What A Day!

I must say that today, our fifth day, was probably my favorite so far. Waking up at an early start, we boarded the bus and headed over to Rabin Square. One of our assignments there was to ask street-goers of various ages if they remembered the night Yitzchak Rabin was assassinated. On November 4, 1995 Yitzchak Rabin, the prime minister of Israel, appeared at a peace rally. After finishing his speech, he was killed by a Jewish man. For Israel's society, the assassination represented a loss of hope. The first person my group approached was actually at the rally. She recalled how emotional Rabin became during his speech (which was rare for him). After shots were fired, she said, there was a frenzy with people trying to listen to the radio. They didn't have to wait for Rabin to reach the hospital--he was declared dead while in the ambulance. Even those who were young children at the time remembered this event. A man we spoke to recounted how there was an announcement on television. It was chilling to see an event which so many people remember so vividly, despite it happening 20 years ago.

After Rabin Square, we went to Independence Hall. I've been there before, but it never gets old. It is a truly historic location. From there were grabbed lunch at Shuk HaCarmel, a local market. Booths with fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, spices, nuts, candy, and halva lined the street. There was also an artist market nearby, where I found handmade kaleidoscopes and jewelry. I got all my shopping done in one place!

Then it was off to Jerusalem. With a quick stop for coffee and hot chocolate, we wrote our notes. It is traditional to leave a note in the Western Wall with requested prayers or thoughts. I had the opportunity to pray at the kotel, the Western Wall, which was extremely moving.

Overall, it was an educational day and moving, both historically and spiritually.