Israeli Teens Travel Back in Time

Shortly before Passover, 9th grade Boys Town Jerusalem students made their own novel attempt to observe the Biblical command, “In every generation, each person must regard himself as if he came out of Egypt.”

They did something that we, here in Brooklyn, don’t have the opportunity to do. The class traveled eastward from Jerusalem to the heart of the Judean Desert for a glimpse into the world of their forefathers.

Amidst the timeless, silent terrain of the desert and the mountains, the boys were transformed several thousand years back in time, to feel the atmosphere of Biblical days, and to better imagine the experiences of the Children of Israel in Egypt and in the desert where they wandered for 40 years.

“It was important to leave our world for just a few hours and come to a place where time has stood still,” said student Dvir Ben Gigi. “Just looking out at the ancient hills and desert made it easier for me to imagine Moses and the Israelites. Part of me felt like I was truly with them at the Passover Seder, when we recited the Exodus from Egypt.”

“At Boys Town Jerusalem, the Land of Israel is our classroom,” explained Rabbi Moshe Linchner, the dean of students. “When we teach about holidays and the Bible, we make every effort to bring students to the actual part of Israel where the events took place or where the prophet sat to write his words. We place great importance on experiential learning for education—and for the soul.”

According to Rabbi Linchner, “In addition to visiting the desert for  Passover, Boys Town students visited Neot Kedumim, just outside Jerusalem, to discover with their own hands the agricultural history of our forefathers, as well as the flora and fauna of the Bible. Our field trips cover the whole of Israel and enable students to see and grasp the topography they read of in the Bible. Yet, sometimes our lessons are at our doorstep,” the rabbi smiled.

“Just beyond our campus are ancient wine presses which have been unearthed, offering our students a priceless visual understanding of the rituals involved in the production and use of wine in Temple Days and beyond. Although two thousand years have passed, we can easily imagine the Jewish vineyard workers who once toiled on this very site.”

May we all get to experience Passover in Israel in the near future.q