Day Twelve in Israel Writer: Tali Abraham

This weekend I had a fantastic time with an amazing girl who was host family for Melissa and me. At first, I was a little nervous about living with another stranger for Shabbat, but to my surprise, I ended up creating a lifelong friendship. Irit is a fun and energetic girl, who made Melissa and me laugh all day. The most interesting thing of all was comparing our American life to Irit's Israeli lifestyle. Though we live in the same modern world the differences between our everyday lives is tremendous. This was amazing just to see that even the transportation that we take to school is drastically different from kids in Israel. I am so glad that I was lucky enough to meet Irit. Now, I know that I will always have a friend to welcome me back to Israel the next time I come to visit my homeland.

Day Eleven in Israel Writer: Josh Kalish

Hello, Josh Kalish here. I would like to tell you a little about my day (Saturday Dec. 23rd). First my day started off with a hike with all the Yochneam kids. The hike was quite boring. It was pretty much a long walk on a rocky road, not much of a "hike." Thank goodness B-Grinz brought the football because that passed the time pretty quickly. Later that day, I had a delicious home-cooked Israeli dinner. Afterwards Grinz and I went to a dance that was alright. On a closing note, the planned activites were a little unexciting, but thankfully the Yochneam family I stayed with was great and I had a fun time.

Day Ten in Israel Writer: Maddy Oppenheim

Today we met our host families in Yochneam! Everyone first sat in a circle and said their names and soon later found out who their teen host was or knew already due to request. Most of the kids were in Yud Bet or twelfth grade, but some were in Yud Alef or eleventh grade. Mine was in eleventh grade, the sweetest and most mature eleventh grader I have seen. They all seem and look older than American teens. Weber kids suggested that it was because they smoke non-stop. I think it was a mixture of that and their culture. When I arrived at Eran's house, I soon learned that they are very calm natured and they focused on whatever was at hand, not really wishing for a different "time of day." I was rooming with Dani which was nice because I could experience the hard language barrier with someone else. When we settled, Eran immediately took us to his friends. Every spare moment is with his friends. I mean every spare moment. The day concluded with me listening to Dani's singing Evanescence (his favorite band) and  I soon learned the next day that I snore every night.

Day Nine in Israel Writer: Daniel Habif

Today we're in the Golan Heights. We went to a cemetary and saw the grave of Rachel, an early Israeli settler and poet. We then traveled to the site of a fierce land battle during the Yom Kippur War, where even though Israel was outnumbered, they still emerged victorious.

Day Eight in Israel Writer: Daniel Harari

Today we went on a beautiful hike. The waterfalls were amazing. We saw a beaver-like animal. Later in the afternoon we heard a speaker. He was very interesting, and openly expressed his political view. We had a wonderful meat dinner, and spent a few hours in Tiberius.

The speaker talked about how he lived without fear; the speaker talked about how he lived without fear; he not only was a paratrooper in Israel's four wars he also lives in Golan Heights where Israel borders Hezbollah's town in Lebanon. He along with all of Israel has no choice but to live without fear. The day after this, Melissa Fuhrman said that that was the one thing that really resonated with her. One myth he brought to justice that gives Hezbollah and Hamas reason to be terrorize Israel is the notion that Israelis stole the land from the Arabs. He said that Israel bought land from Arabs before WWII and from the Brits after WWII. We bought it fair and square. And what was either Jordanian land or Egypt's was vanquished by the IDF to Israel during the 1967 war. I learned that Islamic terrorists are not anti-semitic, they are just anti-Western and anti-let their land be taken away. It may sound like they have reasonable reasons to terrorize, like they are "freedom fighters", but really we justly have the right to own the land.

Day Seven in Israel Writer:Zev Beeber

Words fall short to describe celebrating my 18th birthday here in Israel. The day began with an early morning wake up and breakfast, followed by an hour-long drive to Beit Shemesh. There, each of us grabbed a shovel and pickaxe, entered a cave, and set off to excavating the area. After a short hour and a half, we had filled up an entire bucket with ancient artifacts, among them an Ottoman pipe and Roman glass. Afterwards, we enjoyed another delicious schnitzel lunch near the ruins of a Roman ampitheater. We then traveled to one of the many caves associated with the Bar Kochba Revolt , in order to conclde our study of the historical period. Like I said before, it is difficult to convey the experience of a birthday in the Holy Land. The best I can do is to say that, as I prepare myself for a night off in Tel Aviv, I recognize just  how fortunate I am to be able to enjoy a trip like this in an independent, free Jewish state. L'shanah ha'baah b'yerushalayim! Next year in Jerusalem!

Zev Beeber a.k.a. The Birthday Boy

Day Six in Israel Writer-Max Shafron

Shabbat- the Sabbath, the day of rest for all the Jewish people on the planet. This statement cannot be better defined by our day in Jerusalem. We woke up and decided which synagogue experience to choose from: Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox.I chose to attend the Conservative service, the denomination whichI can most closely relate to. The service was great, led by a rabbi who was actually from Atlanta! We met many of the congregants, most having made Aliyah from different parts of the United States. After services, we continued our day of rest by relaxing in the park. We met some kids from Alexander Muss and played a game of football against them. After a long and heated game against the Muss kids, Weber prevailed (after many fights ensued). We later went to Ben Yehudda Street, ate The Best Shwarma, and purchased some  "goodies" to bring home. All in all, this shabbat was extremely relaxing and gave us the rest we needed from the prior week, while preparing us for the many adventures and stories in the week to come.

Day 5 in Israel Writer: Sarah Levy

Hiking up Masada was a challenge for all of us. Thankfully, when we finally reached the top, the breathtaking sunrise awaited us. Looking out into the horizon was a moment I will never forget. The beauty, the history, and the glory of it all was amazing. Some time later, we found our way to the Dead Sea. I loved floating atop the water, light as a feather. When we got out of the water, our skin felt smooth and refreshed. It was a nice ending to a very long, eventful day.

Day 4 in Israel Writer: Alex Rubin

Today we saw the City of David. It was beautiful seeing the old ruins from so many years ago. It was something that none of us will forget. After we walked around for a little while, we went under the ground  to walk through the water tunnels. The water was pretty cold, but it was definitely worth it. This whole day was amazing and the City of Jerusalem was so beautiful.

Day 3 in Israel Writer: Jake Ginsberg

Our descent down Mt. Gilboa was challenging yet rewarding. Having rained the previous night, the ground was slick and muddy, further, testing us physically and mentally. However, the rather unaccomodating conditions forced the group to bond together and help one another down the mountain. Despite the occasional groans and grunts, the 32 of us successfully made our way down the mountain. The expense was rewarding and my favorite tiyul thus far.

Day 2 in Israel Writer: Aviva Summers

We awoke for our first teeyool or trip of our trip. We would work our way chronologically through the history starting with Tel Gezer and the story of Abraham. We headed off with our cameras fully charged, our shoes laced, and our liter and a half (litre vihetzee) of water in our hands. We began a peaceful walk to the spot in which we would stop and when we arrived we were enlightened by Phillip and his first "Story" of the trip. His theory is that history is just a bunch of stories-his story it more interesting. Afterward, we headed back to campus as the sun was already setting. It was 4:30. We arrived back in Hod Hasharon and were given a walking tour of our surrounding city and all there was to do, a.k.a.: where all the food was. Our madrichim then let us loose into the town for a few hours where we ate schwarma and falafel. And some stocked up on groceries for the morning because the food here is the same exact thing we have had everyday (just saying, not complaining). By the time the day was over, the sky was dark and we were exhausted. So until tomorrow...

Arriving in Israel Writer: Rachel Leighton

After a long evening fo traveling, we finally arrived in Israel. We settled in and went out for dinner and karaoke. Everyone enjoyed themselves and had a great first night.

Saturday and Sunday Writer: Maddy

Saturday Shabbat was a time for more education, of course, and some time to schmooze. We learned about the last piece of the Warsaw ghetto still standing on Zlota Street. The area had very wealthy Jews housed there. It was the equivalent of New York's brownstones. NOW IT IS REFERRED TO AS THE CONDEMNED STREET AND NO ONE LIVES THERE ANYMORE. 

I couldn't believe the amount of antisemitism that reigns in Poland where Poland has the biggest evidence of how antisemitism is the wrong way to approach thinking about a person: those several death and labor camps that surround Aushwitz. A church near this place sold anti-Semitic books while one of their prior priests risked his lives while saving Jews. It may have not seemed stifling to others, but it is a good example of the strong antisemitism that remains in the city. Maybe this is due to how the Jews are not present in Polish life any more. Maybe the people living in Poland don't want to be reminded of the pain. I am so glad that you, parents, sent us on this trip so that we will never be able to forget. 

After more touring of Warsaw, we had some time to look at the Polish market where they sell nothing that is unique to Poland. We all split up into groups. And I was split up with Dani Oquendo and Stash! He was so nice and bought us dessert (was like beignets from New Orleans) for any of the grade! Stash, Dani and Josh Kalish ate a lot of them. I have found out that Dani has a tolerant stomach while having Polish doughnuts and lots and lots of Coca Cola. Today is Sunday when I am writing and we are in the Amsterdam airport with a really long layover. We are about to go to Israel. Everyone is spending your money well for dinner. Airplane dinners are not really the best options. 

Talk to you tomorrow,

Midaberet liatem mahar,

O.k. WAIT! This is really funny. We have to sleep in the airport. Ask your children the rest. I do this not to annoy you but because this is one thing that they will willingly tell you about.

Friday. Writer: Danny Oquendo

Majdanek was pure evil. Impossible to understand. Mass graves. Memorial full of ashes. Not the deadliest camp, but made for pure pain. Blue residue stains stains gas chamber walls. Everything intact (unlike Birkenou and Aushwitz you could see the blue remains of Zyklon B). Memorial service in crematorium.

Shabbat services in only remaining Warsaw synagogue after World War 2 (that is Orthodox). Singing and dancing. Rabbi fluent in Polish who is from New York. (We had dinner at the only kosher restaurant in Poland; there are not many Jews that remain in Poland). There was a righteous gentile at dinner that saved Jews from the ghetto and Treblinka (Maddy's additional note: She told a story of how her family and her lived in a cabin in the back of Treblinka that was surrounded by trees. I believe four escaped Jewish prisoners found refuge at her house and they rightfully allowed them to house there. She told the story of how one of the men actually stayed at her house with a trade of being a barber for shelter. They accepted and found out more about the gentleman. He was a violinist who soon started teaching the woman's siblings how to play.

After coming back to the hotel, which by the way was one of nicer hotels since the only place in Poland has money. It had some frescos, Free People looking art, and stone steps. Everyone was in the hallway of our rooms on the first floor when we got back from the restaurant. Shabbat and schmoozing had started. Sim was telling some riddles to the willing (Jason Schwartz and me a little) while everyone at dinner was figuring them out the next day. David Jacobs was watching football bloopers, Matt Miehl was talking to one of his friends that he was so excited to talk to, and Max Shafron and Phillip (the rabbi) were deciding who the top musicians were of 2010 (I must say that Phillip is well versed in our generation of rap singers! I was so impressed. He is a connoisseur of music.) Aviva, the righteous, was one of the only ones following Shabbat along with me, and probably Uri. I talked to Stash, our security guard, who is sadly gone from us. What a cool dude he is.

Day three: Auschwitz Written by: Maddy Oppenheim

We went to Auschwitz, which is in the city of Auschwitz (renamed by the Germans) and Birkenou (which is really part of Auschwitz's death camp).Yes, it was emotional. Yes, some parts were really shocking, when really the whole thing should have been shocking. But somehow, I think most of us thought outside ourselves. I really have to commend Tali Abraham who always paid respect to whomever was talking. I bet that she not only thought outside herself, but placed herself into a suffering Jew's shoes. More short answers: No, we didn't really feel the worst weather that the Jews had to endure. We saw where the sick, sick medical doctors experimented on women and others. We went into the actual rooms where the SS officers experimented. It reminded me a little like Shutter Island in a very real sense. Some of the experiments were: a room that had four stalls in it where four people were in each stall and they were forced to stand up while sleeping due to lack of space; a suffocation room and lastly, a starvation room. Which one is worse? Don't take your pick. Most of us have gotten a minor cold, but don't worry. You have prepared us with a pharmacy specifically for us! So thank you!

Day two: Krakuf, Casmier Writer: Maddy Oppenheim

We all woke up at 6:15 in the morning. Had cereal, hard boiled eggs, clementines, bananas andorange juice. We were all really tired, and we tried the whole day to keep our eyes open because we stayed up late the night before (in addition to our jet lag). Our first stop was an old castle and a church. Phillip (rabbi) and Mr. Mitchell (could be a rabbi) gathered us in a circle near the courtyard between the church and the castle. It was built really high like all castles used as a fortress.The structure even had cool gutters the shape of dragons (dragons were a believed-in creature at the time). They related the Jews to this castle by a few things. First of all, the Jews were not treated very well by the king because the king and the priest of the church which was right near it made decisions mutually. Second of all, at one time Poland was more friendly to Jews than neighboring countries; they allowed Jews to be a part of society. Last of all, there was one man that had a relationship to the king and persuaded the king to be nice to the Jews and to be a part of the army. The, we visited three synagogues. Three is just a lucky number today. You would think that Poland is a ghost town Jewish wise, and you're right. However there are so many synagogues. How come? Most of them are abandoned. The first one we went to, we never went in but it was important I think because it is the go to place whenever an event happens. Notice that I never said whenever there is a Jewish holiday or Jewish classes available. The second temple we went to was definitely influenced by the Renaissance era. It is so cool how old these places are! If you like ancient artifacts that tell of life before, or antiques to collect, you will be glad you sent your kid/s on the trip. This temple looked like a mosque with lots of gold on the walls and those Roman high ceilings. The last synagogue was the smallest (I am into miniatures so I thought it was really cute) synagogue that was commemorated to Moshe Rama, a renowned Talmud scholar. O.k. So if you didn't just get bored or feel sick by feeling like you are at school, I have an interesting fact about Poland. Since it is so cold up here, the Polish never mind about smelling and thus, don't use deodorant. (May not be true for sports). One other, I have never seen so many paper towels - in the form of tissue paper, but nevertheless. Then we returned to the first synagogue I mentioned (from the first day that has lasted from the 1600's). The madrichim ElEran and Sheemreet introduced us to Pew Pew, an ice breaker game that we knew as BangBang. Alex Meline was really funny during it because he would stand up when he wasn't supposed to. I even surprised some people for having fast refluxes. And many people had really embarrassing songs to share that dated all the way back from the '90s that they said probably as a joke. I forgot to mention that we visited a labor camp, that had a huge monument which was propaganda for the Communists. Communists really? But tomorrow is, really, a cool day. Stay tuned.

P.S. They fed us, don't worry.

First Day: Atlanta, Amsterdam, Prague, Krakow (Crakof) Writer: Matt Miehl

We left the airport, as most of you know, around 5 PM on Sunday. We took pictures and got to the gate with about half an hour to share. We boarded the plane as our own section “Now boarding zone one, zone two, the Weber School…” The plane ride was eight hours, and these eight hours were full of much merriness. I watched Grown-Ups, Inception, Grown-Ups again, and then listened to my iPod. I tried to fall asleep but I couldn’t due to the fact that with every mild form of turbulence we felt I woke up. We landed in Amsterdam and Maddy Openheim forgot her passport. The last time we saw her she was outside the airport getting onto a bus that was heading to the “Red Light District.” JUST KIDDING!! Maddy went back with our wonderful Head of School, Sim, and got her passport out of the plane. Maddy adds that her mom should not worry anymore; she will be more cautious.

We went to our gate for the flight to Prague, and the man said the plane hadn’t landed yet due to ice on the runway. We went to the bathroom, walked around the airport, and the chocolate store was quite popular among the participants of this trip. Suddenly, right as I was about to sign onto the free internet, the man at the flight desk yells to Mrs. Zebrak “Are you guys coming or what? The plane is about to leave!” We quickly scatter onto our final plane. We take off, I dose off, and we land an hour later.

We go straight to our next gate (C-11) and board the plane. This plane, however, wasn’t like most planes we are used to today. First off, we had to drive about a quarter mile to get there. This was the first time we saw snow on the ground during this whole trip, and we were walking in it. Needless to say, a snowball fight was in order. I check my ticket and see I’m in row two, and I think to myself, “Yes! First class!” Oh how wrong I was. We get onto the plane and it has 12 aisles and the entrance door is in the back of the plane. Even when I’m in the front of the plane I have to get off last. But we go up the stairs into the plane and this is the smallest plane I have ever seen. I look out my window and do I see engines? No, I see a propeller. Right then and there I knew this was going to be an interesting ride. Then, I see how aisle one is set-up. The two people in aisle one face the people in aisle two. So, the people's knees in aisle one (Josh K. and Rosa I.) are touching mine and Ethan L.’s. We sit in the plane for about an hour and a half and every fifteen minutes the pilot says, “We are about to take off in ten minutes.” Well, we are just sitting there, talking about how we know this will be an interesting flight when we start to hear banking in the cockpit. We all look at each other and begin to laugh. I’m in an emergency exit seat and I look at the pamphlet and the pictures are so poorly drawn and illustrate the most useless things (i.e how to swim). Eventually, we lift off and I’m a happy camper. On this flight there was constant turbulence, so I got no sleep. We landed in Krakow, half the grade got their luggage (the other bags were on a different flight), and we headed to the hotel for much needed sleep.

Maddy adds:
What parents needed to worry about:

1. While flying from Prague to Krakof, Poland, half the grade lost their suitcases; luckily, they were returned to them two days later.
2. Ben Grinzaid provoked two little Polish boys to have a snowball fight with him, Josh Kalish, and Jason Schwartz. In fact, the little boys followed the directions and won the snowball fight (home field advantage).
3. While stepping onto Poland, everyone notices that Poland is ten years behind America, but there are some really charming things about the country such as the antique buildings. For dinner we stepped inside a synagogue that was made in the 1600’s with humongous ceilings. Rabbi Phillip told us this amazing story about the founder of the synagogue. The story goes like this: One day this man, Yaacov ben Yannai had a dream that someone whispered to go to the bridge outside that was in a city (days of walking distance) away from Krakuf. He thought he was crazy, and ignored the dream. Then the dream happened two more times and on the last day he had this dream; the voice explicitly told him that he would find treasure near the bridge. So he goes to the bridge after walking a treacherous journey, and finds no treasure on the bridge. So, then he walks back to the his house and once more has a dream that he would find the treasure in his backyard. Lo, and behold, he found the treasure under a rock. I have no idea why the voice told him to walk all that wasted distance, but Yaacov ben Yannai transformed from a poor man to a rich one. He used the money to buy the synagogue. So, it goes. End of story. Dinner was delicious (Israeli dinner).

Written By: David Mitchell, Dean of Education

Today the students went to Auschwitz-Birkenau.  The camps are actually in the Polish city of Oswiecim.  At first, the transports only reached the town train station, and the prisoners were forced to walk from there to Auschwitz.  The group passed the train station and drove to the camp.  At Auschwitz, a local docent of the Auschwitz Museum guided the group through the camp. After lunch, the students went to Birkenau.  Today was overcast, a bit foggy at times, about 32 degrees out, and all dressed appropriately, with the camps snow covered except for the slushy paths we were walking.  One was left only to imagine what it must have been like during the Shoah for the prisoners dressed only  in their striped garments and wooden clogs. At various points along the way, our logistics person, Tzvika, told his mother’s story.  Her family was transported to Birkenau from Hungary.  Her mother and grandmother were killed on arrival, while she and her two sisters were in the camp until sent off to Germany for slave labor. Before leaving the camp we had a ceremony on the train tracks at the entrance to Birkenau.

The day  ended in the Lomdei Mishnayot synagogue in the town. Prior to WWII Oswiecim had a 70% Jewish majority (8,000 Jews lived in the town).  The town agreement was that the Mayor would be a gentile and the Deputy Mayor a Jew.  It was a typical Jewish community with “all kinds of Jews” and many synagogues and shtibles.  One of the synagogues was called Lomdei Mishnayot, as those workers who frequented the synagogue would daily learn Mishna.  It has been renovated as a small museum and Bet Knesset.  We began by lighting the last candles of Hanukkah, while Sim lead the singing and dancing with an accordion.  Sim then studied some mishna and other sources with the students, followed by maariv.

From Oswiecim, the students travelled to Tarnow, one of the important cities and Jewish communities in Galicia.

We have posted some pictures from the last couple of days on our website.  Please go in your browser to www.amhsi.org,  On the bottom of the page you will see a button for photo Gallery. Find the weber gallery and see the pictures.