The second half of SIEP started off with the Americans having a morning meeting at Amal Lady Davis High School, where we all discussed how the trip had gone so far and other items that interested us. Once the meeting was finished, the Americans and Israelis went to Shuk Ha’Carmel and had the rest of the day off.

Shuk Ha’Carmel is a large market in downtown Tel Aviv with great food and other goods. With all this free time my Israeli and I walked around Tel Aviv, but many others went to the massive Purim festivals that were taking place all around the city.

No activities took place the next day until 8:00 PM, where both Lady Davis and Ironi Tet high schools had a Purim party. At the party there was food, refreshments, people in costumes, a 70-year-old DJ, and, of course, Mr. Jacobs doing a brief megillah reading. It was really fun and allowed the Ironi Tet and Lady Davis students to catch up.

The next day was a free day to celebrate Purim with our families, but it also meant we had to go to the Purimon. The Purimon is a Purim carnival that the scouts hosted. The scouts are like boy/girl scouts, and most of our Israelis participate in it. The Purimon had booths, a slide, and even a carousel that was made entirely out of wood and rope. After the Purimon everyone retired to their homes and prepared for the grueling days ahead.

We started our journey the next day, Ironi Tet and Lady Davis Americans only, driving to the Negev. The Negev is the Israeli desert and home to Sde Boker, a kibbutz that Israeli figure David Ben Gurion lived in for multiple decades and was eventually laid to rest in in 1973. In Sde Boker, we learned about Ben Gurion and his hope that Israelis would settle the Negev.

After this, we went on a hike, drove to a Bedouin village, and slept in the famous Bedouin tents. But this was not before they told us about their culture and gave us refreshments, food, and a drum session.

The morning after started with some action, as we all had to pack and clean up our tents, take a brief ride on camels, and then finally eat breakfast. Once this eventful morning had ended, we traveled to Masada, an ancient Israelite fortress constructed by King Herod that was the last stronghold of the Jewish people before the diaspora. This place is one of great sorrow, as it was the place where Jews killed themselves rather than be captured. We walked around and learned about how the fortress operated.

After Masada, we went to the Dead Sea and relaxed on the beach. The Dead Sea has a larger salt content than any other body of water in the world, so much that you are able to float on the water with ease. But sadly, the floating around came to an end, and we all came back to Tel Aviv to see our buddies.

The day that followed was one that will stay with everyone in the Lady Davis group, as the Israelis and Americans went to Pitchon Lev and packed bags of food for the hungry and needy. We were very efficient in packing the bags but also had a lot of fun. Sadly, we had to leave and go to another interesting place called Kfar Habad. In Kfar Habad, we got an introduction to their culture, met people from their village, and went to the matzah factory. But our day wasn’t done just yet: we all had to go back to Lady Davis High School and watch the movie Strangers No More. The film is about a school in South Tel Aviv that is home to students from dozens of different countries and their integration into an Israeli social and educational environment.

Next, the Lady Davis Americans and Israelis had a guided tour of Jaffa, one of the oldest cities on earth. We got to walk around the old city and experience Jaffa’s history and food. Soon we all had to leave Jaffa and go to South Tel Aviv, a low income neighborhood that is home to large amounts of Eritrean and Sudanese refugees. We walked with a tour guide who gave us the history of the area, information about the people living there, and a new understanding about the situation of these people.

The next day was packed full of fun, as we had our final reflections and then a majority of Lady Davis students went paintballing. The Americans represented de Toledo well, winning two out three rounds.

On March 18, we reached the final day of the SIEP experience. All the students at Lady Davis had a free day, then went to an Israeli’s house for a party. We had great food, good times, and a final chance to embrace the friends that we’d all made.

If possible, we would  all stay in Israel forever, but we sadly could not. Everyone in Lady Davis gathered in front of the school to say their final goodbyes and board the bus that would take us to Ben Gurion airport. There were tears and epiphanies of just how impactful this trip was.

After getting hit across the head with the realization that this was over, everyone boarded the bus and went to the airport. Luckily (or unluckily) for us, we were very timely, arriving at the airport at 12:30, approximately 6 hours before the flight even boarded (!). After waiting all night in the airport to board, we got on and took off.

We left the place that we will all hold dear for the rest of their lives.