A Long and Great Day
Today we woke up early to head to the Israeli Stock Exchange in Tel Aviv. Here, Birthright Israel has sponsored a new exhibit on Israeli innovation – this is the “Startup Nation,” after all.
We got to play with/learn about a bunch of products created by Israeli entrepreneurs. There were phone apps, medical devices, and cherry tomatoes™. I also learned a new Hebrew word: Ta’ambulah. (I’m going to let you google it). Then, they brought in a irreverent entrepreneur/comic to talk to us about his life. It was incredibly entertaining and interesting.
From there, we went to Independence Hall. Now a museum, the building was once Tel Aviv’s first art museum and before that, it was the home of Meir Dizengoff, Tel Aviv’s first mayor. (“Mayor Meir!”) This was a powerful experience.
They relayed the story of the Israeli fight for independence and The War of Independence; then we listened to the recording of David Ben Gurion’s May 14, 1948 speech declaring the sovereignty of Eretz Israel in the very hall where he gave it.
Though many of us were fighting off sleep, when Hatikvah flowed triumphantly from the speakers, the emotions were raw and powerful and we rose to our feet as one. Achdout – literally "unity" in Hebrew, but translating to a more powerful sentiment than our word conveys – is a contagion that has infected our whole group.
A short bus ride took us to Rabin Square. Along the way, Michal, our fearless leader, pointed out the Bauhaus architecture of the White City that earned that area of Tel Aviv the designation of UNESCO World Heritage site. When we arrived in Rabin Square we got a primer on the November 4, 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Itzak RabiI by Ygal Amin (sp?). Michal then released us to go accost Israeli pedestrians for their accounts of the same event. It was a pretty cool exercise that spilled into discussions on present-day Israeli politics, gun control, and what it might take to make peace here.
We had a few minutes to eat some delicious lunch before we once again piled on to our bus to nap en route to Jerusalem.
Our first stop there was King David’s tomb – which definitely had a great view, might have been the site of the Last Supper, and, ironically, is probably not the burial place of King David. There is a coffin, there are mourners praying fervently, but the bible tells us that David was actually buried with Solomon elsewhere in Jerusalem. So why do people come to see David here? It’s a good reminder that, like many of the arguments in and around Jerusalem, this is about feelings more than facts. With that in mind, we entered the Zion Gate and took a brief walking tour through the Jewish Quarter before reaching our main objective, the Western Wall.
The women and men separated to approach the Kotel, and we each participated in whatever way made us most comfortable. It was a long day, but a beautiful and rewarding one. We retired to the hotel for a discussion of our experience at The Wall, dinner, and a well earned rest.
Photo Credits: Header Image-@meganmgreene, Image 1-@dweeziltheii, Image 2-@jthompson5261, Image 3-@swolfin, Image 4-@meganmgreene, Image 5-@raanyo, Image 6-@jmepit
