Day 4
Perfect day in the land of milk and honey! The day started out like every other with an early breakfast on our beautiful kibbutz here in central Israel. From the kibbutz we drove about 30 minutes to Jerusalem. For the first hour we toured and learned a lot about the history of the Old City and Jewish quarter. We saw a mosaic that showed the similarities of the Old Market from the past and the present day Jews and how even though we grew up in different times, we believe in the same things. Aside from learning about the history of this beautiful and ancient city, we also learned that Israeli Iced Coffee is not just coffee and ice, it's a deliciously, sugary, caffeinated slushie.
After the Jewish quarter, we walked towards the Western Wall. During the walk we learned a ton about why Jerusalem is so important to all major monotheistic western religions. After the discussion we finally entered the square where the Western Wall is located. It was such a powerful sight to see not only all the Bar/Bat Mitzvah trips, but also all the people that were there for a chance to touch the wall for even a second. For me personally, I wasn't really sure what to expect when I got up and it was my turn to pray at the wall. When it became my turn to pray at the wall, I was so overcome with emotions that it was overwhelming. From what I heard from everyone, they had very similar experience which I think made the trip waaaaay more meaningful. Jerusalem definitely is the highlight of my trip so far!
From the Western Wall, we went to a wildlife refuge. At the wildlife refuge, we learned about all the things that the JNF does for the country of Israel and it's wildlife. The coolest part is the refuge is where a lot of Israel's olive oil is produced, which makes your hands really, really soft. After listening to the history of the refuge and the impact of agriculture on Israeli and Jewish culture, we got a chance to pot our own oak trees that will eventually get planted in the wild.
Overall, the experience was one of the most memorable days of the trip so far. I cannot wait to see what else this trip has in store for Bus 797!
Photo credit: @shoval_9 (header), @aggiehillel
