Save Room for Desert | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

Save Room for Desert

Shalom from Jerusalem!

These past few days have been an absolute whirlwind. It's getting hard to distinguish what has happened on which day, and they have all started blending together.

On Sunday, the group visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum. I have visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC several times (as I believe many of my group members have), and I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I walked into Yad Vashem. I always tend to have strong emotions when discussing the Holocaust, but I don't think I could have prepared myself for the emotional response I had during our visit here. First and foremost, Yad Vashem's architecture is breathtaking. The main museum is shaped almost like a pyramid, and the only light that filters through the main hallway comes from an overhead sky light. At the end of the hallway is a gigantic floor-to-ceiling window, or the "light at the end of the tunnel." It perfectly captures the feeling of the museum.

Our museum guide, Mordechai, began our tour with a brief video, narrating the story of one Greek Holocaust survivor. Something about this man's tale struck a chord with me, and by the end of the video, I was holding back sobs. When the lights came up, I saw that I was not the only emotional one in the group (which was reassuring!). Mordechai then took us through the entire museum, stopping every once in a while to tell us a brief anecdote or interesting fact. By the end of the visit, I felt that I had learned some new Holocaust information, and I saw some old information in a new light. It was definitely a moving experience.

Over the past two days, we have experienced some of the most highly anticipated activities on the trip thus far. The first was our journey into the Negev for our stay at the Bedoin camp. When we passed a few stray camels on the road into the camp, I knew we were in for something pretty cool. We were treated to a brief introduction to Bedoin hospitality upon our arrival, and shortly thereafter, we all had a chance to ride some camels (and some donkeys!) around the camp. I can honestly say that I never expected to one day be riding a camel around the desert, but now I have a GREAT story to tell (and pictures to prove it!). It was hilarious and a ton of fun.

Next, we sat down for a traditional Bedoin feast of meat, vegetables, rice, and pita. The entire meal was delicious---I even overheard several members of the group saying it was one of the best meals thus far. Finally, we "washed" up (mainly with some baby wipes) and got ready for our nightly group activity. This time around, our Israeli friends taught us a few choice Hebrew sayings, and then they gathered us around a camp fire for some roasted marshmallows and singing. I have to say that this was maybe one of my favorite nights on the trip thus far. Many of our other group activities involve some pretty heavy discussion, but last night was focused on enjoying each other's company and having a good time. It was great.

Finally, around midnight, most of us tried to get to bed, knowing that we'd be up early this morning to climb Masada at sunrise. We got on our mattresses inside the tent (that all 46 of us were sharing) and got a few brief hours of sleep. Sean woke us up promptly at 3:30 this morning in order to have us on the bus for our 4:30 arrival at Masada. We got there, climbed to the top, and had a few moments of rest just before the sun came up over the horizon. There are no words to explain the beauty of the sunrise over the Dead Sea this morning. Check back later for pictures, as I think they explain it MUCH better! After watching the sunrise and taking lots of photos, Ori took us around the site of Masada and explained a bit of the history to us. We hiked our way back down the mountain, ate a brief breakfast outside the bus, and then headed straight for the Dead Sea.

I think we were all excited for our swim (or float) in the Sea, although Ori kind of freaked us out with his speech about all the things that could possibly go wrong. We learned that, should we get any sea water in our eye, we needed to flush it out immediately, and that a cup of sea water could kill us quite quickly, so to make sure not to drink the water. Yikes. Regardless, we changed into our bathing suits and made our way into the water. The experience was a fun and different one; the water definitely burned (I even found a few cuts on my legs that I didn't know existed until they felt like they were on fire!), and feeling like a human buoy was hilarious. However, most of us only stayed in for about fifteen minutes. Though it was brief, it was still great.

The rest of the day has been relaxing. We got to spend some time at the Jerusalem Mall, and then a nice chunk of time showering (finally!), napping, laying out by the pool, etc. After two straight days of non stop activity, today's brief reprieve has been much needed and appreciated.

It's hard to believe we only have two days left here. I think we have all grown attached to our new friends and, as many of us have begun to view it, our new home.

See you all soon!

Hillary F.