Another morning of waking up early which led to a late departure due to "Persian time". This morning, however, was not a typical fun day as the past had been. The nature of our activity involved a visit to the Yad VaShem Holocaust museum. The Holocaust museum in Jerusalem is a solemn yet special place to visit for all of us on the trip. We started off with a walk through the outside memorials which included dedications to both children who perished as well as all those non-Jews who devoted their lives to saving Jews all over Europe during World War 2. The courage and sacrifice of each memorial sent a lot of different thoughts and emotions through everyone’s head as they reflected on the atrocity that occurred. It was clear that each person took away something different in relation to their personal relationship to those who perished during the Holocaust. We continued the tour through the triangle-shaped memorial which represents the Star of David. One story that we all took away was about a little boy who, due to his talent of playing the violin, was hired as an entertainer in an SS officers club. He worked with local resistance fighters to sneak explosives into the basement of the club, later on blowing it up and damaging German morale. It was an inspiring story of a young boy who had unmatched courage and bravery in the face of so much hardship. The museum contained great images and explanations of the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust and it was important for all of us to see and experience it in our own way. After we finished the tour, we had a memorial service for grandparents and other relatives of members of the trip who perished during the Holocaust and heard stories about their lives. It was a great way for members of the group to connect to each other and remember the past.
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Day 5: From the solemn to the surreal
Monday, 11 June, 2018 - 3:59 pm
After the museum, we took a break for lunch and many people grabbed falafel or tuna salad sandwiches. After lunch we went to Mt. Herzl where we learned about Theodore Herzl’s vision for a Jewish state and other interesting history tidbits about the creation of the Israeli state in 1948. We then took a tour around the cemetery learning about the Israeli Defense Forces and all those who have their lives in defense of their country. We heard from a friend of Tzvi (our tour guide) whose son was killed in the Second Lebanese War. He told us about his son’s dedication to his country and it was an inspiring story of courage and sacrifice from a man taken from this world way too early. We also heard from our Israeli soldiers who all have some connection to a soldier that was killed. It really showed all of us how small of a country Israel is, as well as how important military service is to Israelis. After Mt. Herzl we went back to the hotel to get ready for Shabat services. They took place at the Western wall and were quite the experience for all of us. Rabbi Levi lead us through the services and we joined in prayer with other Mayanot groups as well as Jerusalem natives. It’s not every day that we all experience such an incredible ceremony at the holiest place in the holiest city in the world. Due to Shabat, we were dropped off at the Old City, but we’re tasked with walking back to the hotel. After an hour of walking and a few hundred “are we there yet”s we arrived back at the hotel. It was a jam packed day but we enjoyed seeing more of Jerusalem and spending time with each other. We relaxed that evening and got some sleep for yet another day on Saturday of adventure and exploration. Although we’ve sometimes feel restricted by the intense schedules on the trip, we definitely have newfound appreciation and memories from this incredible country and it’s kind people.