Yad Vashem | Page 2 | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

After an upbeat welcome ceremony with live music, we split off into multiple activities - scorpion hunting, belly dancing, creative movements, drawing, herb and oil tasting, star gazing, capoeira, and more!  Israelli and American music filled the cool, desert night as we watched a drum circle ensue with fire dancers, belly dancers, and a capoeira demonstration.

We began our day Sunday at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, one of the most prominent Holocaust museums in the world.

There, our guide led us on the tour that looked at the Holocaust through the victims' perspectives. It was incredibly powerful. 

Afterwards, we made our way over to Tel Aviv, which felt totally different than Jerusalem.

First, we went to Independence Hall, where we learned about Israel's founding.

Next, we explored Yitzhak Rabin Square, asking locals what they remember about the former Prime Minister's assassination and his impact on their lives.

After visiting the playground, we headed over to Kfar Hanokdim to ride camels and learn about Bedouins in the desert! The Bedouin hospitality included tea, coffee, and an amazing feast. 

We went to the Jewish National Fund (JNF) Playground in Sderot. What made this playground unique was it was all indoors and individuals can get to a safety room in under 15 seconds, if need be. This playground had a wide variety of equipment for all ages and we had fun playing on the big kid equipment.

Yad VaShem affected me especially, both as memorial to mark and educate the world about what happened, but also to demonstrate that life is still possible and if you will it so, it will go on. We can build countries, learn languages and customs, talk to the survivors we know, and take pride in our resilience.

We were lucky enough to have a special guest come talk to us after the tour was completed: our security guard's grandmother, Drora Schlacter. We sat in silence as we listened intently to her survival story of the Holocaust. She told us of how she had traveled to a few different cities and her encounters until she eventually ended up in the United States. The entire experience was extremely moving. 

We began today by visiting arguably one of the most important sites in the State of Israel, Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Shoshana, an official museum tour guide, who led us on a truly humbling three hour tour of the museum. Following the completion of the tour, we had a group discussion overlooking Jerusalem about each of our personal experiences in this museum. Everyone had a different take away from the experience, but one thing was clear, we must never forget the atrocities that occurred. 

We ended the night by walking out in the desert and looking at the stars. Too often in our lives are we surrounded by buildings, lights, etc. that obstruct our view of the night sky. We all appreciated being in the desert for a night 

We exited Yad Vashem to the most beautiful and peaceful view of a sunny day in Jerusalem. We were able to enjoy what our people and family will never be able to enjoy. As I looked around, I was comforted by our tight knit group of Americans and Israelis.