shabbat started off again with such energy and positivity! We spent time learning about the foundation of Judaism to love your fellow man. We even tried to think up methods of how to work on this trait. Later in the day, the mood shifted as we entered tisha b’av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. We began the traditions of mourning for the destruction of the temple and many other calamities that have fallen out on this day to the Jewish People. The teens sang and listened to each advisor express the significance of the day from another angle – a moving and emotional mood took over.

The next morning on sunday, we continued to commemorate tisha b’av and we reflected on the more recent tragedies that relate to the day like the spanish inquisition, the crusades and the holocaust. It was astonishing to see the teens care for history like never before because they now felt that these were the stories of their brothers and sisters in a profoundly new and deep way. We then ran an anti-bullying program before getting on the buses and making our way down to Eilat for what would be a very different experience for the teens indeed.

Our crazy day in EILAT!!!!!

Watersports was the first stop of the day!! There was wild laughter as tons of water gushed into our faces while we rode inflatables being pulled by the back of speedboats!! The teens loved every second of it and had worked up quite an appetite having their fun in the sun. This worked out perfectly because the Ice Mall for lunch came next with many restaurants on offer with our special coupons. But the insane fun wasn’t over yet!

Out in the red sea, our boat cruise turned into one huge party, pumping tunes and jumping into the water with snorkelling gear! It couldn’t get any better!! Coming off such an emotional and intense Tisha b’av, we knew the TJJers would make the most of today and they certainly did! Last stop was a delicious dinner at burger’s bar – partying can really whet an appetite!

Thanks for reading and looking forward to updating you again soon. Best get some rest – tomorrow morning is a sunrise hike!! 🙂

Best regards,

Manu & Avi

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