Shorashim Sunday
Shalom and boker tov!
We have finally arrived in the city of Jerusalem. The day began with a quick tour around the Old City, stopping at the supposed tomb of King David and the room of Jesus's last supper. One incredible aspect of Jerusalem is that it's such a small city with so many religious groups living in close quarters, and these two stops really showed this to our group in a powerful way.
The next stop was one of our favorite parts of the day: the Kotel. With so much historic and religious significance, the Western Wall is known as one of the holiest sites in the world. It was exhilarating to see people of all different religious backgrounds and beliefs worshipping and praying at the same place. Being able to put our hands on the wall and think about all of the people who came there before us was something that was truly indescribable.
Next, we planted oak trees as a group. Each of us got a single oak tree to plant that will grow for our great grandchildren. It was a really special experience- together as a group we were adding to Israel and its environment.
Fun fact: Israel is the only country where the number of trees increases every year. How cool!
Lastly, our favorite part of the day was stopping and touring an Israeli Air Force Base. Not only are we blessed to have one of the coolest Israelis on our trip, Adi, but she is also an officer in the Air Force and was able to get us clearance to tour the base.
This was truly unbelievable as the majority of Israelis and tourists are unable to ever enter an army base. Once there, we were able to see what Adi does on a daily basis; she is a flight stimulator instructor, and how she trains Air Force pilots.
A little about the flight stimulator: The flight stimulator creates a real flying environment and trains the pilots for anything that could happen- fire on the plane, bad weather, attack by enemies and then also operations.
This was truly a once in a lifetime experience and we could not be more grateful.
Toda Adi!!!
Photo Credit: Image 1-@mverdi4, Image 2-@mes3418, Image 3-jstein2418