The Concordia Team lives at Kibbutz Ein Gev, just 2 km from the Hippos/Sussita National Park.
Housing
Team members stay in a hostel (3-4 persons per sleeping room). Linens for the bed and one towel are provided. Each housing unit has an air conditioner. Yhere is a shared kitchen and restrrom facilities. Limited closet/storage space is also available.
Clothes for digging:
Much experience teaches that proper attire makes for comfortable work
- Sturdy boots (absolutely no tennis shoes or sandals allowed on the dig!)
- Wool socks (6 pair; even in the heat, they work best)
- Light colored t-shirts (6 pair; no sleeveless; gray is good; you’ll throw these away before you return)
- Rugged cotton pants (3 pair; no shorts; no synthetics–too hot). Jeans are OK, if they are loose-fitting
- Thin cotton long-sleeved shirt
Also each participant must furnish their own excavation kit.
Excavation kit:
Each day you will carry to the excavation site your kit. It should contain the following:
- 2 sets of leather work gloves
Buy good gloves! Next to your boots, they are the most important thing you will bring. Plan on spending more than $5 each. - hat (protecting neck)
- sunscreen
- containers holding 2 liters of water
- Moist towelettes (2 packs)
- tissues (3 packs)
- Moleskin (for treating blisters . . . see “foot care” at pharmacy)
- Band-Aids (the tough kind) and anti-bacterial ointment
- durable note pad small
- pens / pencils
- fine point permanent marker (labeling)
- pocket knife (Swiss army or multi-tool)
- 2 plastic brushes (for scrubbing pottery sherds — best if they have stiff bristles)
- Day pack to carry the above
Other needs:
- Swim suit (and water toys)
- Towels and wash cloth (linens for the bed and one towel are provided)
- Essential toiletries (all common toiletries can be purchased at the kibbutz market).
- Shorts and light clothing for other times
- Sturdy water-proof sandals
- Sunglasses
- Pocket Bible
- “Modest” clothing (when touring churches . . . no shorts or tank tops — this includes men, too)
- power converter/adaptor (Israel is 220)
- alarm clock (battery powered or windup)
- laptop with ethernet cord
- personal music
- netted bag for laundry
- clothespins and clothesline
- ziplock bags (come in handy!!)
- bandannas for hair (it’s dusty on Hippos)
- foot powder/talc (often recommended)
- Breakfast/granola bars (one per dig day): We start work by 5:00 am and don’t have breakfast until 8:00 am. Some quick energy during those early morning hours is recommended.
- Ear plugs: Especially recommended for light sleepers.
Money
Previous teams suggest budgeting 250 NIS per week for spending money, although you probably won’t need that much, unless you want to spend a lot on gifts. $1 is about equal to about 3.5 NIS. Check with your bank well in advance, if you want get shekels in the states. There are ATMs and money changers at the airport. There is no place to change money at the kibbutz. Tiberias is the closest (on the other side of the lake). But the mini-market, the coffee shop, and the fish restaurant at the kibbutz all take credit cards. Except for small items, you can function quite well in Israel with just a credit card. Learn more about the currency at http://www.bankisrael.gov.il/catal/cataloge.htm.
Laundry
There is a weekly laundry laundry day at the kibbutz. Everyone bags up his/her laundry before we leave for the site in the morning. The laundry is done by the kibbutz and returned to us in the late afternoon the same day. It is all done together in an industrial machine. It gets clean (sort of). For those “good outfits”, we recommend hand washing.
Store
The kibbutz runs a mini-mart for groceries, snacks, and small items. Prices are reasonable. Unless a major need arises, shopping in Tiberias is unnecessary.
Cell Phones
Cell phones are so prevalent in Israel that it is getting harder to find pay phones. Dr. Schuler has a cell phone and will provide you with the number. Family and friends are welcome to call you on the cell phone. In Israel users only pay for outgoing calls! There are a number of companies that offer cell phone rental, for those who so choose. Contact Dr. Schuler for more information. Check into Skype. You might be able to do all your telephoning to the states using a computer!
Passport and Ticket Copies
You will need to send a copy of the photo page of your passport as part of the registration process. You should also carry a copy of your passport and of your airline reservations in your luggage. Sometimes you may be asked to present proof that you have a ticket out of Israel (important for those traveling on e-tickets). In the unlikely event that you should lose your passport, a photocopy will enable your embassy to quickly get you a replacement copy.
Computers in Israel
WiFi connections are available in the guest facilities at the kibbutz. You are welcome to bring a laptop and connect to the network. You may want to bring an Ethernet cable as well.