Friday was when the “fun trip” became an “amazing trip”. We all woke up early at our hotel, ate a nice Israeli breakfast, and hopped into our bus. Our first stop was the Kinnerat Cemetery, which was a place along the Kinnerat filled with the graves of some of the earliest settlers of modern day Israel. It was there that we learned about the early Zionist pioneers and their dreams for the state of Israel. It was also a plus for us to have some of the soldiers joining us on the trip (even Dor…J ), because even though our guide was very interesting, they made it even better, offering a different and unique perspective.
On our way to Jerusalem, we passed the West Bank, which was a very interesting part of our trip, because back in the United States, all we know about is what we saw on the news, and the fact is that this area that we were passing through was the center of it all. Truthfully, there were some bunkers and tanks, which we could see, but it was a lot different than what most of us had thought it would be like.
After we passed through there, we entered the city of Jerusalem. One of the best memories of this for us was when we were driving through the tunnel to enter the city, and one of our trip leaders (Sam) got up and right before we entered, he said “Ladies and gentleman, look to the left and you will see the city of Jerusalem.” Immediately, we saw a bright light at the end of the dark tunnel, and we all shifted ourselves to the left side of the bus. While looking at the city that we have heard so much about (but never been too) was an amazing sight for all of us, the looks on all of our faces were absolutely priceless.
After we arrived in Jerusalem, we stopped at Mount Scopus, overlooking the city and all of its beauty. There, we admired the beautiful view with several other Birthright trips, and we all partook in the traditional “schehechiyanu” blessing. But not before we busted out into a crazy, emotional dance session. It was truly a magical experience, not only to see Jerusalem, but to share it with other people, and express it through song and dance.
Next we went to the Machaneh Yehuda Market, where we had about an hour and a half to walk around and just explore. Searching through the market, we experienced tastes and smells that reminded us of something from our childhood while also encountering things that were alien to us. Some of us bought lunch (falafel, shwarama, etc), some bought knick-nacks, and some just stopped and listened to the funny looking lady playing the ukulele at the front of the market.
With Shabbat looming, we checked into our hotel in Jerusalem, washed up, rested, and got ready for a nice and relaxing Shabbat.
A lot of people would agree that today was hands down the best and emotional day of our trip so far. It only gets better from here, and I hear that we may get to sleep in on Shabbat…
-Noah Rozenberg
Israeli Dancing
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