Shabbat in the Beit Shean Hostel
This past Shabbat in our Beit Shean hostel was amazing.
After a beautiful Kabbalah Shabbat full of carlebach tunes, all of the guests in the hostel sat down together for the Friday night meal. When we finished the delicious dinner the whole dining room sounded with Shabbat shirim.
To entertain ourselves for the rest of the night, we played a game of cards. Israeli kids joined us and we became fast friends.
During Shabbat afternoon we played basketball with these Israeli teens and swam in the hostel’s pool. When Shabbat ended we had a long havdala full of song with the rest of the guests. We soon had to say goodbye to our foreign friends since they had school the next day.
Although we were more than ready for bed, our night had not reached an end!
Rabbi Sabo was able to book the famous lightshow in Beit Shean which showcases the city’s history from King Shaul until the Romans. We saw the cursed and barren Mount Gilboa that Shaul died on, and walked in the ancient and original Roman main shopping street—complete with broken and carved columns.
Tired, we returned to our hostel to sleep before another busy day. On Sunday we woke up to our nearly empty hostel. We drove from Beit Shean to the city of Akko, which geographically is driving across Israel from East to West.
In Akko we met with Akiba’s sister school, the Eshkol school. We learned about the week’s Parsha, and then played a competitive game of basketball with them. Luckily, I was forced to practice my Hebrew since most of the students didn’t speak English. After meeting with the kids we headed out to the old city of Akko for a tour/scavenger hunt. There we enjoyed beautiful views of the Mediterranean, and walked through the market.
Already tired, we drove to the neighboring city, Nahariyah and ate lunch. Next, we headed to Rosh Hanikra which is almost touching Israel’s border with Lebanon. Tunnels in giant rocks were excavated in Rosh Hanikra with great viewpoints of the beautiful blue ocean.
As we walked slowly through the slippery tunnels, we could hear the water thundering as it pounded against the rocky walls.
With time to spare before dinner we decided to head down to beach below us. Since this trip to the beach wasn’t on our itinerary, we hadn’t packed swim clothes. We just jumped into the waves, swam around, and walked through the sand in our everyday clothes.
Here are some photos from the weekend:
