Today we had the opportunity to visit the Hava & Adam: Eco-Educational Farm. Through the Eco-Israel program students "embrace permaculture and sustainable living through intensive, hands-on experience and course work." It is a 5 year program open to English speakers throughout the world ages 18-30. Funding for this and many other projects like it is available for Jewish students looking for pre-College gap-year and post-baccalaureate Israel experiences through the state of Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

The farm is located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in an outdoor setting. Students learn how to grow their own food and crops along with exploring holistic ecology, Judaism, and Israel blend together in a tight night community. It was really interesting to see this option of a gap year program because we got to see how versatile Israel truly is and how many different learning and service opportunities suffused with Jewish connection it can provide.

Some questions that emerged were:

Q: Why did you decide to do a gap year in Israel?

A: People choose to do gap years for many reasons. A common reason is because it is a chance to feel a closer connection to Judaism along with exploring yourself and a completely different culture than you're used to.

Q: Why did you decide to do the Eco-Israel program?

A: Many of the students visited the program on Taglit-Birthright

 and immediately felt a strong connection, so they joined the program to further their learning and self-exploration.

Q: How do you plan to use what you've learned through Eco-Israel later in life?

A: The student who led our group told us he does not plan to go into a profession with agriculture or ecology. He explained that he is able to depend on himself for food if needed and be more Eco-friendly with recycling and compost piles in response to the increasing threat of global warming.

Today we had the pleasure of visiting the "Suspicious Objects" exhibition located in the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem. The exhibit featured pieces constructed by students of the Holon Institute of Design, which also happened to be our Madricha, Hadar's, school! (Hadar was also a former shlicha in Cleveland 2006)It was a really cool and intriguing exhibit that featured different works that both were functional or served a purpose in one way, as well as connected to the city of Jerusalem.

One question that was raised today was what is the difference between art and design? They seem to go hand in hand though they have distinct qualities. Hadar explained to us that art is a way to express an idea or an emotion in any way, shape, or form, whereas design is when the idea that is trying to be conveyed is represented in a useful and purposeful way. In this sense design can help us to understand abstract ideas through a very unique approach.

But why Jerusalem one might ask? Why not Tel Aviv or Eilat or Beit Shean? Well, firstly, Jerusalem is considered the "belly button of the world" and is viewed as a holy city in many different cultures and religions. With such a historic background full of conflict, controversy and culture, there's a lot to explore and learn from its past, as well as what the city has become today.

Another intriguing aspect of the exhibit is the name itself. Why "suspicious objects"? Though some of the pieces did look quite curious and askance, the look of the designs were not the only reason the exhibition got its name. "חפצ חשוד". , The name in Hebrew, is a phrase often used in terrorist situations, such as when a typically harmless bag suddenly can change to become an object of skepticism when left unattended. "חפצ" means good (in respect to an object) where "חשוד" means shady (or sketchy).

This metaphor represents how a single object in one situation can be seen as good, but can be seen as something totally different under changed circumstances.

The whole exhibit featured some really cool and ingenious pieces that really opened my eyes to see things in ways I had never thought of before. I know for a fact that the rest of the group and I really enjoyed the experience of delving into how Israeli design can connect both the old and the new, politics and art.