gap year in israel
Final tuesday tiyul

Shalom Parents and Students!

It’s almost the end of the semester (only a few days left) and our students are busy wrapping up another amazing semester! This week, we had our final Tuesday Tiyul, last group meetings, and final classes. Curious to see how our students are spending their last days in the program? Scroll down and we will tell you all about it 😊 >>

Rothschild students at mount arbel for one last tuesday tiyul
Rothschild students at Mount Arbel for one last Tuesday Tiyul
Levontin community at ein tina
Levontin community at Ein Tina

Is it Palm Springs in the top picture? Nope, got you there! It’s Charles Clore Park, where students went biking on the promenade. This time of year is just PERFECT, because it is warm enough to not get cold while biking, but not too hot, with the breezy, afternoon sunset… Ok, we got carried away, sorry about that! Off to the next adventure >>

Levontin community traveled to the beautiful Ein Tina, just in time for the beginning of summer. Ein Tina is a water hike, located on the slopes of Ramat HaGolan, the northernmost place under Israeli territory. Then, they traveled to Kibbutz Merom Golan, where they met Eyal Dror, a former lieutenant in the IDF, who still serves in the army on reserve duty. He talked to the community about the IDF’s life-saving project for Syrian refugees who have been injured in the ongoing civil war in Syria.

Students from our Rothschild community didn’t travel as far, but headed north as well, and hiked through Mount Arbel. They didn’t hike in the water this time, but don’t worry – they will next week on our overnight trip! 😉

Haley and ruby from jerusalem at nahal arugot
Haley and Ruby from Jerusalem at Nahal Arugot
Florentin community at nachal me'ara
Florentin community at Nachal Me'ara

The Jerusalem community traveled to Nahal Arugot and the Fairy Pools, near the Dead Sea. The hike is part of the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve and is a medium-light trail, with the opportunity to dip in the cool water, perfectly fitting during the Israeli Summer.

Our Florentin community spend their last Tuesday Tiyul at Nahal Me’ara (cave), near Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem. They hiked through a moderately challenging route while they enjoyed taking in the beautiful scenery.

Our students participated in their last group activities with their madrichim; they reflected on the year and the semester and shared special moments and how they’ve grown in these past few months. Tal, from Levontin made a special video for her students and gave each one a tailor-made pencil box, where each student wrote a note for the rest of their peers. Then, they read letters from their families, picked their favorite photos from the semester, and shared why they chose those pictures.

Jerusalem community students celebrated Lag B’Omer with a communal bonfire, where they roasted marshmallows, played guitars, and sang songs by the fire.

Tal's group from levontin in their last group activity
Tal's group from Levontin in their last group activity
Community lag b'omer in jerusalem
Community Lag B'Omer in Jerusalem
Gap year in israel - aardvarkisrael
Last but not least, check out our Aardvark Extreme group, on Ez Riders Scooters, which they rode through Ben Shemen Forest! They also learned about the crops and the orchards there, tasted the delicious fruit the farmers grow, and then enjoyed refreshing popsicles on a hot sunny day.