SH-21-308's blog

We departed the kibbutz and headed for Mt. Arbel, driving to the top of the overlook. We could see the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Kinneret. It was an amazing view, with villages below both Muslim and Jewish. We heard the call to prayer ringing out over the small village nearest the base of the mountain, and took in an amazing view of the green mountainside while learning about the history of the area. The climb down the mountain was fantastic, a difficult descent over ladders and boulders along the trail.

 
Hello family and friends!!! 
 
After sleeping in the Kibbutz Gonen overnight, we ate breakfast in the communal area and headed out to Mount Bental.  There we were able to view the Golan Heights from the top of the mountain and learn about the wars of 1967 and 1973.  We checked out the underground bunker on the hill and saw how the Israeli soldiers survived during the war. 

Our day of touring the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem started with an early morning exploration of emotion and a discussion of our own family connections to the holocaust. We each selected a card on which was written an emotion – anger, fear, joy, revenge, etc. Then after a moment of personal reflection, we were asked to share with the group what this emotion means personally and to connect this emotion to the Holocaust.

Shabbat Shalom!
 
How exciting? We finally made it to Israel, and we were fortunate enough to spend our first night welcoming in Shabbat- the Sabbath- in the holiest city in the word: Jerusalem! We finally arrived in Israel despite Chicago snow storms, overweight luggage, and a long plane ride, only to be greeted by several wonderful and enthusiastic Israelis ready to share our journey. Before we knew it, we were bonding on a short bus ride from Ben Gurion airport towards Jerusalem, making sure to check in before Shabbat arrived to celebrate properly!
 
After we settled in we met to learn a bit about Shabbat and each other. Our amazing directors Naomi, Ron and Kinneret taught us:
 
"The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time." -Abraham Heschel
 
With that in mind, we lit the candles, said the prayers and headed to the dining room with our first dinner together. Our second winds finally kicked in and we triumphed over our jet lag, allowing us to spend some quality time together, playing games and hanging out in the hotel lobby, before we went off to bed. Since it was Shabbat and Jewish law prohibits certain activities, it was the perfect day to sleep in and take our time the next morning, preparing for a 40 minute walk to the old city. Although rain and snow can sometimes be expected in a Jerusalem winter, it was 70 degrees without a could in the sky! We were definitely smiled upon, and this weather is expected to last the whole trip. We arrived to the old city and entered through the Jaffa gate, one of the many gates used to enter the old city from the outside world. We saw the massive stone walls that surround the city (the "Choma"), and the four quarters it protects: The Jewish quarter, the Christian quarter, the Muslim quarter, and the Armenian quarter. Passing through the latter quarter, neighborhoods and temples, we stopped at the ancient Roman ruins and learned a bit of Jerusalem's history. Kinneret told us about the our two temples that were destructed by enemies of the Jews, and why the Western Wall/Wailing Wall/"Kotel" is the holiest place on earth for us. Once we knew a little about it, we were able to see it, touch it, and experience the Kotel. It was amazing, especially on Shabbat, to see how important it is for people of all faiths, who want to be as close as possible to the remains of the "holiest of holy" places on earth. We were told that the wall is the closest physical structure to where the Second Temple would have stood today had it not been destroyed by the Roman Empire. Hopefully one day we will live to see the Messiah climb over the Mount of Olives, enter through the Golden Gate and build a Third Temple to bring the Jewish people together again. Hey, maybe "next year in Jerusalem?!" as the saying goes.
 
We were not able to take pictures of this trip to the wall or write our wishes to stick into it because it was Shabbat, but we will have this awesome opportunity again on our final day, when we come back to Jerusalem on a weekday, so stick around for that! We hope you are all doing well at home and look forward to sharing many more memories with you on this blog. Our word of the day today, "Shavua Tov," wishes you a good week after a peaceful Shabbat. Hopefully this will be the first of many Shabbats that we share with each other, and our families and friends at home, because as my wonderful Rabbi, Rabbi Garfinkel says: The best thing about Shabbat is that it happens every week! Shavua Tov!