Yom Hazikaron

Yesterday (Monday) was Yom Hazikaron and we began the day with a fabulous iverlook of the Jezreel Valley from the top of Mount Gilboa. While there, our guide Chen gave an overview of the period of Israel's independence as well as Israel's shift in fighting terrorism and protecting its citizens in recent years. From the mountain we could see Jenin in the West Bank as well the security fence that was constructed along parts of the green line, the cease fire line of the 1948 War of Independence.

In addition to our more recent history lesson, we also shared with the students that Mount Gilboa was also the sight where King Saul was defeated by the Phillistines. After his defeat, during which his son Jonathan was killed in battle, Saul fled to Mount Gilboa where he elected to fall on his sword rather than be captured and tortured by the Phillistines.

Following our trip up Mount Gilboa, our bus went to Kibbutz Beit Hashita, one of the Kibbutzim in our partnership region of Afula Gilboa for the Kibbutz's Yom Hazikaron ceremony. The Kibbutz is well known throughout Israel becuase it lost 11 members during the Yom Kippur war in 1973 in addition to other members who have fallen throughout the Kibbutz's history. After the ceremony Keren, a member of the Kibbutz brought us to the grave of the first Kibbutznik to fall defending the Kibbutz in the 1930's. The legend of the Kibbutz is that when this man fell he wrote using his own blood, "It's terrible to die so young."

After the ceremony we joined with 50 teens from Afula Gilboa, including many who will be working as Young Emissaries for felafel and a facillitated program. It was a great experience for our teens to spend some meaningful time with their Israeli counterparts.

Our third stop of the day was at the Emunah Center in Afula. The Emunah Center is a center for at at risk youth, many of whom cannot live at home with their parents for a variety of reasons. The center has a mix of residential and day children. Our kids spent time with the young children and enjoyed a performance by the center's singing group the Emunotes (who have preformed numerous times in New Haven). While we were there we also saw Ariel Demri who was an Emissary in New Haven in 2007/08.