Since we last spoke....

Indeed it has been a while since we last spoke to each other. Please allow me to recount the events of the past 6 days.

Last Tuesday the students heard from Rabbi and historian Ken Spiro who delivered an informative lecture on the history of the state of Israel with many French jokes. This was followed by a trip to City Hall which has one of the best views of Jerusalem.

In the evening the students heard from two Palestinians with very contradictory views. First it was Elias Zaniri who stressed the importance of propping up the PA and after they heard from Jerusalem Post writer Khaled Abu Toameh who suggested that no distinction should be made between the two parties.

Wednsday started off with David Olesker from the JCCAP who tought the students some creative advocacy tools and used incredible annecdotes to illustrate them. In the afternoon we took off on a bullet proof bus to Gush Etzion where they heard from mayor Shaul Goldstein. This was followed by Sherri Mandel who spoke about the tragic death of her son Kobe and how they built a camp in his name to help victims of terror.

Thursday started with Jessica Montell of B'Tzelem, which is an IDF watchdog group. She was followd by Dr. David Zangen who spoke about Jenin and the massacring of the truth. That evening we had a big BBQ for Yom Yerushalayim with a big jam session in the park.

Friday to Saturday the students had a free Shabbat. However, we organized a Shabbat dinner on the beach of Tel Aviv in which most of the students attended. Even though we were all free to do our own thing, it was great to see the group come together for a meaningful dinner.

Sunday morning we departed for the south. We hiked around Ein Bokek and swam in the Dead Sea, and of course there was the mud. For most of the day we took part in activism sessions learning how to effectively promote and organize your Israel group, how to promote an event, how to table on campus and how to use your campus media.

And now we are all back in Jerusalem getting ready for the final night. One last time to see the city lights before a few of the students head back to Canada. Thanks for tuning into to such a long post. It's hard to keep up with students with such enthusiasm and energy.