Photos by De bbie H il l

mrpy, wow pi;

fir:D.'Fi

Teen Mission participants
get a feel for Israel.

Teens welcome Shabbat during the Kabbalat service on the southern steps in Jerusalem's

Sierra Onickel
Teen Mission Writer

M

y first week in Israel has been

utterly fantastic. I knew a few
things about Federation's Teen
Mission to Israel from my brother, who
went in 2006, but it is still so surprising.
The country is amazing and Jerusalem
is a beautiful city. In the first week,
we have already done so much that I
don't know what else we can do. Haas
Promenade, the Old City, the Western Wall,
archeological digs, Machane Yehuda and a
drum circle are but a few of the things we
have seen and done. In the midst of that
there have been numerous amounts of
mixers and team-building activities.
My favorite thing so far, though, has
been the food. Sure the shawarma at
home is good, but it doesn't compare to
the shawarma here. Mystery meat stuffed

into pita with hummus, vegetables, tahini,
garlic mayo and chips (fries) — how can
you go wrong?
Still, my bus might be better than the
food. The counselors are great; our guide
is hilarious; and everyone gets along. We
party on the bus, tell jokes and jam to
Israeli music. It's only been a week, but I
feel like I've been here forever.
On Bus Ramon heading to the Negev, I
can only imagine what's in store for us! ❑
Sierra Onickel, 16, lives in Ferndale. The JN
is a Teen Mission co-sponsor.

Matthew Sternberg, 16, of Bloomfield Hills, and Sam

Sklar, 15, of West Bloomfield arrive at Ben-Gurion
International Airport, near Tel Aviv.

48

July 15 ' 2010

JN

For more photos and
the Teen Mission
blog, log on to www.
jewishdetroit.org .

Sierra Onickel,

16, of Ferndale on

the ridge of the
Mitzpe Ramon
crater after

rappelling in the
Negev.

Jake Seigle, 16, of West Bloomfield

Taylor Jasgur, 16, of Walled Lake holds a

walks on the rampart walls of the Old
City of Jerusalem.

pottery bowl that she found at the Belt
Guvrin archaeological site.

Melissa Weiss feeds Sydney Garfinkel, both 15 and
of West Bloomfield, a pickle from her falafel in
Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter.

Zachary Neistein, 16, of West Bloomfield and Rudy
Schreier, 16, of Beverly Hills hold a fish at Machane
Yehuda market in Jerusalem.