Day 3: The Golan Heights & the Upper Galilee

Sunday, July 22nd Written by Trevor Nataupsky BEACH DAY!!! On July 22, 2013 we all went to the Kineret. The Kineret is a major water resource in Israel. It is a large lake which Israel has used for years. We used it as a playground. 23 bodies running straight into the shinning blue lake (20 fellows, 2 Junior counsels, and Liana), swimming and splashing in the crystal blue sea. Once in the water, many small, hungry yet harmless fish came up to us. Little did we know that they were man eating fish. Just kidding. The fish came up to our feet and nibbled on them. it did not hurt- it just felt weird. Later, several fellows brought out their Frisbees and started to use them in the water, diving for catches. After about an hour and twenty minutes of fun in the sun, our leaders of the day (Kineret and Andrew Jacobson) gathered us up for a discussion on the Kineret and our theme of the day, co-existance. We learned that the Kineret is important in both Judaism and Christianity. In Christianity, this was the place where Jesus performed many miracles. In Judaism it is mentioned in the Torah several times as a very holy place. After having a wonderful discussion, we went to go have a (what we thought to be) "small" lunch. For lunch, we all sat at for tables were there was bread, hummus, eggplant, corn salad and normal israeli salad. So we all thought that was it. Little did we know. After that they came out with french fries, burgers, schnitzel, kosher sausages, and chicken. We were all so full at that point. But wait there was more. Then he came out with watermelon, that was so juicy. One fellow said "I think i put on 10 pounds after that lunch." Once lunch was over we headed to the bus for our journey to the Golan Heights. The Golan Heights is a part of Israel that used to be part of Syria. Then it was taken by Israel in the 6 day war. Lead by our awesome tour guide Arava we went to a 4D movie about the Golan Heights. Although, before entering the theatre a fellow discovered there was free wifi. Yes free wifi. So any fellow with a phone took it out and checked their facebooks, snapchats, twitters, etc,. In the 4D extravaganza, many fellows said "it was quite the experience". One of our JC's, Andrew Geller, said "it was "amazing."" There was wind and water in this 4D film. Many fellows favorite part was when an Israeli "cowboy" scooped up a bunch of dirt and smelt it. We even saw a man who looked like Arianna Dines father doing meditation. Someone else thought this man looked like David Micley, one of our coaches (hi David Micley! Since you're everywhere we keep thinking we are seeing you). Then went to a room about the wars of the Golan Heights. Through different lighting techniques we all learned about the battles over the Golan Heights. After leaving the 4D theatre, Arava took us to a spot were 7,000 feet in the air. we were on top of a mountain were a battle from the 6 day war. From the top of the mountain we could see Syria. After learning about the border we had about 45 minutes of free time to explore the abandoned bunker and go to the cafe that was there. We all went through its' dark narrow stairwells which led us underground. we saw old beds. It was cold and creepy down there. All of us went up to the top of the bunker were you could stand and look around at the marvelous view. After exploring the whole bunker a couple fellows decided to go down to the cafe where once again there was free wifi. So very soon after every fellow went there and got more free wifi. we all stayed in there and chatted and laughed away the time. Soon after that we went to go meet the Diller International Israel Leader: Liat. We took our bus to the most northern town in all of Israel, Metulla. It is right on the Lebanon border. We meet her on a mountain overlooking the whole town. She arrived in what was later called the Diller car (because of the diller sticker on it). She taught us all about how Metulla stayed in Israeli borders because of "60 crazy people." These people were like "Metulla must be a part of the Jewish nation" because there a stories of Jew's settling here in the Torah. After talking for a bit she brought us down to the Lebanon border.There she brought us to the a "no man land" area were both jewish and Lebanese famers work. We picked Lebanese apples. They tasted like Granny Smith's. Soon after we went to her magnificent house where she served us homemade food. Like we didn't have enough already today. She served us 2 large metal containers of chicken, 2 large bowls of rice, salad, and potatoes. In her amazing backyard there was a trampoline and a pool. Liat's house over looked an amazing mountain area. It look like a picture out of a magazine. We all had a great time at Liat's house and she was really great. She has so much energy and shared her own stories and and opinions with us about coexistence. Some highlights are people jumping on the trampoline, Andrew Geller getting pushed into the pool in his clothes, and Eytan, Amos, and Kineret sing a song from a movie musical all in hebrew. They have watched it 40 times in hebrew school they said. Sadly, we had to leave Liat's amazing home to go to our hostel. We packed up our bus and headed to the hostel. Once, arriving there we got our room keys and had about an hour of free time before our feedback to our leaders and Maagal Lila. a lot of people explored the property and found "work out" equipment. They look liked kids toys. we all played there and met new people who were also staying there, including many Ethiopians. Then we all went to our Maagal Lila. The Maagal Lila was based around one of Hillel's famous quotes and the staff related it to thinking about who we are and how we think others see us. It was a very thoughtful experience. We all had to truly think about who we are. As a great man once said "we all have to find our corner of the sky." After our Maagal we all chatted till the wee hours of the night and soon went to bed for another wet day of fun and learning. This is the Diller Teen Fellows blog. We all love you all and miss everyone. Have a great day, and g-d bless you.