High-jumpTig Jonathan Weiss,
17,
17, of
ftear
Congregation Beth Israel in Flint and
Katie Hess, 17, of Temple. Israel in'West

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Bloomfield,right of him, are among a group
running dawn the Kasui Sand Dunes. :

In The Beginning

Federation's Teen Mission energy spurs meaningful adventures.

Stephanie Steinberg
T2T Intern

T

Alex Fedder, 15, holds up a piece of pottery he found while digging at Dig for a Day at Beit Guvrin.
Leah Sternberg, 16, and Taylor Chaness, 17, share in the excitement. All attend Temple Israel.

A16

July 17 • 2008

iN

he 106 teens on Federation's Teen Mission 2008 (TMO8) to Israel
had a busy first week in the Jewish homeland. After enjoying a
relaxing Shabbat at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel in Jerusalem, the teens
started on an eventful itinerary.
So far, teens on the three buses representing 11 Reform and
Conservative congregations in Metro Detroit were immersed in Israeli
culture as they began the first week with a walk along walls of the Old City
and a tour of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem. Then the teens traveled back
in time as they went on an archaeological dig at Beit Guvrin National Park
and crawled on their hands and knees while cave spelunking.
Other adventures included a water springs hike at Sataf, a hike in Ein
Avdat Canyon and a visit to Ben-Gurion's desert home and tomb. The
buses also stopped at an alpaca farm, where everyone was careful to keep
their distance from the spitting animals. Yet the jam-packed schedule
allowed for a bit of free time in which the teens had fun roaming Ben
Yehuda Street in Jerusalem.
TMO8 participants stayed at Kibbutz Yahel in Eilat while welcoming
in their second Shabbat. The stay was replete with a tour of the kibbutz's
pomelo orchards, swimming in the Red Sea and Israeli folk dancing. As the
teens bond with each other, they also are forming close friendships with
the 14 Israeli teens traveling with them on the trip. Ili
To view more photos from Teen Mission, go to JNt2t.com or
jewishdetroitorg/TM08.