Shabbat in Jerusalem

By Nate Gerstein

After an exciting night out in Jerusalem on Ben Yehuda Street, we woke up bright and early on Friday morning to make the most of our full day in the city.

We began the day with a short bus ride to the Old City where we started our walking tour. We slowly made our way through the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall, stopping periodically to learn about different historical aspects of the city.

When we reached the Western Wall, we were given time to individually reflect and write a note to place in the wall.

After a short lunch break outside the Old City, we spent the afternoon visiting various locations near the security fence that separates the West Bank from Jerusalem. Our guide took this time to inform us about the multifaceted conflict that rages on in the region.

As Shabbat approached, the group got dressed up and returned to the Western Wall for evening services. After a nice walk back to the hotel, we shared Shabbat dinner together and discussed the unique experience of Kabbalat Shabbat at the Wall.

Saturday truly was a day of rest, as we were able to sleep in and have a relaxing day. Most of us spent the afternoon at the rooftop pool, which have us the great opportunity to meet some other Birthright groups.

Later in the day, we visited a local park where we had an open discussion about some Jewish values that are important to us, such as Tzedakah, carrying on tradition, and celebrating high holidays, among others. It was interesting to hear the differing opinions on the importance of some of the topics we covered in the discussion.

We ended the day with a preparatory conversation for Sunday's visit to Yad Vashem, and a Havdallah ceremony marking the end of Shabbat.