Friday in Jerusalem
Friday morning to Saturday at sundown is the most surreal experience on the Birthright Israel trip. Independence Hall is not like any landmark we have in the United States. The womb of revolution was your best friend's house in the middle of Tel Aviv. If not for the statue and flags on the outside, you could pass right by without noticing. You come to find out this is very much by design for the preservation of the very independent (on the global scale) revolution. To hear the original audio of Ben Gurion and the first Israelis playing Hatikvah and see the Shorashim is all sing along was truly something to behold.
I am not a very religious at all personally, however, what followed in Jerusalem transcends any sort of faith one may or may not have. The contrast of the cosmopolitan (and somewhat filthy) Tel aviv with the cleanliness rythym and pulse of Jerusalem, specifically the Old City, was a very crazy dichotomy to see.
Nothing could prepare me for the Western Wall. I did not put on any garb but a kippa, however, the energy and spirit of the place was immediately evident. I said the shehecheyanu, four prayers for various groups and the mourner's kaddish. After all that, I could feel a spirittuality I have never experienced. I broke down in a way I haven't since my grandmother passed away. Thinking of all the effort it took to get me to that moment just conquered any lack of spirituality I have.
The place is so unique. You do not feel your pain from standing all day. You do not feel dehydrated. You can feel tangible breeze that was not there before. It was such a strong emotional reaction for me that I do not want to even talk about anything else and undersell them. You could fly me 14 hours each way just for 30 seconds at the wall. I never wanted to leave. It made the entire trip worth it for someone who did not want to come in the first place. Regardless of your feelings of the entire trip, that one 45 minute segment will always be my most memorable and tangible experience in Israel.
