Friday: July 23

The fun and excitement in the North continued with an Erev Shabbat to be remembered. In the morning, there were two great options, each centering on one of the holy cities of Israel. First, there was a tour of Tiberias, including the holy sites and some of the more modern attractions. We enjoyed the beautiful boardwalk and marina alongside the Kineret, and ventured into the water for some banana boating and other water sports.

Choice two was to stay closer to home and begin the exploration of our host city of Tzefat. Here the tours focused on some of the hot spots that are not accessible on Shabbat, including the Artist’s Colony and other museums and shops.

In the afternoon, we were treated to a presentation that aptly captured the essence of Tzefat and the values of the NCSY Kollel. We packed a local gym and heard from Doron Sheffer- former UCONN basketball star and NBA draft pick, who has retuned to observance and is now a resident of the Galil.

(For more on his career and basketball prowess, CLICK HERE)

He mesmerized the audience with a frank and substantive discussion on the relationship between sport, celebrity, and Torah life. The question and answer session was particularly uplifting, and Doron’s insights and perspective went well beyond his personal journey. From there it was on to the court, where a group of NCSYers teamed with Doron to challenge the mighty NCSY Kollel staff stars. Doron proved to be the difference, and his dazzling display of shooting and passing led the NCSYers to a thrilling victory.

In the birthplace of Kabbalat Shabbat, we doubled our pleasure with an early, “musical” welcome. Led by some of our talented musicians, we kicked off Shabbat with great spirit and verve. “The hills were alive…” as Shabbat descended on the mountains of Tzefat!