I finally went to the Sachne for the first time this week, and it is more beautiful than I ever would have imagined. The water is blue and deep and the same temperature all week long, and lined with palms and flowering trees that bend low to touch the water. There are waterfalls all along the spring with a ledge built so that you can sit and feel the water crash on your shoulders, huge boulders to jump off of, and caves and shallow pools where kids can play. During the holidays, families come armed with grills and picnic baskets and eat, swim, and relax in the sunlight. My roommates and I went with the Levi's, Sarah's host family, and it was one of my favorite days so far in Israel. We ate a veritable feast, dove into the water with the kids, and then lounged in the sun.

Gila and Dudu, the family that took us to the Sachne, has adopted me, and they are the sweetest people I have ever met. Sarah and I have spent a lot of time at their family meals during the holidays. Gila teaches us to cook, and we help her prepare her cookies to sell at the market. We play with the kids, and they teach us games and hebrew words. Dudu tells us all about the history of Beit She'an, and we visit his shoe store and buy the things we need there. The extended family is welcoming, kind, and so warm. A few days ago they showed up at our house with all the makings for fricasses, a delicious sandwich with egg, potato and olive on fried bread. They stayed to see our house and talk with us, and we sang songs and played the guitar together. I love Israeli hospitality.

Yesterday I went to Haifa for the first time, and it is such a beautiful city. The entire city is built on a hill that rolls upwards from the ocean, so from the top you can see the whole city stretching towards blue in every direction. I met up with Rabbi Edgar, a progressive rabbi and friend of my rabbi and family friend, Michael. He and his wife were so kind and hospitable. He grew up in Argentina, she in the states, and they met in Israel, where they decided to settle and live their lives as a rabbi and school psychologist. Both sets of parents now live in Haifa as well. They gave me and one of my roommates an amazing tour of the city. We went to the Bahai gardens, the german colony, and a nursing home for holocaust survivors, and met a progressive Imam, to list a few highlights. My favorite part though, was when made a visit to another nursing home. Edgar brought a guitar, as well as a lulav and etrog, and we sang songs and he talked about the meaning of Sukkot. I think that the residents really appreciated us coming, and I loved that even on my short journey I was able to participate in such a mitzvah. At the end of the day he dropped us off at the beach, where we chased waves and stuck our toes in the sand. On the way back to the bus, we happened upon a film festival! We bought a ticket for whatever was open, which happened to be a silly movie about vampires, and went. It was a lot of fun.

Today Sarah and I woke up early to go for a sunrise run, and then came back and made couscous for lunch. We made it with chickpeas and tomatoes and pumpkin and dates, and it's probably the best couscous I have ever made. Tonight we will join the Levi's for a Simchah Torah meal, and I will probably spend a lot of time eating delicious food and jumping on the trampoline with the kids. I am looking forward to it.