Today we left our hotel in Tiberias and took the three hour-long bus ride to Jerusalem. We stopped along the way in the West Bank at a convenience store and rest stop, which was interesting since there's so much conflict and tension surrounding the area. After the stop, we continued to Jerusalem and listened to the song "Jerusalem" many times to get in the spirit of the city. We all screamed the lyrics, "Jerusalem, if I forget you, fire not gonna come from my tongue. Jerusalem, if I forget you, let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do." Before we entered the city, Ariel instructed us to close the shades to the windows on the bus until we entered the city. When we entered Jerusalem, we all opened the shades at the same time and "Jerusalem" played loudly on the bus. The view of the city from the bus was absolutely surreal -- it was something I had only previously seen in photos, and after seeing it for myself today, I know that photos can never do it justice.
The first part of Jerusalem we toured was the Jewish Quarter, where Ariel taught us about the history of Jerusalem while simultaneously sharing his own personal love story with new plot twists at every location we visited throughout the day. At every stop on the tour, he left both of the stories with cliffhangers, only to be continued at the next stop. His telling of two incredible love stories demonstrated that one's love for Jerusalem can be just as powerful and parallel to one's love for another person.
After touring the Jewish Quarter, we had some free time for lunch and most of us got shawarma -- a classic that was too good to pass up. Finally, after lunch, it was time to visit the Kotel. Many of us took part in the custom of preparing handwritten notes to leave in the cracks of the wall as messages to Hashem. My first view of the Kotel was also surreal, just as my first view of the city was. It was an amazing and extremely comforting feeling to know that we were all finally home.
After some personal reflection at the Kotel, we celebrated the Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs of some of our fellow travelers. Sam, Alex, Rachel, Mike, Nicole and Brett all celebrated this incredible rite of passage at the Kotel, which was truly an honor in itself. They all prepared beautiful speeches and reflections on what this occasion meant to them and why they chose to celebrate at this point in their lives. After they spoke, their close friends also spoke a few words of love, encouragement and deep pride on this momentous occasion. Everyone was emotional, as we all realized how beautiful this simcha really was. We continued the celebration right outside the wall, customarily lifting them up in chairs and singing Hebrew songs to celebrate. We even broke out into a Horah -- what would a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah be without one?
Finally, after celebrating and reflecting at the Kotel, we visited the City of David and Hezekiah's Tunnel. We were given a great explanation of the story of King Solomon complete with actors, costumes and lots of olive oil. We made our way down to the tunnel and used our flashlights as we first dipped our feet into the cold water flowing through. However, after a few minutes, we all turned off our flashlights and navigated our way through the tunnel in complete darkness in order to replicate the way in which our ancestors worked the tunnels. Although it was scary at times to be in complete darkness, it was a lot of fun and exciting overall.
Following City of David we headed to the hotel for an Israel Update by Neil Lazrus, dinner, Gift of Life bone marrow swabbing and preparations for Friday.
We certainly had a full first day in Jerusalem. It was extremely meaningful and beautiful. I know we are all anxiously awaiting what else lies ahead in this incredible city.