Our Shabbat Experience
Shabbat Shalom friends and family!
After an extremely hard week of traveling we were all finally able to sit and relax. A late start with coffee and cake gave us the energy we needed (unless you were allergic to the cake) to begin the day and stomach the topics that sat before us.
In preparation for our visit to Yad Vashem we discussed very personal and controversial aspects of our Jewish lives. Beginning with a large debate in small groups between what it meant to us to be a Jew. We were given a list of qualities to Jewish life such as the importance of giving to charity or praying daily.
We remained respectful and civil as we were forced to rank the qualities most and least important to us as a group. Some heated debates were expected about context and different lifestyles. One extremely obvious difference was between the Israelis and the American participants about keeping kosher. In America it’s a lot less common whereas here in Israel it’s expected and done by all.
After presenting and comparing our choices without ranking because there was not enough consensus we discussed as a group the reasons we personally choose things. Some people argued the difference between the importance of Jewish history versus the importance of remembering the Holocaust. Some believed that they were one in the same and others believed it was too important and needed to be discussed as it’s own topic. Another was whether being respectful to others and giving to charity was inherently human and not important to being a Jew.
Finally, we were allotted some free time to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Then we had a feast for lunch with new Israeli foods we had yet experienced along with the usual hummus and salads. Followed by more free time where we listened to some talented guitar players and long relaxing shower.
That evening we went to dinner in the German Quarter of Jerusalem. Sadly we were restricted on time however we all managed to enjoy meals. Personally I ate amazing sushi and even more amazing gelato, treating myself to the hard hikes I’d suffered through.
Returning to the hotel we sat around and had a very hard discussion about our experiences with anti-Semitism. It was an emotional discussion but talking together about our familiarity with negative attitudes towards Jews strengthened our dynamic and the passion inside us. It became very emotional but in a positive way to get through it together and move forward. An interesting part of the discussion was the majority of the stories were from the American participants and few from the Israelis. The Israelis even commented on how shocked they were at the frequency we experienced these feelings. Talking about all of it makes Israel seem like a safe place to feel accepted and appreciated.
The discussion then turned to personal experiences with the Holocaust through family, friends, and such. All of this prepared us for what lay ahead of us the following morning, Yad Vashem. After the discussion we congregated in the lobby before going to bed just to be together.
Its incredible how in such a short period of time these strangers have come together as a family. We give and take like one as well as love as one. You can see the changes and the love when we’re hiking together offering help or when we enjoy meals. The connections that we have formed are different. They give the word ‘friendship’ a whole new meaning.
