We snapped many photos of the picture perfect view of the sun rising over the Mars looking landscape of the Dead Sea area.
We snapped many photos of the picture perfect view of the sun rising over the Mars looking landscape of the Dead Sea area.
It was entrancing and intoxicating, the most hope I had ever witnessed, and in that moment I felt totally connected to all Jews across the world and across time.
Today, we went to the house of one of our Israeli Participants, Tess. Her family was very hospitable, and we got to eat snacks and swim in her pool! It was really a very cool experience.
The science research facility was incredibly impressive, the work they are doing is extremely important for the future of science and the birthday party for Holocaust Survivors was heartwarming. Our group had the honor of spending time with the families of our Israeli participants on our trip at their homes. It was an amazing afternoon that opened our eyes to the life of our new Israeli friends.
Our Shabbat service this evening was very pretty. It was nice to sing prayers I hadn't sang in years and to find that I still remembered them. After the service and the lovely kibbutz dinner, we split into groups and learned about each other's backgrounds, then played a game based on remembering people's names that had me paralyzed with laughter.
Even though it has only been 4 days, I can definitely say this is my favorite trip to Israel so far and I definitely hope to return.
Then we all linked arms and walked with our eyes closed to a lookout just above the wall. On the count of three, we all opened our eyes and saw the wall for the first time all together. It was a very powerful moment. We walked down to the wall carrying our little notes or prayers to put in the wall. The boys all went to one side and the girls the other. Many of the guys wore tefillin, most for the first time, as they stood and prayed at the holiest site in Judaism. We took some pictures and discussed this powerful emotional and religious experience as we headed back to the hotel for dinner.
All together this experience has been incredibly rewarding whether we are traveling to Tel Aviv by bus or hiking our way down to a natural spring. My only wish is for the days to go by slower! We cant wait to see whats in store for tomorrow!
After breakfast we went to Independence Hall, the place where Israel’s Declaration of Independence was signed. We learned about the history of Tel Aviv, how the city arose from the desert just one hundred years ago.
Hearing the Hatikvah, Israel's national anthem, in the same room where David Ben Gurion announced the formation of the Jewish homeland, was very spiritual.