This was a day that many people were looking forward to...swimming in the Dead Sea! We drove up from Eilat in the morning and made it to the Dead Sea before the day started getting really hot. We split up into a boy group and a girl group and got in! At first the water was unbearably hot, but as soon as you got further out, it cooled down. We all had so much fun floating in the Dead Sea, especially those of us who had never been there before. After swimming in the Dead Sea, we shopped around in the spa for different lotions and Dead Sea products. Then, we headed to the hotel to rest up a bit after a long day in the heat. The next day, we woke up at 4:30 am for a hike up Masada. Unfortunately, there was a heat wave so we couldn't take the snake path up. Instead, we went up the ramp that the Romans built to attack the Jews at Masada. At the top, we learned all about the history about Masada and it's meaning to the Jewish people. After Masada, we had a delicious, well deserved breakfast at the hotel and took a short rest. Then, we left for Ein Gedi. We hiked to our own little alcove with a water fall and went swimming in the cool, crisp, fresh water. It was such a relief from the scorching heat. Luckily, Ein Gedi was within walking distance from the hotel so it was just a short walk back (the hotel also had a gorgeous view of the Dead Sea). Then, we came back and had an advisor-led activity where we blindfolded everyone and took them on a short "hike." The purpose of the activity was that no one could get to the end if a single person didn't trust one another. The activity culminated with singing Hatikva under the Israeli flag. It was a really beautiful experience. Then, everyone went back to their rooms and packed up for off Shabbat!