SH-25-87's blog

Last night we wandered through the winding alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem and visited the Western Wall. As I placed my hand on the Wall, listening to the women singing around me, I felt incredibly connected the millions of Jews who have sent prayers to that very spot for thousands of years. The power of being in the holiest of holy places was sobering. It felt peaceful to stand alone in reflection and prayer while shoulder to shoulder with others doing the same.

From the mind of Adam Daniel Miller

North. East. South. West. Only one of these has a famous wall associated with it. And my what a fine wall it is. I am, of course, referring to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. A wall of such magnificence, of such magnitude, of such meaning and of such a multitude of other words that begin with the letter ‘m’ that I have no choice but to blog about it here.

Jan 15

Jan 15, 2012

One of the best and most rewarding experiences so far on my trip are the conversations. And I don't mean the "getting to know you" topics about jobs, school, and such, although those are fantastic too. I mean the deep, philosophical, theological, personal, intense conversations. We are an articulate and diverse group that is struggling to synthesize our beliefs and express them meaningfully.

Waking up in Tel Aviv was a big change as compared to the first part of our journey. We were used to waking up to rain, but the sun was shining instead. We got to take a stroll along the beach and enjoy the beautiful scenery on our way to Old Jaffa. After, we made a stop at Rabin Square to learn about Israel’s former Prime Minister. We had lunch shortly after, some people had burgers, some chose sushi, while the rest stuck with the Israeli cuisine. Our next destination was to Jerusalem to explore the things people usually only hear about in books and movies.

It is day one, and we're stuck in the rain. After hearing an amazing story told by our bus driver Jobi, about his time fighting for Israel, we head to the Mount Bental overlook in the Golan Heights. We wind through roads with views of beautiful (though rainy) greenery, watching cows and horses graze. We start to notice a dusting of snow on the sides of the road, which started to get deeper and deeper. As we were about to turn up the road to the viewpoint, we see a few families outside of their cars throwing snowballs.

Hello from Israel! This morning’s hike was canceled because of heavy rain, which is a happy occasion for Israel due to the drought, but was disappointing for us from the states. Instead we traveled to Mitzpe Gadot, a lookout point where we could see the Golan Heights and learned about the countries surrounding Israel and the borders. We heard about the wars in 1967 and 1973, and the importance of the Golan Heights for Israel.

There is always a little pit in my stomach before a major flight. It isn't that I fear flying, as much as I carry a certain anticipation with me. For our forty participants, most of them travelling to Israel for the first time, this anticipation can seem palpable. Beyond the last minute packing worries (will my hair dryer explode over there?), there is an understanding that what will be experienced on the other side of the ocean is uncertain.