Hello Shorashim Bus 525 Audience!
If you have not heard Bruce's rendition of Lecha Dodi, it was really hard to get "Hallelujah" out of your head. Luckily, we had all of August 13 to let that song play over and over in our heads and enjoy the happy tune. But even more fortunate, we have group leaders who can turn a normal day of rest into a day of meaningful events.
For starters, it was a pleasant welcome to be able to sleep in after days of hiking, traveling, and eating schawarma (life can be rough sometimes). After waking up almost 100% recharged, one of our fearless leaders, Deb, ran a group discussion on Gender and Sexuality in contemporary Israel. The discussion was quite relevant considering the continuing controversy about the added "Shared" section at the Western Wall, a holy place where men and women used to be separated. During this talk, other ideas surrounding sexuality in Israel came to light; and we spoke a lot about how Tel Aviv is one of the kindest cities towards the LGBTQ community and how openly homosexual men and women are allowed to serve in Israel's military. Following this enlightening discussion came a similarly enlightening yoga session led by fellow our Birthright Israel Achim, Caleb. The bulk of us participated in this one hour cleanse and got in touch with our inner selves through meditation and movement.
Then what I considered the crowning jewel of yesterday's achievements: FREE LUNCH!!!! :)
The later half of the day may have had the most impact, for many issues of Jewish identity were spoken of. Two prime examples were how our tour guide, Shira, allowed us to participate in an exercise in which we came up with our own criteria for Jewish identity. Many of us agreed on most things, but we all have different backgrounds and upbringings, different ways we associate with Judaism. Much like the world's greatest leaders, we struggled to agree on anything!
One of the foremost Jewish subjects was dealt with in an entirely different activity. Since the next day entailed a visit to Yad Vashem, Shira felt it necessary to prepare us, since many either do not have a direct connection to the Holocaust or have not experienced something as visceral as a Holocaust memorial. However, being in the same Jewish boat, we all have some connection to it and know that it is something that needs to be remembered and talked about for generations to come.
To further connect with Judaism though, five of our members were inducted into the Jewish Hall of Fame...I mean Bar Mitzvahed. ;) This was an emotional experience for some and Bruce led an awesome service, then we danced the night away and played soccer to burn the calories away. We also danced the afternoon away, lifting each other up in a Patrick Swayze-like fashion.
Today was a day of connecting. Whether it was connecting with yourself in a yoga session or finally feeling connected to Judaism by taking that next step as a Bar Mitzvah. And why not? We spent the first few days getting to know each other: Shorashim, building the roots that are connected to the growing tree that is this new Shorashim family. This trip can only get better and deeper in the land that connects all of us to our Jewish roots.
Photo Credits: @lazyandrogyny
