Tel Aviv, Jaffa and the Mega Event | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

Tel Aviv, Jaffa and the Mega Event

Today had a lot to do with the people. First, when we woke up (again at 7am) we were a little closer then the days before. This followed with taking a “walking tour” around Tel Aviv which lives up to its 2008 title of the “the best city in the world.” It’s full of life and spunk that we really enjoyed exploring. Many believe it is one of the most important cites in Israel. We ended our tour at the Independence Museum where we watched a video of the transformation of the city from just a few hundred people in a deserted area to the wonderful city of Tel Aviv. The Independence Museum is a building that originated as the house of the first Mayor of Tel Aviv, then turned into a famous museum. It has a lasting memory of being filled with Israelis from all over to witness Israeli being declared a Jewish State.

After leaving Tel Aviv, we traveled slightly south to another city called Jaffa, where we were able look at a nice view of the water and the city, which is different from our past days of looking at endless land. Both were unbelievably beautiful. We also walked down a street where the entire building lining the street was covered with graffiti, which truly showed the life and the culture of Jaffa

During lunch, we were asked if we knew the former Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzchak Rabin. Then we had an activity at Rabin Square looking at the city hall. We split up into 8 groups, with one Israeli each, and walked around the square talking to all different people for a survey: men, women, young and old. We asked them 5 questions: Where were you during the assignation of Yitzchak Rabin, how did this affect you personally, how did this occurrence effect Israeli society, did Israel learn anything from this situation, and do you think this could happen again? Through all their different answers, we learned more about him. Most said he tried to change Israel for the better in his own way; how the state of Israel lives today is partially a result from his assassination. His mission was to bring peace and he did so much for his country to apply this motion. These people were full of sadness and shock at the news of his death. To them, it was surprising that a civilian would kill a Prime Minister, a Jew would kill a Jew, and a person would kill a person. The saddest part about this is that everyone has given up hope that there will ever be true peace because of this great man’s death. Some other people were against his views and thought he was willing to give away too much to gain peace. Some of these people were even pleased with his death. Everyone from both sides, however, was able to remember exactly where they were 16 years ago on that day, because it was such a major event in history.

After this we went to the Mega Event, which as a gathering of every person that was in Israel that was an attending Birthright, which is thousands of people. It was amazing to see where everyone comes from and that so many people are able to experience and learn just as we are. It is such an amazing and life changing experience that we are privileged to be apart of.