Students observed Lag B’Omer, a holiday with multiple meanings, by taking part in school-organized field trips on Friday, May 16. The day traditionally celebrates the end of a plague among Rabbi Akiva’s students and commemorates the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
In the days leading up to the trip, students choose from three local hikes or a trip to downtown Washington, D.C., where students could either visit the National Museum of American History, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and later meet up at the Tidal Basin for boating.
Lag B’omer marks the 33rd day of the Omer counting period between Passover and Shavout and is traditionally associated with time spent outdoors, picnics and bonfires. Dean of Experiential Leadership and Service Learning Tori Ball said she put a lot of thought into the field trip options and their connection to Lag B’omer.
“We know that different people enjoy being outside in different ways, so we wanted to offer some options that were a little bit more active, a little bit more in nature, but also it’s great to be outside in D.C. and just enjoy how beautiful our city is,” Ball said. “So we tried to offer the opportunity for people to get outside and enjoy our environment either way,”
Iin the past, the majority of the students have selected to travel to Washington, D.C., but there has been a rising interest in hiking, according to Ball. Ball selected the hiking options based on difficulty and the length that they would take. The hiking options were Maryland Heights in Harpers Ferry, Difficult Run near Great Falls and a stretch of the Appalachian Trail to Annapolis Rocks. However, due to rainy weather conditions, all groups were ultimately moved to the Appalachian Trail.
Freshman Eden Kotok opted for a hike because she visits D.C. often, due to its proximity, and had always wanted to explore the Maryland trails, making this trip the perfect opportunity. Kotok also loved how she had the opportunity to get out of the school environment and still connect with people in her grade. She also loved talking to people she wouldn’t usually have conversations with during the normal school day.
“I was excited to be able to hang out with my friends outside of the formal setting because with finals season everything’s been really stressful,” Kotok said. “Not even having the option to go on my computer and being in this environment, to hang out with my friends and talk to them, it was just a really nice break before going into finals.”
While Kotok opted for a hike, others chose the trip to Washington, D.C. to visit a museum. Junior Alex Bushman chose to visit the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, followed by boating on the Tidal Basin.
“I liked the boating on the Tidal Basin,” Bushman said. “It’s just a really fun, relaxing way to spend time with my friends in the water just having a good time.”
At the end of the day, students gathered in the theater to watch a documentary about a JDS alumnus called “Looking Up.” The movie tells the story of Eitan Armone (‘14) and his climb up El Capitan, a 3000 foot granite rock in Yosemite National Park. Armone slowly started losing his vision due to a rare genetic condition during his time in the IDF. According to Ball, one lesson that can be learned from this movie is that someone should lead a full and rich life, even though not everything is perfect.
Overall, Ball said that these trips had more meaning than just a fun field trip for Lag B’omer. They offered students a break from the classroom during the stressful time that comes with the end of the school year.
“I think there is something to be said for really just enjoying time with your friends and enjoying time outside without being up in your head about your grades and competition and things like that,” Ball said.
