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Dear Michlelet NCSY Parents, amu”sh
Another spectacular week on Michlelet has gone by. What a high of a week it was, as is classic of all our time here on Michlelet! It has been filled with such meaning, purpose and thrill!
It is with conflicted feelings that I write you this last weekly update, before our sixth Shabbos, here at Michlelet NCSY 2014. On the one hand, it is so sad that it is ending. They are such a fantastic group of girls with so much positivity and enthusiasm. I am honestly absolutely blown away by them!! I have enjoyed the girls so much this summer. On the other hand, it is so nice to look back and see how much we have accomplished this summer. We have shared so many magnificent memories and important experiences.
What a special week this last week has been!
Shabbos in Tzfat was so so beautiful. There is nothing like the spirituality and the feeling in Tzfat! We had a delightful Shabbos, filled with singing, thought provoking programs, shiurim and wonderful bonding. On Shabbos afternoon, we went on a fantastic tour of the old city of Tzfat and we really got to appreciate and marvel at the city’s beauty and rich past. As Shabbos ended, the singing we had at the end of Se’udah Shlishit was just superb and we did not want Shabbos to end! At our meals, we heard fantastic Divrei Torah from Yonina Fireman, Orit Reiter and Miri Fried.
On Motzei Shabbos, we had an exciting boat ride on the Kineret with unified and rocking dancing!!
Sunday, the girls had the thrilling opportunity to rappel! One group rappelled off of a bridge into water while the other rappelled off of a high mountain! So many girls, who were a little apprehensive at first, together with the incredible encouragement of madrichot and their friends, ended up doing it and felt so accomplished and good about themselves afterwards.
After a delicious shwarma lunch, we got to go on a jeeping tour! After jeeping, our Shana Bet went to a rope park where they went zip lining and more. The girls had an exhilarating, action packed day!!
We got back for dinner after having had an amazing three days up North. It has been so special getting to see all the different parts of Eretz Yisrael, having so much fun and getting attached to our homeland.
The Michlelet NCSYers enjoyed another phenomenal day on Monday of stimulating, intriguing learning with teachers and madrichot and pleasurable activities on our Reishit Campus. It is so nice to watch how much they enjoy their learning and being with each other on campus! In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to hear from Dr. David Luchins, Dean of Touro Manhattan, about current events. It was a zchus to have him and his wife, Mrs. Vivianne Luchins, chair of NCSY Summer Programs, both long time friends of NCSY. In the evening, we had the privilege of hearing from Mrs. Sara Leah Haber, one of our afternoon teachers, and teacher at Tiferet Seminary. Mrs. Haber spoke to us about what it’s like to raise a child with autism. She spoke of its joys and challenges and about appreciating what we have. Her speech was exceptional and the girls were choked up as she ended. When she finished, we had a bonfire, where the girls built their own fire, made smores, sang, told scary stories and just had another Michlelet bonding experience.
Tuesday was our last tiyul day! Another opportunity to appreciate our magnificent land! We started off at Masadah, where we took cable cars and climbed to the top. There, we got a great tour and were able to see the breathtaking, magnificent view. While shana alef was at Masadh, the shana betters went zip lining. Following that, we all met up at Ein Gedi, where we hiked Ein Gedi, through the water and all, and the girls got to go in the refreshing waterfalls there, splashing, singing and cheering. It was an absolute blast! There is nothing like hiking and splashing in the waters of Eretz Yisrael!
In the evening, we had the privilege of hearing from Rabbi Avi Schneider, Rebbe at Yeshivat Torat Shraga, who spoke of the potential each girl has, and how much they can and will accomplish! Then, we headed to our auditorium for our stupendous TALENT SHOW!!! The girls and the acts were incredible. Laughter, positive energy and good spirit filled the air. We had such a great time!!!
Wednesday, was such a busy, hectic, invigorating day! We had great morning and afternoon learning and the girls took shifts preparing for our wedding. They worked so incredibly hard but felt so good! The wedding was magnificent!!!! All their hard work paid off! The kallah was simply glowing!! She never dreamt the wedding would be so beautiful, elegant and upper class. They couldn’t get over the devotion and amount of effort the Michlelet NCSYer’s had put in, and how gorgeous and beyond possible expectations the wedding turned out. The girls literally did everything- set the tables, stunning center pieces, decorated an exquisite chuppah, set up buffets, made a picturesque kallah chair, set up smorgasbords, served, helped in the kitchen, waitressed, made the shtick, danced and so much more. They put in so much effort for someone they only met once at the bridal shower we had made a few weeks ago, and were so proud of the results. This was a true display of Ahavat Yisrael!
The next morning, I got a phone call from her principal at the Baalat Teshuva Seminary where the kallah learned. She said that she had just got her third(!!) call from a friend or relative of the kallah who are not yet religious, who wanted to learn more about Judaism. They said that after watching the girls at the wedding, and how they danced with such enthusiasm and love, they wanted to know more about Judaism. To quote, they said “if this is what religious girls are like, I want to learn more about it!” I was so proud of our girls yet again!
To see our video of the wedding, please press the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wom8bNpKo_A&feature=youtu.be
Thursday morning, we woke up with the thought “Oh my goodness! We actually made a wedding last night!” echoing in our minds. This couple entered into building a home in Klal Yisrael with the most beautiful wedding because of our girls!
Thursday was our last day of classes and shiurim. The girls had their last shiurim with their exceptional and devoted teachers! So many remarked that they never realized they would appreciate and enjoy learning so much!
After an extraordinary day, everyone got dressed up and we went to our banquet!! It was so hard to believe that we were already there! The summer has truly flown by. Banquet was incredible!!! Ayelet Shechter, Shira Levy, Janelle Balk and Racheli Treitel spoke about their reflections on the summer and how much we have all gained. Their speeches were so moving! We saw a great dance, put on by our girls, headed by our madrichot, Loni Stahler and Tova Haft, heard a beautiful song about our summer, written by our very own Michlelet NCSYers, saw a great recap video of our summer put together by madricha Miriam Khukhashvili, and heard a touching choir put on by our madrichot. We also were honored to have Mr. David Cutler, Director of NCSY Summer Programs and his wife, Marilyn, come join us for our banquet. Everyone got to express their appreciation for all he does. It was really a fantastic night where we reflected on our phenomenal summer and how far we have come and how much we accomplished.
This morning, we went to the Ge’ulah Me’ah Sh’arim area for our last Friday there.
Although there is sadness in the air that Michlelet 2014 is soon coming to an end, everyone is so excited about our last Shabbos here. There is really nothing like Shabbos on Michlelet and we are all so excited to experience it again.
Please feel free to be in touch about any feedback/questions you may have!
Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Rivka Yudin
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