The ups and downs of day 7
We started our Sunday on a sad note at Yad Va'Shem, the Israeli Holocaust Museum. Even though a lot of us had been to Holocaust memorials and museums before this was more powerful for us. First we are older and able to understand the Holocaust a little more, but also the Museum in Israel had a different feel and atmosphere. We were really inspired by some of the stories we heard, including one about a woman and her mother. The girl was a survivor of Auschwitz, and when she arrived she accidentally had her mother's glasses. Her mother was murdered there, but the girl survived and kept the glasses throughout her experience. We got to see what is left of them in the museum. We were also inspired by a video from a survivor, and we liked that the tour ended on a positive note with an overview of Jerusalem. It was a reminder that we are still here and are continuing to grow as a culture. The Boulevard of the Righteous Among the Nations was a highlight because it includes people that saved even one Jew during the Holocaust, showing us the value of human life in the eyes of the Jewish people.
We also visited the Children's Memorial, which was incredibly touching in a different way. The room appears to be lit by hundreds of candles, but actually there are only 5 candles reflected off of different mirrors. This shows that one person can have an incredible impact on others and on the things around them. While we were walking a voice read the names of children who were Holocaust victims. We felt very lost, confused, and unstable in the museum, and we imagine this is how the actual children of the Holocaust felt.
In the afternoon we switched gears completely and headed to Neot Kedumim, a biblical garden outside Jerusalem. The garden is inspired by plants that existed during biblical times, and we did our part to contribute. While learning about Israel's ecology and its relationship to its land and water we collected acorns and later planted them to put our mark on the Jewish homeland. We learned a lot of interesting facts about water in Israel: how often it rains and how people in ancient times collected rain to make their lives sustainable. We can't wait to fins out if our acorns turn into oak trees, and we were so excited to learn about the history of our people in the land and to really become a part of it,.
Finally we headed to the desert to check into our hostel and play some traditional Israeli games. Tomorrow we have some hiking and other activites, and we can't wait to see what magic waits for us in our last few days here. Stay tuned!
