Holy Cities!

We started our morning by taking a quick tour of Tzfat, one of the four holy cities of Israel. Our group immediately connected with the architecture of the city, especially the blue painted walls. The color is a remnant of Spanish Sephardic Jews and symbolizes warding off the demons and all evil. Visiting a historic Sephardic Temple accentuated the differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Judaism, which was really interesting. We then got to explore on our own and different members of our group found different and unique areas of the city. 

We then visited the old city of Jerusalem, stopping at scenic points to discuss the history of this of the city and the significance for all monotheistic religions. When we visited the Western Wall, one of our group members put her mother, who is a Rabbi, on speakerphone to discuss the significance of the Western Wall to the Jews. Each member of our group then took time to experience the Western Wall in their own unique way. We said a prayer and left a note in the wall and then took step back to take in the overall significance of the moment.

Back in our hotel, after dinner, our group met to discuss the Holocaust as we will be visiting the Holocaust Memorial in the morning. Members of our group shared their personal connection to the Holocaust, either through family or trips to concentration camps and memorials. We talked about anti-Semitism and racism; there was an interesting dichotomy between the experiences of Israelis and Americans.

Shout out to our trip leaders who guided 50 people through the winding streets of incredibly significant and complex cities in Israel! 

Photo Credits: Image 1 and Image 2-@zigzaggiant, Image 3 and Image 4-Bus 9, Image 5-@rachelrachelrachelrachel, Image 6-@liveyourlife489