Another two day recap because this trip has been so busy and exciting that I forgot to blog yesterday! Day 6 started with a water hike in the tunnels underneath the Western Wall. We walked through those ancient tunnels with water up to our ankles and sometimes higher and very little light to see where we were going. Despite the dark, we had the best time getting to experience that. Our next stop was a very emotional one, Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem is the holocaust museum in Jerusalem that we had the opportunity to walk through. We learned about the terrors surrounding the holocaust, shared personal stories of how it affected all of us and reflected on the importance of never forgetting. Switching tones of the trip a little, we traveled to the western wall, this time to put our notes in, take some pictures, and bat mitzvah seven girls! The wall was a super spiritual and personal time and then it was so nice to all gather together at the top and celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of seven of our friends. We sang, danced, spoke, and enjoyed this special moment together as a group and I know it’s a day none of us will ever forget. We finished the day at the hotel where we ate dinner and then had two programs. The first one was Gift of Life which is an organization that has us swag our cheeks to see if we could potentially be a bone marrow match. We learned about the history of the organization and how we can help if we would like to. We then wrapped up with a program from Stand With Us, where a speaker talked with the group about the current situation going on in Israel and the Middle East. The talk was interesting for everyone and sparked great group discussion.
ב"ה
Days 6 & 7: From Yad Vashem to Bat Mitzvahs at the Kotel & Tel Aviv
Tuesday, 28 May, 2019 - 2:21 am
Day 7 started bright and early as we made our way to Tel Aviv. We began with a tour of the old city of Jaffa. We walked around, saw some shops and admired the beautiful place. Next, we went to the Carmel Market, a shuk full of food, clothes, jewelry, candy, and really any goodies you could want. To cool off a little, we went to Tel Aviv Beach. There, we swam, played games, and relaxed on the soft sand under the hot sun. It was a very enjoyable day into a very fun night. We had our Tel Aviv leisure night, the last leisure night of the trip, and everyone went out, danced, ate food, and had an overall incredible night. Can’t wait for what tomorrow brings in the desert!