Dear NCSY TJJ Bus 3 Family,

Greetings from the NEGEV!

On Tuesday NCSY TJJ Bus 3 began our drive North, but not before we woke up at 5am to scale Har Tzfachot and watch the sunrise over Eilat.  Although climbing a mountain at anytime of day is difficult, getting to the top of Har Tzfachot and seeing the beautiful sky made it worth it.  Before leaving Eilat we stopped by the aquarium and got to see shark feedings and an underwater observatory. Even though we’d been up since 5am, stopping at the aquarium was still worth it!

Once we hit the road again we were tiiiiired! Many bus naps were had (sweet dreams!). While on the road North the NCSY TJJ Bus 3 Family made a stop at Machtesh Ramon, a scenic canyon in the Negev Desert, where we repelled down the mountain side.After our adventures there we finished our drive for the day at Chan Hashayarot, a bedouin village where we would be spending the night in tents!

In Chan Hashayarot we had the chance to learn all about the bedouin people and experience how they live.  We had a cultural dinner and heard from one of the bedouins elders, about making tea! Tuesday evening was also the ideal time and place to experience Jewish Meditation. We learned about how the Jewish people are compared to the sand and stars and how even when times are hard we have the potential to be a star . Add on top of that the still quiet darkness of the Negev Desert and it was truly an impactful experience!

We are all looking forward to learning about Sderot tomorrow! It should be a very powerful day where we can learn a lot about Israeli society and culture!!

Best,

Rabbi Yitz

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