Shalom TJJ Bus 5 Family,

As we closed in our final days together the fun didn’t end. We went biking in the Jerusalem hills on Friday morning and really got in a workout that we weren’t expecting. After four weeks of hiking mountains and trails we weren’t quite ready for biking the hills as much as we thought we would have been. We still had a lot of fun and got to see some incredible views through the trails. After biking we all came over to my house in Beit Shemesh for Challah Baking. The house and apartment building were filled with the sweet smell of Challah which we would eat over Shabbat. 

Our final Shabbat took place in the Jerusalem hills in a town called Beit Meir. Our Shabbat theme was focused on the Jewish Future and Jewish identity. We sang, laughed, and prayed together one last time looking over the breathtaking views of Israel. Saturday night was dedicated to chilling with one another, eating pizza, packing, and sleeping…well only a little bit of sleep 🙂

On Sunday we hit the streets of Jerusalem and did our last minute shopping at Machance Yehuda (Market Place,) and Ben Yehuda Street. Following we went to the Kotel one last time for our final sessions, personal time to pray, group picture, and a closing program. We then went to La Boca restaurant for a closing banquet which featured an end of the program video and slideshow, TJJer gifts, speeches about every single TJJer delivered by the staff, and speeches given by TJJers to express gratitude to their dedicated staff members. To close we sang one last time with Rabbi Jeremy on guitar and arm and arm we went to the bus to take us back to the airport where this journey began 4 weeks ago.

It is hard to believe that 4 weeks have gone by. It has been a summer filled with laughter, excitement, and new relationships. My staff and I have had such an incredible privilege working for the Midwest region and acting as role models and friends for your sons and daughters. This has been my 9th summer with NCSY Summer and it was a memorable one. Thank you so much for trusting your children with us for the summer and for allowing us to give them the summer of a lifetime. This summer your children connected to the Land of Israel, The Jewish Nation, and their Heritage like never before. They matured, gained a stronger sense of self identity, and became more committed and proud Jews. I have no doubt that they will all continue to grow and contribute to the Jewish People and the greater global community in the future.

Thank You and All The Best,

Michael Kahn (Rabbi Mike) 

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