5/6/2011 BKess

This morning was the most somber of our trip. We spent the morning at Mt. Herzel, a military cemetary located on the top of a mountain overlooking the Israeli parliment in Jerusalem. Here we learned not of wars and statistics, but of the actual people who have passed in the numerous Israeli conflicts. We heard about Michael Levine, an American man of short stature, who had great heart and passion for Israel. He made aliyah to Israel and scaled a wall to ensure his entrance in to the IDF when he thought his stature might hold him back. He was a great soldier who gave his life for his country, but he was also a man who had friends and who loved the Philadelphia Phillies. Ultimately, what we saw were not fallen soldiers, but fallen people.
After this, we paid our respects at the grave sights of great Israeli leaders such as Golda Maier and Itzak Rabin. Finally, we reached the top of the mountain and stood in front of a grave with on name, Herzel. A man who needed no further introduction, because without him, none of us would have been there today. We finished our journey by singing Hatikvah in front of his grave, and moved on to more upbeat activities such as lunch, and buying souviners for our friends and families.