Today we explored the old historic city of Jerusalem!
After breakfast we were introduced to the Israelis that would be joining our group for the next couple of days! Israelis that are currently or were recently dismissed from the IDF have the opportunity to take time off to join a birthright group.
We have 5 male and 2 female Israelis in our group so to get to know them we divided into 7 groups and then each group had an Israeli and put on a skit to tell the whole group about their story.
We then took a bus ride into the city and went on a walking tour around Jerusalem. We saw king David's tomb, we saw where the last supper took place, and we walked through the streets, it was great to finally have the chance to see the streets of a city via walking versus bussing everywhere.
We also talked to a rabbi who is from the states now living in Israel about the possibilities of coming back to Israel and a bit about the history of Jerusalem.
We then got a snack and then went to the western wall. Visiting the western wall was an incredible experience. I had been talking to one of the israeli soldiers, Adi, and she helped me through the experience at the wall. She had paper and pens in her bag and explained that you right requests or ask for blessings on the paper and then stick it into the wall. The papers are taken out every so often, but no one reads them, they are put in a bag and buried. Once we wrote our notes, we walked over to the wall but first washed our hands at the faucet near the entrance to the wall. In jewish tradition, three is a significant number, so we wash each hand three times. Next, we entered the female only side of the wall. We got to the wall and waited for a space to open up. Once there was room, Adi told me to go up and put my note in and pray if I wanted to. I found a spot to squish my note in and had a few moments at the wall. It was such a unique experience because all my life when I was younger I learned that we always face and pray toward Jerusalem where the western wall is, and now I was standing in front of it.
I observed as others religiously prayed at the wall or in chairs lined up facing the wall. It was a very emotionally charged environment. When we were all done we backed away from the wall-- walking backwards because we should not turn our back towards the wall. We sat outside the wall for the remainder of our time there and enjoyed the environment at the wall.
We then hopped on our bus for a 4 hour drive to Eilat. We stopped for food along the way-- i of course had falafel. The drive was beautiful, we were riding along the Dead Sea and had gorgeous views of the Jordan mountains right along the sea.
We arrived to Eilat and lit the Shabbat candles. It had been a while since my last time doing that, but I still remembered the blessing! We then had a break before heading down to eat, and the dinner tonight was so great and so many options.
We then did a Shabbat activity with a lot of reflecting and partner work. We discussed gratitude and learned a little bit more about the people in our group. Post Shabbat, we brought some beers to the patio and enjoyed each other's company. As you can see, the nights usually end like this :)
Sending smiles from Eilat,
Rebecca
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