Maya Kagan's take on Hiking, the Bedouin community, Yerucham and more!

On our way up the Makhtesh HaGadol

Hello Adas families! I am writing this post from the bus to Jerusalem from the Dead Sea since yesterday was such a packed, exhausting yet incredible day. We started off the day by picking up our belongings from the kibbutz which we stayed in for the last two nights. Our first stop of the day was Makhtesh Hagadol where we did an extremely difficult but totally worthwhile hike to the top. The path was not so well-paved and there was at a huge incline that made the way up quite challenging! However, when we reached the peak there was a spectacular 360-degree view of the desert with mountain folding on top of mountain. There, we held our daily tfila (prayer) from the top, which was a pretty cool site. We then made our way down, but this walk was a lot more leisurely than the way up.  We were given a chance to find our own individual spots in the desert and write a short reflection in our notebooks on the past days of the trip and thoughts the desert brought to us. The view was like nothing I had seen before, so the experience as a whole was pretty amazing. 

Salima and our guide, Ilan

We made our way back to the bus and headed to the town of Yerucham, where we were graciously  welcomed into the home of Leah, a local resident. Leah partners with a local organization, "Future in the Desert," and hosts groups from all over the world to meet her and learn about life in the small development town on the peripheria (the periphery of Israel). We all enjoyed hearing her family and personal stories and were eager to ask many questions. Just a short ride from Leah, we arrived at an unrecognized Bedouin village where we were given the opportunity to meet and listen to firsthand from Salima, a Bedouin woman. Salima taught us much about what Bedouin life is like today and the challenges it faces. She shared various stories, beliefs and traditions from her life and community as well as her hopes for the future of community as a whole. We all left with a new outlook on the Bedouin culture. 

Miriam and Maya riding a camel! 

After learning about the real authentic Bedouin life we went to our own Bedouin tent experience. There, in pairs, we got on to camels and were given a short and relaxing ride through the desert. As the sun set the stars above became something quite amazing to look at throughout the night. We wrapped our long day by making our way as a group to the desert where we were each given a silent time of reflection/mediation and share our own spiritual thoughts and prayers with one another. The mediation gave us each a chance to take a physical and emotional breath from the busy past few days and to come together as a group. 

Maya Kagan 
Bus
Highway 90
Dead Sea, Israel