We closed the ceremony by listening to David Ben Guiron's words at the Declaration ceremony. Our guide emphasized that the declaration established Israel as a home for the Jewish people, not as the "State of Israel." He emphasized that a home isn't necessarily where you live. I think I'm beginning to have a clearer understanding of how Israel fits in as the Homeland of the Jewish people.
We walked to the largest shuk, or open market, in Tel Aviv, Shuk H'Carmel and it was incredible! There were merchants shouting out their prices and boasting the superiority of their products. We were offered "special" prices everywhere we went because we were on Birthright but our Israeli friends and our staff made sure we were getting the best deals possible!
Experiencing the local cuisine and atmosphere are my favorite ways of appreciating a different culture, and I'm looking forward to all the delicious tastes Jerusalem has to offer.
The night ended with quiet reflection as we looked up at the stars high above the desert. As we dozed off in our big tent, we were exhausted from another action-packed day but excited for new adventures still to come.
The last two days were extremely meaningful to many people in the group including myself. Our second day in Tel Aviv consisted of a visit to Independence Hall and a view of the exact room Israel was declared a state in 1948. A lot of emotions came with this tour of Independence Hall because so much went into the declaration of this state and also our speaker was very informative of the event. I can say on behalf of the group we all left feeling very proud and glad to be Jewish, leaving with the goal of making a positive influence over our peers.
After a meaningful morning, we went to the shuk (market) on Ben Yehuda street and got a taste of the busy environment right before Shabbat. We sampled Israeli pastries, drank fresh squeezed juice and picked up souvenirs.
Sat in the room where David Ben Gurion spoke the words and signed the document that transformed Israel from an idea into a country.
The tour took us on a journey with five soldiers sharing their sacrifice and commitment to securing israel's borders, as David Ben Gurion secured her statehood.
We started our day at Independence Hall where we learned about the history of the state of Israel. We stood in the actual room where Ben Gurion declared Israel an independent state.