Machane Yehuda, Leket, Blind Museum

(Fri) Before Shabbas we got a nice treat... we went to Ben Yehudah and
Machane Yehudah (a market place near Ben Yehudah). It was fun looking
at all the food being sold (especially the watermelon for a shekel and
a half a piece) and clothes on sale...we even got a discount in some
stores because they love Sdei Chemed. As usual there were heaven iced
coffes and ice cream which lots of people bought. Time to head out to
our apartment in the Old City of Yerushalayim. After tons of shlepping
coolers and what-not we finally arrived. That night we went to the
kotel for Kabbalas Shabbas... what an experience! We then ate the
delicious meal in the comfort of our apartment. After the meal whoever
wanted was invited to walk the city and see its beauty.
Shabbos- After waking up from a refreshing sleep, we davened
shacharis in a nice shady location in the middle of the Old City.
During the day, we enjoyed intense conversations and yummy Shabbas
party. Dovid led a tour around the old city and even took them to the
Arab Shuk!! After Havdalah, we were led to.....bambadadam.... a
MACCABEATS CONCERT!!!!!! The Maccabeats are a Jewish A-kapella group.
We all had a fun time singing along and listening to the beatboxing
and singing.


(Sun) What a nice way to start a day--- chessed. There is an
orginazation called Leket which helps gather the produce wich a farmer
has left over to give to the poor. So, we were led to a farm and began
our potato picking..... it was funny to see how dirty they really are!
All together we gathered 1500 pounds of potatoes!!! Next stop:
Hertziliya Beach. It was a nice way to chill; either jumping the waves
or simply tanning (OR BURNING....OUCH!!!) Now comes an experience like
none other- A Dialogue in the Dark. Led by a blind or visualy impaired
tour guide, in total darkess for over an hour, we were sent through
seven different scenes. Using our other senses we had to figure out
what different things were....what a challenge. We even got to go to a
cafe in the dark and order food... =) [and talk to our tour guide,
with whatever questions we had] The barbecue after was really good,
especially with the spicy turkey kabobs. Can't wait to see what more
fun is in store! HADASA RUBIN <3

Eilat

(Tue) Our overnight began with a stop in the town called Yerucham. Sporting our headcoverings and camelbacks we were on for a hike, called Ein Avdat. We all enjoyed a calmer, but fiery hot hike. Time for the next adventure: camel riding. We exchanged nice laughs while bumping from side to side atop these funny- looking animals. After a nice long bus ride, but before reaching our hotel, we stopped at a lookout point. With all the mountains and valleys in view, a hearty kumzits was achieved; time to get back on the bus. We checked into the hotel and all settled down. Last activity of the day: swimmiing. We walked to a nice big pool where we all enjoyed a long swim before the nine days. 

(Wed) Today was a water day in Eilat :) It all started with the aquarium. We spoted some strange fish and sharks and even got to see someone inside the giant tank feeding them. Next we were buckled in as we ventured with the 3d movie through the depths of the ocean. The water fun continues- We boarded a boat whose name was very original: Eilat =) Aboard the boat we had many options of what to do. Some tanned and chilled while the daring ones jumped off the verrry high diving board. Of course there was the option of just to swim. We now had a choice of either tubing, jetskiing, or parasailing. No matter which one we each picked, they were all a blast! It was time for our sopping wet crew to head on back to our hotel for the night, the Adi. For night activity we got to go to a mall right near our hotel, everyone sure had fun buying presents and food. We also had a chance to stop off at the boardwalk and enjoy the hot Israeli breeze. 

(Thur) Every good day starts with a good breakfast, this one was provided by our hotel. The beach was our base for the next few hours. Everyone was kept busy with the many activities. There was snorkling; wearing our funny goggles and air pipe, we plunged into the water to view the corals and beautiful fish. Snorkling was only a microcosm of what was to come, scuba diving. First we dressed up in our wet suit and flippers and were then given an oxygen tank. Along with each of our guides, we dove deeper and deeper. Here we were shown the amazing underworld and some of the most awesome water creatures. A guide was underwater taking the most gorgeous picture which some of us bought after. Fish spa was next. The funniest sensation was felt as we dipped our feet into a pool swarming with fish. Called the Gaara Rufa; these tiny fish actually ate the dead skin right off of our feet. Now we were off to a yummy treet: Big Apple Pizza. The way back home was a long and tiring ride although we even got to see the Egyptian border. Can't wait for a fun weekend in the old city. =)

=) Hadasa

Yad Eliezer, Swimming

The day began with some Chesed. After watching videos about the services that Yad Eliezer does, we actually did it. We all took two boxes and started an assembly line-passing all kinds of foods to be placed in the boxes. These are weekly packages given out to needy families. After a yummy falafel lunch it was time for a nice dip in the pool. We took a walk to the pool in Ramot and all had fun doing laps or just chilling. We even found a cute family to socialize with and hold the 1 month old baby. Lots of packing to do tonight for Eilat. Can’t wait for an awesome fun-filled overnight and upcoming weekend in the Old City.   

Amuka, Boot Camp, Golan Video, Waterfall

First stop: Amuka, the kever of Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel. What a way to start a day with inspiration. After, we were taken to Kvish Ha’Michushaf, the magic road. We were all amused that the bus seemed to be rolling up hill. Suddenly, we realized we were going only 5 miles per hour. During our boot camp activity our broken bus was fixed. We used all of our energy doing races and playing tap tap tree-o etc. Time to test our balance: many of us tried to walk across a balance beam with many successes (including me J). Thank G-d no catastrophes. Then we went to Katzrin, the Golan museum. There we watched an interactive video, where we got spritzed with water and got a nice breeze. (Chavsie got the best nap ever!!) We also viewed a presentation all about the Golan Heights. After a nice long bus ride we stopped at Mapal Ha’Kinneret. Here we all enjoyed a refreshing swim under the high pressure waterfall. Night activity sure gave us a laugh; we saw all the pictures from out Thursday’s scavenger hunt. I wonder who won… WE LOVE S’DEI CHEMED!! J

Touring Tzfat and Shabbos

Led by the best tour guide- Baruch- a Breslov typical "Tzfater", we enjoyed a fun day in the sun. First we strolled down the windy streets, viewing (and buying) the gorgeous art. Baruch provided us with a background of Tzfat; The Ari and the kabalistic mysteries. After, we were led to the art gallery of Sheva Chaya. We watched in awe as she blew glass and created a beautiful pendant. In addition, we got to view her magnificent paintings. Next we stepped into a world of wax; the candle factory. Here we got a nice display of carefully crafted wax creations. Whoever wanted was able to go daven at the many holy kevarim in Tzfat. Shabbos began with Kabbalos Shabbos at the Breslov shul. We were all entertained and uplifted watching the chassidim dance and sing before davening. After, we all enjoyed a scrumptious meal back at our dorm. Already late by then, many of us set out for a twilight Shabbos walk. Shabbos day: the meal was yummy- as usual. Following the meal was a time to chill; some had Shabbos party while others walked around Tzfat again and few actually slept! Before mincha we were very lucky to hear from a Chozer B’tshuva who lives in Tzfat right across from our apartments. His story was interesting and inspiring. We heard a very melodious Havdalah courtesy of the Beirav or “Carlebach shul." Now came the fun, we were all kept moving due to circle dancing with all of the women in shul. Walking back to our dorms music was heard wafting from street windows, so we decided to follow it. We were led to a party and had loads of fun dancing again. Everyone changed and glow bracelets were handed out for our hike up to the Metzudah. We sure learnt a ton of Israels history from the one and only Dovid Teitelbaum. For Melaveh Malka we all filled up on pizza. Ready for a fun week ahead. 

Teveria, Kayaking, Meiron, and Tzfat

We began the day with an adventurous start- a picture scavenger hunt in Teveria. Given a list of random objects and people- including someone who looks like Chavsie or the oldest man ever seen. We used our creativity and were all guaranteed a great laugh!!! We were then off to kayaking at Kfar Blum. We sure met many interesting people; from the ones smoking hooka in the middle of the water to the British ones who were calling everyone gorgeous. Everyone returned sopping wet, having been cooled off by the waterfall and splashes from all directions. Time for a spiritual burst- we visited the holy Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's grave in Meiron to daven Mincha and had an uplifting time. Last stop- the artsy community of Tzfat- where we will be staying for an extended weekend. Our apartments on Rechov Ha'Ari are located right in the heart of the old city. We enjoyed a scrumptious barbecue to rev us up for a fun night ahead. At night we each had a blast drinking in the culture and running down the stone alleyways! Getting ready for an awesome Shabbos =)

Hadasa Rubin

Masada and the Dead Sea

Our day began with a thrilling start. At precisely two AM the bus was packed and ready to go to Masada. After a long windy bus ride, we reached the mountain. The hike up was a nice way to snap the tiredness out of all of us =) . We were finally at the top- we all watched the gorgeous sunrise and davened- we were ready for the way down. At each stop going down we got a brief sinopsis of history and got to learn a lot. After going down about a thousand steps and rocks we arrived at the bottom, an air condidtion building- YAY! Next stop- Dead Sea! We each got to feel our cuts burn and float in the salty water, before heading back from a long exciting day. The day ended with a fashion show- we got to see sides of our friends that we've never known about. From bais yaakov girls to goths everyone had loads of fun. Can't wait for tommorow.

Welcome

Welcome to our all new Camp S'dei Chemed Girls 2011 Blog. We want to keep you updated on all of our exciting activities. Enjoy!