BACKPACKING THROUGH ISRAEL: OUR PEOPLE’S LEGACY
Description: This program is about visiting many of the different places in
Israel that are historically significant to the Jewish people; things that were
important in our past, and still very poignant in our present. Here is a
breakdown: (This doesn’t necessarily be exactly how long each segment takes; it is meant to
provide a realistic estimate.)
Timeline:
IDF Introduction: 5 minutes
IDF Capture the flag (Both setup and game play): 20 minutes
Gates program: 17-20 minutes
A conclusion at the Western Wall: 15 minutes
“The first leg of the trip is spent in the boot camp of the IDF; the Tzavah Haganah leYisrael. For
our people, the state of Israel is the culmination of two thousand years of hope and aspiration that
we would one day end the Diaspora and revive the Jewish homeland. Now, it’s important to
protect this safe haven from many of the bordering countries who feel that the Jews are invaders
of THEIR land; the Israeli Defense Force is responsible for protecting the Jewish people’s true
home.” At this point, share a few facts about the Israeli Army. I have provided a few below to usefeel free to add or take away from this list at any point.

The Israeli Defense Force has its roots in an organization known as the Haganah.
Formed in the days when Israel (Palestine at the time) was still under control of the
British, it was an underground movement created to protect the Jewish homeland and the
many Jews living in Palestine at the time from the countless outbreaks of revolts among
the Arabs.

With the final founding of Israel came the founding of the IDF as well. They needed to
quickly organize when Israel was suddenly attacked on all sides by Egypt, Jordan, Syria
and Lebanon, Arab countries determined to wipe out the newly founded state.

The IDF is extremely diverse. Openly gay soldiers have had the right to serve since 1993;
Ethiopian Jews and other immigrants have used the army as a way to integrate into
Israeli society; women are allowed to serve in any military position that men are, and
Arab Israelis, no matter what religion, are allowed to volunteer though not required.

Israel has invented innovative weapons and military vehicles: the Galil and Tavor assault
rifles, the Uzi submachine gun and an advanced airborne early warning system are all
Israeli inventions; in fact, Israel is the only country in the world to have a fully operational
anti-ballistic missile defense system on a national level. (Developed in collaboration
between Israelis and Americans)
The main part of this activity is a skirmish between two teams- basically, capture the flag. Divide
the participants into two teams. Give them an opportunity to give their army a name, then give
each team three flags to place throughout their territory. The object is that at the end of the game,
one team will have their original three flags plus those of their opponent. For the sake of time, you
can choose to just say that if a team gets five out of six flags, they win. If you’re in a part of the
country that is still warm in November, consider adding water guns to the activity to make it more
fun.
“It’s time to continue our journey, and trek to Jerusalem…
The gates of Jerusalem are a major part of the history behind the old city. Some are used as
ways to get to historically significant places like the Western Wall, the port of Jaffa and Mount
Zion. The gates are part of our people’s legacy, whether we know it or not, and so this activity is a
fun way to teach your chapter about them.”
This activity is like a scavenger hunt, and so the best place to do it would be in a field or park.
Firstly, you’ll need eight makeshift gates. They can be made out of anything from foam core to
wooden stakes to metal wire, and don’t necessarily need to be made into a full arch- as long as
you have something that is somewhat visible from a few feet away and is able to represent a
gate, you’re good. Pick two teams, and make sure to place the gates ahead of time- things will
flow a lot easier. It’s important to have clues to each gate prepared beforehand. This will be
simple enough if you just choose a natural landmark to use in each clue, and place the gate by
that landmark. The idea is that each team will be responsible for tracking down four of the eight
gates. They will receive a clue (you need to write them based on the location you are using)
leading them to their first gate before the hunt begins; each gate will have a little information
about itself attached to the structure (provided below) and a clue to the next gate. The two teams
should each visit a set of 4 gates.
Also, each gate will have a bag of cut out alphabet letters for the team to pick up. After the team
retrieves all four bags, they will return to the initial starting point and open the bags up to find a
clue describing one of their four gates. Make sure to write a clue based on the information
provided about the gate and put it in the last bag of alphabet letters. The team then needs to use
the letters to spell out the name of the gate to which the clue refers. Don’t make it to easy, there
should be extra letters than just the ones needed to spell the gate name so they can’t just guess.
The first team to finish wins.
Information about the Gates:
The Zion Gate:
 Leads to the Jewish and Armenian Quarters in the old city.
 Captured by the Palmach, the elite of the Haganah, during the Arab-Israeli war that broke
out shortly after Israel gained independence.
 Located near Mount Zion, the believed location of King David’s tomb.
The Dung Gate:
 Allows Israelis passage to the Western Wall- the Dung Gate is extremely close to where
the old temple was.
 The original gate was lost, but the one standing in its place is in nearly the same location.
 Called the Dung Gate because in ancient Jerusalem this was where refuse was dumped.
 The only gate to lead directly into the Jewish quarter
Lion’s Gate:
 Despite the name, the stone figures of tigers are set into the gate, two on each side.
 Built to protect Jerusalem from invaders during the occupation of the Ottoman Empire.
 Legend says that the Ottoman sultan, Suleiman the Great, had a dream of two lions
coming to devour him shortly after he decided to unreasonably tax the Israelites. He then
built the Lion’s Gate to atone, believing that God was angry with him.
Herod’s Gate:
 Named after, not built by, Ancient Israel’s King Herod the Great
 Leads to the markets of the old city of Jerusalem and the Muslim Quarter
 Extremely important in protecting Jerusalem in ancient times; unfortunately, it didn’t hold
up during the crusades.
Damascus Gate:
 Largest and most imposing of all of Jerusalem’s gates; The Damascus Gate was fortified
with slits for firing at attackers and an opening from which boiling oil could be poured
down at assailants- for ancient Israelites, this was the last line of defense.
 Even now, through the Damascus gate thriving cultural markets are found in the old city.
The New Gate:
 As the name suggests, this gate was the newest one built. During the crusades,
Christians stormed Jerusalem, breaching one of the fortified walls of the old city. This
breach was made into a gate.
 During the Arab-Israeli War, the IDF wasn’t able to occupy East Jerusalem because the
Palestinians had seized this gate. When we finally claimed this part of Jerusalem back
from the Jordanians, we reopened it for everyone to use.
 Even now the Israeli government protects the New Gate from vandalism and destruction,
determined to preserve an important piece of Jerusalem’s history.
The Jaffa Gate:
 For Jewish pilgrims and refugees arriving in Israel through the port of Jaffa, the Jaffa
Gate was the place where they entered the old city of Jerusalem.
 When the Gate was built under the Ottoman occupation of Jerusalem, the two architects
were killed by the Ottoman sultan after he discovered that Mount Zion wasn’t enclosed by
Jerusalem’s walls; their tombs lie inside the walls, next to the gate.
The Gate of Mercy:
 Judaism tells us that the Divine Presence appeared through this gate in ancient Israelour ancestors prayed for mercy here.
 It’s said that when the messiah arrives, he will enter Jerusalem through this gate.
 Under occupation of the Ottomans, this gate was sealed in hopes of stopping the
messiah from entering Israel- it remains sealed to this day.
 To add insult to injury, certain Muslims built a cemetery in front of the gate, hoping that
Elijah wouldn’t be able enter the city either; no Elijah, no messiah.
It would be preferable to do this part indoors. Make sure that you have a fake Western Wall
made. This can be anything as simple as a large colored poster with black cracks drawn in to a
stack of foam blocks made to really look like the wall- it’s really up to you how much work is put
into making it. However, make sure that your wall has some cracks in it, like those in the real wall.
Have the chapter enter the room, and read:
“Our journey through Israel ends at the Western Wall. The Wall is the legacy of our forefathers.
The Temple was built to unify our people, and even today Jews from all over the world come to
the Western Wall to pray to God. In the times of ancient Israel, our ancestors sacrificed to God
here in thanks for all that He had done for them. A hundred years ago, we prayed that one day,
the Jewish people would again be reunited. Today, we pray in hope for those in the world who
still suffer at the hands of oppression and poverty, and in aspiration of a better future for our
people. At the real wall, we write prayers to Adonai on slips of paper and slip them in the cracks,
hoping that they will be answered. (pass out slips of paper)
Today we will do the same. You can write whatever you want- a hope, a dream, a prayer to
God...and stick it in one of the wall’s cracks.”
To set the atmosphere, you could put some Israeli music on in the background, dim the lights, or
anything else that you can come up with. This activity, out of all of the three, is meant to feel the
most meaningful. Find out if there is a member of the chapter attending an Israel trip this summer
so they can deliver the notes for everyone. If not, see if there is a community member going
through a synagogue, community center or personal trip. End the program by singing the
Hatikvah, as a final way to make the moment count.
Video with subtitles of HaTikvah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBD9j94Chu8&feature=related
Kol ode balevav
P'nimah Nefesh Yehudi homiyah
Ulfa'atey mizrach kadimah
Ayin l'tzion tzofiyah.
Ode lo avdah tikvatenu
Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim:
L'hiyot am chofshi b'artzenu Eretz Tzion v'Yerushalayim.