Beach party

On Wednesday night the Overseas Department hosted an end-of-semester beach party. Most of the current Overseas students, myself included, will be returning home within the next couple of weeks. My friend Miriam and I skipped the opening volleyball tournament in favor of attending yoga class, but we got to the beach in plenty of time to enjoy falafels, s’mores (stuffed with pink kosher marshmallows), and a bonfire songfest.

Daytime temperatures have started to climb pretty high by Northeast standards (80s and 90s), but at night the weather becomes much more pleasant. I think I actually prefer the beach at night – the cigarette butts in the sand are less visible in the dark, and I can forget about slathering on layer after layer of sand-clinging sunblock. The Haifa shore is well-populated during the evening, with small restaurants and bars that open out onto the beach.

My friend Miriam finished her Birthright trip on Wednesday morning, and fortunately she was able to extend her stay in Israel until Monday. Birthright sounds like a neat experience – many of the Americans I have met in Israel this year first visited Israel as Birthright participants on a free 10-day trip. Jewish young adults, ages 18 to 26, who have not traveled to Israel before on a peer educational trip or study program are eligible. Amazingly enough, since its inception in the winter of 2000, the Birthright program has sponsored 100,000 participants.