First Weekend in Haifa

Shavua Tov! Its good to be here in Haifa and I have already been able to connect with some of the Leo Baeck graduates who have visited Santa Barbara in the past and some that will come in the future. Today I went on a hike with my host Itay and his friend Daniel, both of whom will be coming to Santa Barbara next week to work at Camp Haverim. It was very fun to meet them, especially knowing that in a few weeks time we will be seeing each other on the other side of the world. We hiked down to the beach in Haifa and had some Ice Cream while watching the surf. Haifa is a beautiful city, much like Santa Barbara with the mountains and the ocean just a few miles apart. Then, this afternoon I had coffee with Yoni Khalatnik. He and I talked for a long time, covering just about every geopolitical issue we could think of. He is extremely smart and knowledgable and it was very interesting to gain his perspective on a variety of topics, including the current situation in Gaza. Yoni, who visited CBB in 2012 and 2013, is currently serving in the IDF and hopes to soon enter into an intensive 7 year medical program. Tonight, I was fortunate enough to have dinner with Ben Ben Ami, another past CBB visitor who I had not seen in two years. Ben gave another very interesting and very different perspective on a multitude of topics. He is currently in a Naval program that will end in him becoming the commander of a ship in the Israeli Navy. It was great to reconnect with Ben and meet also meet his girlfriend, who is in an extremely competitive pilot program with the Israeli Air Force. Over the course of my day I really enjoyed hearing very different political views from equally intelligent and driven people. I begin working tomorrow morning and look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you!

Me with Ben Ben Ami