Shabbat, Yad vashem, and the forest
Yesterday was our first Shabbat here in the homeland! Shabbat is the holiest day of the week, so having been busy treking our way through Israel, we all enjoyed the day of rest, relaxation, and reflection that the Sabbath brought. We got to sleep in and have a light breakfast of cake and coffee, followed by a discussion of this week's Torah portion, which is the Ten Commandments. We analyzed the differences between God's original delivernce of the Commandments in Exodus, and Moses' summary of them on his deathbed in Deuteronomy.
After lunch, Lior led us on a walk through Jerusalem, where we saw the buildings of parliament, the supreme court, and the offices of the Prime Minister. We relaxed at a beautiful park full of families out with their children and dogs, enjoying the day of rest. Some of us played an intense game of extreme frisbee, while others lounged on the grass reading and talking.
Back at the hotel, we did the Havdallah, the prayer that ends Shabbat at sundown and begins the new week. We then did a group activity in which we had a list of important characteristics of being Jewish and had to decide which were the three most and least important to all of us. Needless to say, it sparked an interesting discussion and debate.
We spent the night out in Jerusalem for dinner. Most of us ended up at this amazing Italian restaurant! Who knew Israelis could make such good Italian food?
Today was a more somber day. We went to Yad Vashem, the national Holocaust musuem. Some exhibits that seemed to stand out more strongly for several of us were the memorial to the children who were killed during the Holocaust, as well as the Hall of Names. Both were very powerful and had strong impacts on us all. The children's memorial is a dark room that you come into out of the sunshine. You can't see too well in front of you and have to grope your way forward. The room is covered in mirrors reflecting the five candles in the center, giving the illusion of a room filled with candles, while a woman's voice lists the names, ages, and countries of origins of the children who were murdered. The Hall of Names is a circular room with shelves full of names of people lost in the Holocaust. So far, 4 of the 6 million Jews murdered have been accounted for in those books. The room has a funnel shaped ceiling covered in pictures of victims, and below there is a pool of water where the photos are reflected along with our own images.
The shape of the museum itself is a triangle with big, solid, concrete walls that close upon you at the tip of the triangle. Inside, you can see down the length of the museum, but can't walk freely through it; instead you have to follow the zig zag pattern through each room. It can have a claustrophobic effect, perhaps meant to remind us of the way the concentration camp victims were herded through to their deaths. At the end of the museum, it opens up to a suspended landing and the heavy walls taper out to the horizon and a breathtaking view of Jersusalem. Behind you is the museum: the past, what our people have been through, and before you is the open vista, the future. A hopefull image ends the tour.
After leaving the museum and lunching at a nearby mall, we participated in a JNF activity out in the forest. We all were given gardening gloves and curved saws and told to trim the trees! Trimming them helps them grow and also helps prevent forest fires, so we were all happy to do our part. All in all, it was a very powerful day, emotionally and physically, and I think we all feel a lot closer to our past, to our future, and to our homeland.
