Elul Days and Tiyul

The end of break went by pretty fast and it was really nice to just relax and hang out in Jerusalem for a few days. The break ended with Shabbat dinner at the Regev's followed by a celebration for Allie's 24th birthday. It was all lots of fun despite the fact that I had to battle stomach flu.
Fall semester began on Sunday. Sunday and Monday were Elul days (Sunday-Rosh Hashanah, Monday-Yom Kippur). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the Rosh Hashanah Elul day, as I was still quite sick. The Yom Kippur Elul Day was very interesting. We discussed the difference between what Yom Kippur means to Americans versus what it represents for Israeli's. For many Israeli's, the Yom Kippur war and the 6-day war are big components of the Yom Kippur Holiday. For many Americans, getting all dressed up and going to synagogue to repent for our sins is our connection to the Holiday. I am looking forward to my first High Holiday experience in Israel and will be sure to blog about it in the coming weeks.
Tuesday we headed up North to the Golan Heights and the Galilee for our first Israel Seminar Tiyul. For three days we traveled to many different sites studying the theme of the tiyul "In Search of the New Jew". I love learning about Israel while in Israel. Some of the places we visited were: Zichron Yacov, Tel Hai, Metulla (Israel's most northern town on the border of Lebanon, Tel Dan, and the Kinneret Cemetery. Throughout these amazing three days, we had a chance to get to know some of our professors who not only offered their admirable amount of scholarly knowledge, but also enriched our experiences through their own personal stories and experiences. I was pleasantly surprised that I had never been to most of these locations. In fact the only two places I had previously been were Zichron Yacov and the hostel that we stayed at!
Tonight Hannah and Rachel Levin are hosting a "Girls Shabbat" which should be very fun. Tomorrow, a few friends are coming over for a little guitar learning session. I've been practicing lots, but it definitely takes time. Tomorrow night, Naama Kelman, the dean of students, invited several HUC students to her home for Havdallah. Followed by Havdallah we will head to Slichot services. I think I am going to the Great Synagogue for Slichot. Sunday is our first real day of class and actually our only full week of class until the second week of October because of the Holidays.
Speaking of the Holidays, I finally made plans for Sukkot break. I am traveling with three other girls to London, Dublin, Paris, and Scotland! I am so excited; it should be a great time!

I'm still a little tired from the tiyul, but I will try to update again later next week.

Shabbat Shalom!