Yad Vashem & The Negev
Gorgeous views atop mount Herzl welcomed us to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. Our tour began with a film- Jews living ordinary lives, and children singing Hatikvah. This was our jumping off point. Establishing this real perspective made the museum experience unique and personal. While progressing through the museum we noticed the floor was declined - we were descending into chaos. The history, images, and artifacts we encountered during the path were haunting, especially the moment before the liberation when our group encountered the countless shoes - exposing our sorrow.
At the children's memorial, we paid tribute to the 1.5 million Jewish children taken by the Holocaust. The memorial was designed with four candles and specially-placed mirrors. The pitch black room was completely disorienting, giving us a sense of how an innocent child may have felt in a chaotic time.
Our next stop was to sleep under the stars in the north Negev desert. We arrived at a Bedouin village with an appetite- and we were promptly fed with an endless platter of finger-licking, Middle Eastern cuisine. Afterwards, we learned about Bedouin culture, and how coffee plays an important role in welcoming guests.
With an opportunity to digest we moved on to a physical activity organized by the Israelis in our group- acrobalance. This partner activity involved moving into complicated body configurations by means of weight transfer between partners. Communication and trust were key.
The conclude the evening we sat around the campfires, laughed with good company, sang songs, and curled up in our sleeping bags under the Bedouin tent and Negev stars.
