July 22 - A great introduction to Eilat-Eilot

Date: July 22nd, 2015

By: Benji McLean


Following an excellent evening with our host families, we started the first day of community week with a bang. The Eilonto fellows went to the Camel Ranch in Eilat, where we enjoyed some delicious pita (made on a fire in front of us) with labane. We then experienced riding a camel on a beautiful path surrounded by hills. We proceeded to the Eilat museum where we learned the history of Eilat. Personally, I found the story of the ink flag very interesting (the Ink Flag was a handmade Israeli Flag that was raised when Eilat was captured during the War of Independence). We learned about famous Eilatis and important occurrences in Eilat. The fellows capped off the activity by watching a short documentary regarding Israel's Navy Seals. This film depicted a dangerous mission, in which the elite unit seized an Iranian boat filled with weapons that was destined for Gaza. We continued the action packed first day with a program regarding Jewish values in relation to being a guest and a host. We read through the story of Rabbi Yannai in groups. 

making homemade Labne on open pit

camel ride!

From here, we went to Yotvata. We learned about how the kibbutz was founded and went on a bus tour, stopping at key sites within the kibbutz. As we drove by, we saw the Jordanian border which was represented by two doves, each with one country's flag. We looked at the variety of crops that are grown in Yotvata and we tasted juicy dates that were picked at the trees that we had just looked at. We discussed kibbutz life with our guide and learned many interesting facts about the life of a kibbutznik. We then went to the inn at Yotvata where each fellow selected ice cream from a mouthwatering array of flavours. We came back to Eilat and I enjoyed an amazing dinner with my host family. We finished the day with a lovely walk in Eilat. This was truly an awesome introduction to Eilat!