July 16th: 2nd day with kids at Ultimate Peace Camp

Akko is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in Israel, appearing on a tribute list 3600 years ago. The Greek name for the city is Akre, which means "cure." According to Greek myth, Heracles found curative herbs here to heal his wounds. Akko became part of the Roman Empire, and then, in 395 CE, when the Roman Empire was permanently divided, Akko was administered by the Eastern (later Byzantine) Empire. In the year 638 Akko came under Arab rule, and then became the main port for Palestine. Akko was captured by the Christians during the first crusade, and became its main port. According to one Englishman, Akko provided more wealth for the Crusader Crown than the total revenue of the King of England. Akko was the last stronghold of the crusader state. The Ottomans captured the city in 1517, but after that it fell into almost complete decay. Much later Akko became part of the British territory.

The original building, which was from the time of the British

Manof school originally was a British compound (there is even the remnants of a Roman aqueduct on the campus. It is now used for "at risk" youth. There are a number of two-floor dormitories - 4 beds in a room. I am staying in a room with Natan, Khalif and Zeff, a 15-year-old from Chicago. I was pleasantly surprised by the air conditioning. There are even washing machines.

2000 year old Roman aqueduct on the Manof grounds

Covered space in front of my dorm building

My side of the dorm room

Natan's side of the dorm room (Natan saw these pictures on my camera and said, "Are trying to say something here?")

One of the local coaches, who we all refer to as Mr. Fantastic, for after just about anything which was said during the local coaches' introduction to the game of Ultimate or the "spirit of the game," he replied, "Fantastic."

Team meeting

This morning the students rotated through stations, working on Ultimate frisbee skills - throwing, passing, cutting, and defense, as well as frisbee golf and layouts on the slip-and-slide

This is another Robert, husband of one of the directors of Ultimate Peace, so thirsty after a hard day in the sun he used a frisbee as a cup.

We took the students to a swimming pool this afternoon, at the nearby Kibbutz Shomrat

A hard day at the pool

Natan and Moses

My role here has been interesting. I am the videographer, so I get to see every part of the camp, though I am not part of any team, so I am sort of on the outside. Another interesting part for me is being in the role of chaperone instead of director, as I am on the Global Studies program for Evergreen School, though me experience from 22 years of involvement with leading student trips has provided me with a lot of experience which I have passed on the the directors when appropriate. For example, I suggested that the coaches perform an actual scrimmage before the the local coaches or students start working on the skills, so they can see how it all comes together, which the directors immediately implemented. I also suggested they give times for when the students are in their room and when the lights go out at bed time, instead of just a bed time, and using the coaches to help crowd control, dispersing them around the room, both of which they implemented. So it is nice to be able to make contributions, and great how flexible the directors have been.