ISTer Blog Post:
"Since the beginning of this trip, I feel like I've been surrounded predominantly by American tourists either on Birthright or a BBYO trip rather than actual Israelis. This past weekend that all changed when I stayed in the Midrasha in S'de Boker with a host family I have known for 2 years. I was lucky enough to spend a Kabbalat Shabbat and potluck dinner with some of the local families and it was exciting and interesting to be a part of such a tight knit community in the middle of the Negev. I met a lot of the local Israeli kids, two of which I later found out I actually had gone to camp with. I got a chance to swap stories with them about their lives here and expand my Israeli cultural knowledge a little bit more. This past weekend was definitely my favorite Shabbat weekend and I'm definitely planning on returning to this place in the near future" - Zoe Gottlieb
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"Gadna was one of the best weeks of my life. It taught me so much like how to be a team and how to help each other out. We got to look at Israel from the army's eyes and saw the patriotism in it and the dedication that everyone has to the IDF. Also, we shot an M16!" - Uri Cohen
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"3,000 kids saved since 1996.
Coming from Tel Aviv's crazy shopping we arrived at a gate. Not just any gate. This gate has children on the other side and not Israelis either. All across the world children have entered this gate to get treatment for deadly heart diseases. The Save A Child's Heart foundation is where they all end up in Tel Aviv. A beautiful foundation, non-profit, and aimed towards kids that cannot have this surgery performed in their own country. After we listened to the volunteer about the organization we got to see the 13 beautiful children and 2 teens. All had been saved. Ethiopian, Chinese, Syrian, Russian...all kids saved by Israeli doctors who save these kids everyday Seeing them share, laugh & play with each other made me smile and be thankful that there is a such a foundation as Save A Childs Heart or I wouldn't have been able to meet the 13 miracles that I did today" - Madi Esses
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"'Not by Bread Alone was like no show I've ever seen before. And trust me, I've seen a lot of shows.
This was mainly because all of the actors were deal and blind but also for reasons not stated in the subtitle of the show. This show, unlike other shows, not only told a story, but also showed us into a different way of living, the life of someone who is deaf & blind. The actors talked about what it's like to be in a conversation and feel utterly isolated. One of the actors who was also a grandmother told us the pain she felt when she held her grandson for the first time and realized that she'd never get to see his face.
However, despite the fact that the premise of the show seems depressing at times, it's really a celebration of living life. One actor told us about a time when he was hanging out with his friends on a curb and about how independent and native he felt. The entire show was choreographed down to the foot steps and was performed with minimal assistance from the stage crew, a testimonial to the fact that they can live relatively normal lives today.
During the entire show, the actors baked bread on stage; They were kneeding the dough as we were seated, then put it in the ovens during the halfway point of the show and we all ate the bread with the actors at the end. This alluded to the fact that they can not live on bread alone. Despite the fact that they were both deaf & blind, they can (and should) live full, normal lives. All in all, it was one of the most interesting and awesomely disorienting experiences we're had so far. It really made us grateful of the fact that we can live normal lives so easily." - Daniel Kushner
"So many people have trouble appreciating the power of the arts. A poem is just words. Theatre is just acting. Music is just noise. But I cannot imagine anything that contradicts those sentiments more that the play IST watched tonight at the Na'lagaat Theatre.
The play was performed solely by actors who are blind and/or deaf. There were sad moments - descriptions of their darkness and silence they experience everyday but what really hit me were the happy ones. Throughout the entire performance, it was clear just how much joy these people experienced by participating in theatre.
Acting gave these people more than just a hobby. This theatre created a community for those who often have none, and a source of happiness and beauty that doesn't need to be seen or heard." - Sarah Keller
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"As the last week of my IST experience approaches, I have come to realize that while this chapter of my IST life will end, it's STILL only the beginning of my IST story. The friendships I have made on this trip will last a lifetime. I plan on keeping in touch with everyone on this trip. I'll definitely hang out with my closest friends. I can honestly say that the guys on this trip have truly made it special. I am friends with all the guys, and as a group we have become really close. We don't have any drama all of us are friends. The people have definitely made this trip not just any regular trip to Israel. I'll definitely miss everyone after this week ends. That's why I'll spend as much time as possible with everyone this last week to make this trip even better. Thanks mom and dad for sending me to Israel!" - Adam Butterman
