community review www.jewishharrisburg.org
June 9, 2017 | 15 sivan, 5777 | Vol. 92; No. 12 Published by The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg | Greater Harrisburg’s Jewish Newspaper
The Silver Academy’s 7th/8th Grade Israel Trip By Rachel Zilbering
F
Silver Academy students picking kohlrabi
or 10 days in April and May, I had the privilege of chaperoning eight Silver Academy students to Israel. The trip was planned as a culminating experience of their time at the school. We planned the trip to be a combination of religious experiences, historical sites, and fun adventures. Also, we scheduled the trip so that we would be in Israel for Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut. For me, being able to observe and celebrate those two days in the most authentic way was my highlight. We recently asked the students about their highlight and here are their words. “Independence Hall was the site where Israel’s declaration of independence was signed. Here, we learned about the history of the place and Ben-Gurion’s motivations for declaring independence when he did. It was somewhat awe-inspiring to be in the place where Israel was reborn.” – Chaim Bell
Silver Academy students at The Kotel “Ein Gedi was incredible! We hiked for a little while, to reach one of the many waterfalls at Ein Gedi. I was first to get wet and went completely under the waterfall. That was a lot of fun! Then, we hiked back to the bus.” – Erin Brodsky “At Leket Israel, we had a memorable moment picking Kohlrabi because we picked 400 kg for needy children. It was also in the hot sun and gave us a better appreciation of what it is to be a farmer.” Samuel Shvartsman “One of my most enjoyable experiences in Israel was the Palmach museum. When we went through the rooms, they played scenes about a squad that was fighting in Israel’s War for Independence, improving our experience and giving us a unique mindset of how life must have been. We learned new facts about Israel’s army at the time. When the experience was over, most of us remembered the experience very clearly.” – Isaac First “One of the most fun parts of the trip for me was the transition from Yom HaZikaron to Yom HaAtzmaut. We were on Ben Yehudah street for this. There were stands selling food, sweets, and festive and flashy toys all over the place. The street was really crowded. Our last stop for the night was a huge party in the middle of the street with fog machines, lasers, and loud music. Later at night there were two rounds of fireworks. It was definitely unforgettable.” – Alana Reid “Repelling down Manara Cliff was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. It was exhilarating and scary at the same time. It was hard to hold the rope that kept me from falling. There was an amazing view at the top and the bottom of the cliff we repelled down.” – Brian Dym Continued on page 10