Stories And Activities

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Negev Desert, Israel - It was night in the Negev Desert, and our bus driver Mich'ael had just turned onto a narrow dirt road. I was on Day 6 of a 10-day culinary Birthright trip and was exhausted. My 29 colleagues and I had spent the earlier part of the day exploring the old city streets of Jaffa, making our way down cobblestone walkways, through hidden alleys and into small shops. I had tried to stretch my weary legs as much as possible before boarding our bus for the 90-minute drive south to the next stop on our journey, an overnight stay with a Bedouin tribe . Birthright is a free educational trip to Israel for Jewish youth ages 18 to 26, provided by a group called Taglit Birthright.

If you have questions about this page, send them to Reading Page Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 or send e-mail to reading@latimes.com. For stories and activities, see the Kids' Reading Room in the Southern California Living section every Sunday through Friday.

If you have questions about this page, send them to the Reading Page Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 or send via e-mail to http://reading@latimes.com. For stories and activities, see the Kids' Reading Room in the Southern California Living section every Sunday through Friday. For more about authors and the latest books, see the Book Review every Sunday.