Our trip comes to a close with a sunny and peaceful Shabbat in Jerusalem, reaching its zenith with a walk to a nearby park. The scene was an awesome progression from eight days ago – we laughed, played catch, embraced and spent the last afternoon almost frozen in time not as a disparate group of Israelis and Americans, but as a true community. 

Ten days ago we were strangers, acquaintances, or small groups of friends at best. After what was without a doubt, the most impactful 10 consecutive days of our lives, we are proud to call each other a family. We are bound together by our common experience, our journey through Israel, that has led us to an appreciation of this country where none of us live. We expected to learn and experience but we didn't expect to connect the way we did.