Elisheva's Batmitzvah trip

Tisha B'Av and Yad Eliezer

2010-07-22T01:53:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was Tisha B'av. It was my second real fast. I thought it was going to be really bad because it is summer in Israel and that I would be hot and thirsty. It wasn't so bad and I made it all the way to the end. After we broke the fast went around to my Grandmas friends house who live aaaround the corner. he used to teach at the school. their names are Yaacov and Liora Levy. They laeft perth before I was born.

Today we volunteered at Yad Eliezer. A place that helps feed lots of Israeli families that dont have enough money to buy food. http://www.yadeliezer.org/ I realised how lucky I am that I always have food in the cupboard. We sorted food that people had donated into different boxes. Some were cans (Iloved throwing them into the big box) some were pasta, rice, tomato sauce, sugar, flour, tinned tuna and anything else. The mayonnaise was the worst. nearly everytime it had squished through the lid and it was really yucky to pick up. The things like that or packets that were open had to go into a different box. It was really hard to get the last few things out of the crates as they were so big and we were laughing as we were trying toreach the last few things, I nearly fell in!!!!

After that we went and hired a car until we leave. Mum had to get a GPS. She was really scared driving on the other side. we made it back to our cousins house safely!!!!

Kever Rachel

2010-07-20T03:54:00.000+08:00

On Sunday afternoon we went to Kever Rachel. I cant believe that I went to the actual place where Rachel is buried!!

Absoption centre kindergarden with Ethiopian children

2010-07-20T03:41:00.000+08:00

On Sunday morning we went to an absorption centre ( Merkaz Clita in Hebrew) in a place called mevasseret tsyon. We joined in with the activities with the children, 4 and 5 year olds, on their summer camp (kaitana in Hebrew). They were very cute. We joined with morning songs and morning tea, then we helped with the activities they had to do like colouring in, building blocks, computer time (they didnt really know how to use them because they dont have computers at home). We then played outside in the playground. I played elastics with lots of girls. They all kept calling me to play with them. I had lots of fun. Then they gave me a book of drawings they had done as a present for my batmitzvah. They sung happy birthday in hebrew and in their own Ethiopian language. They all had Ethiopian names that I couldnt say.

Shabbat at the berinsons was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-20T02:45:00.000+08:00

Shabbat at the Berinsons was awesome!!! Shabbat night I went to shule with Safra and Sara. The food was great .For shabbat lunch one of Sara's friends and her family came over for shabbat lunch. After shabbat lunch we went to Sara's friends house.We had lots of fun.

Packing Food Baskets for victims of Terror

2010-07-19T17:17:00.000+08:00

We packed baskets for victims of terror. http://terror-victims.org.il/ We had to put pears in bags, some people put cucumbers, onions , carrots and other fruit and vegetables. Then we had to put all the different vegetables in separate piles.The girl in charge was a victim of terror herself. There were hundreds of baskets. People then came to deliver them to other families all over Israel for Shabbat. You can see lots of the baskets behind me along the footpath in the photo

Time With The Army!!

2010-07-15T02:41:00.001+08:00

Yesterday Merav Rose, Sara and Safra Berinson, Mum and I went to the Gaza border with an organisation called standing together. http://www.stogether.org/ We gave the soldiers icecreams, stickers and soft drinks. We went to 2 army bases and some of the soldiers were just finishing their patrols in Gaza when they saw us with our ice cream van. They were REALLY happy that we were there with ice cream for them. We also stopped anywere on the way where we saw any soldiers at checkpoints or just on the side of the road and stopped the van and gave them some ice cream and drinks too. At first they didnt know what was happening but when they read the sticker and we explained who we were they understood and happily ate the ice creams.

Leket - gleaning the fields

2010-07-12T04:01:00.000+08:00

It is a mitzvah in the land of israel to leave the corners of your fields to poor people. So today we did exactly that. We went to a field and picked lots of tomatoes that will go to people who cant afford to buy food. we went with an organisation called leket http://www.leket.org/english/ . Lots of the other volunteers there were Americans, we were the only Australians. we filled 4 crates in an hour and a half. some of them were really squishy and yukky, but we left them in the field. Our hands got really dirty, but we had fun. They gave us tshirts afterwards. It was really really hot and we were so sweaty after. After that we met Ariela's mum because she lives nearby to where we were picking. We had lunch with her. Then we went around Rehovot. My great grandmother's family set up the town and we found an arcade named after my family the Charlap family

My dirty hands after harvesting tomatoes

The Charlap arcade we found in Rehovot

End of the first week

2010-07-09T19:24:00.000+08:00

This morning I learnt with Moria about leket, the harvesting of the fields because on sunday we are going to glean the fields. It is a mitzva you can only do in Israel.

After learning we went to the Prime Minister's house where Gilad Shalit's family marched to yesterday and are camping there. I spoke to his mother there (see photo) There were so many people there. They had tshirts, stickers and bright yellow ribbons that they were handing out. Some people on the side of the street where his mother was, want the Prime Minister to swap him for any amount of palestinian prisoners. The people on the other side of the street also want him to be released but they think that the number of prisoners is too many. Both sides of the street want him to be released but in different ways.

me with Aviva (Gilad Shalit's mum)

2010-07-09T19:13:00.000+08:00

Me with Moria, Estie's friend that I am learning with everyday

2010-07-09T19:08:00.001+08:00

Me outside Meir Panim soup kitchen where we served over 200 meals

The Beginning of the learning journey!!!

2010-07-08T04:21:00.001+08:00

me at the Kotel!!

We arrived in Israel safely. We travelled 28 hours, one of the flights my mum was going mad because this amercan next to my mum on the plane was chewing gum like a horse even when my mum put her earphones on she could still hear the man. On of the flight we were on the new plane it had touch TV screens!! how awesome , It even had a video of the flight we watched it when we were landing!One of the meals on the plane was disgusting, the eggs were not cooked properly!!!!! So i did not eat anything on that flight. Every other kosher meal was really good. I sleeped on the plane for a little bit.The Berinsons ( Sara and Rachel) picked us up. We stayed at the berinsons for one night and one day. Later in the morning we went to family were we will be staying for most of our trip.
That day we went to the kotel and davened mincha, both of us kissed the wall i also wrote a note and posted another. We gave tzadakah and it was so so hot i wet my face with water then left. We walked and was very very very hot!Mum and i forgot our hats so i had to buy one that day. We toook a bus to the kotel. Where we are staying is close to a bus stop.

Today we we went on a bus again to go to learning, because we were going to do some chesed our teacher. brought a book about chesed and we earnt how it is much better to do chesed with your heart, We are learning with Moriah she is a friend of Esties and she gave me a big chocolate. After learning we went to do some chesed. We went to a soup kitchen called Meir panim. We gave food to people who can not afford or are homeless. We gave out over 240 meals. There was no food left at the end and still more people were coming. I had to take the food on a tray to the people when they came in. I also cleared the tables, gave them more food if they wanted, filled water jugs. My mum served the soup. There were two other girls there my age. At the end we had to clean the floor. They threw water all over the floor and we had to sweep it out with a gummie plastic thing. I couldnt do it at first and my shoes got all wet. Luckily I was wearing crocs. After serving all of this food we were really hungry so we went to Burgers Bar. The best burgers!!!!
Later we saw Mums friends Simone, Nick and their baby Meira and then the lewises came to see us. Tomorrow we will go to Neve Daniel to see them in the afternoon.
I will try and put some photos up soon.

Toodles for now

Elisheva xoxoxo

About to Leave

2010-07-03T23:26:00.001+08:00

Not long to go now. We are nearly packed and we leave Sunday afternoon. Check back in later in the week when we will have arrived in Israel.