ISRAEL
Rampants Travel to IsraelBY EMILY HARVEY ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
The Wailing Wall, Dead Sea and Golan Heights are said to be the “hot spots” of Israel. Whether you visited in the past, know of family there or just want to go, it remains at the top of the list for some Rose students.
“While we were there [in Israel] we went to some of the hot spots,” senior Daniel Barondes said. “We went to the western wall, you get to put your little notes in the cracks.” Barondes said they had a private tour guide so the trip could have been a little more exciting but he definitely learned a lot. Not only did he get to put his own letter in the Wailing Wall but Barondes had the opportunity to visit the Dead Sea and even float in it. “We went to Golan Heights, which is up North near Syria,” Barondes said. “We went to the Dead Sea; it has a bunch of salt so you can literally float on top of the water.” Barondes said you could even take some salt home with you; sadly his chrystal broke about a year ago. He threw it away, but while it lasted he thought it was a great souvenir. Although Barondes will never forget all the sightseeing he did, meeting some of his relatives for the first time made the trip unforgettable and is the number one reason he is eager to return for a visit. “I got to meet my Jewish relatives, they’re cousins on my dad’s side; one of them is my third or fourth cousin and she’s 95,” Barondes said. “We got really close; it was a really special experience.” During Barondes’ 10 day trip in Israel he most vividly remembers a jeep ride to Golan Heights. “It goes pretty high up; it starts out in the jungle and then you go up and pass this really really old well,” Barondes said. “You could go swimming in this river and then we went up the mountain; you could see the entire valley below you.” Barondes is not the only one who got to float in the Dead Sea or swim in the waters of Israel. Junior Christian Rockermann was able to go experience Israel in January of 2011. “My grandma took me for my Christmas present that year,” Rockermann said. “It was also really cool to go swimming in the Dead Sea, you hop in and you just float.” Rockermann loved being able to see the true colors of Israel. “I really enjoyed getting to stay in Jerusalem for a week; it was cool to see the different culture,” Rockermann said. “We ate falafels, got to tour lots of places that are mentioned in the Bible, and I saw a lot of Jewish people.” Rockermann’s favorite biblical place he had the privilege of visiting was the path Jesus walked while being crucified, the Via Dolorosa. Rockermann wants to take his family one day to Israel, hopefully to have an experience as great as his own. “I would love to go back someday, probably once I have kids since it’s like a family tradition for everyone to take their kids there,” Rockermann said. Junior Michal Shlapentokh-Rothman has family in Israel and hopes she can go visit someday soon, especially the Wailing Wall. “Two of my dad’s aunts and uncles are there and I have second cousins there,” Shlapentokh-Rothman said. “I would like to see the Western Wall which I guess is what the non Jews call the Wailing Wall.” Shlapentokh-Rothman is convinced she will make her own journey before she graduates college. “I’m definitely going to make sure I go, either probably in college or maybe after my senior year of high school,” Shlapentokh-Rothman said. “I just want to go and be around everyone there.” Barondes, Rockermann and Shlapentokh-Rothman have ties through family and the awe of Israel’s wonders. “It was really interesting,” Barondes said. “I had never been there so it was definitely an interesting experience, that’s for sure.” HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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