My family and I woke to the noises of the bustling street just below our room and were happily greeted by the morning Jerusalem sun peeking through our window shades. We try to get up and get dressed to no avail, but were happily pleased when we went down to breakfast to find that we were not the only family to sleep in and take an extra half hour to get ready. So one could say that our day started off a little late. We then quickly loaded the bus and hightailed it out of there to the Jewish National Fund Forest to plant trees. On our hike down the path David was telling us that in the 60 some years since the first tree was planted, the forest now boasted a whopping 244 million trees, making Israel that much greener. Planting the trees was probably one of the most rewarding experiences on this trip. Everyone was really able to dig their hands into the very land of Israel and plant a piece of themselves that will be with the country for years to come; so everyone will have left a piece of themselves behind.
Since our whole day started off a half hour late we had to quickly get back on the bus and head to our next destination, leaving behind our baby trees to enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery. We drove another 20 minutes down the winding roads and made our way to the Herzl Museum. The museum was a fun and interactive experience that really brought the essence of Herzl to life. Although the actors in the movie were somewhat comical, the character of Herzl came across loud and clear. He was a man who persevered and went above and beyond the limits of any one man to help find a home in Israel for all his ridiculed people living in Europe. It was sad to know that he would not live to see the day that Israel would announce its independence; yet also comforting to know that at least he wouldn’t have to learn that instead of talking to leaders of countries to get the land, that instead it took killing 6 million Jews to finally send the message across to be able to get a homeland in Israel. But I would like to believe that Herzl would be proud of what has become of Israel, the land he sought after for his entire life. After a quick trip up to see the grave site, we were whisked off to the tunnels of the Western Wall
Though I would like to say that the highlight of the trip was either going to the Western Wall to pray or seeing the old city, the highlight for some namely the boys was being able to track down Amare Stotlmyer of the New York Nicks and get a picture with him. It’s not every day you see a famous basketball player in Israel, especially one who is there to learn Hebrew due to the fact that his mother just realized she was Jewish. Go figure. Anyways after a sandwich lunch we made our way down into the tunnels of the Western Wall. It was heartwarming to know that there was a part of the wall that both men and women could pray at together instead of being separated, as if the tunnels were the only place where the laws of equality really shined through. It was also interesting to learn about the history of the wall and the Great Temple. It was humbling to know that a wall could hold so much power over a vast group of people. At the end of the tunnel tour we made our way through the back streets of Jerusalem to get to our bus. But on the way there, in one of the alleyways, we came across some momentous and important holy christian sites like the Fountain of Bethesda where Jesus was said to have healed the blind, and the place where the Virgin Mary was born.
After finally making it to the bus and one hour later we found ourselves sitting in a circle listening to the stories of the Ethiopian Jews who made the aliyah from their native Ethiopian Villages to the city of Jerusalem. It was humbling to hear of their struggles to reach their holy city, the place they had been dreaming about for years, and the hardships they had to face; like the one woman who got married at 13 and had her first baby at 17 three weeks into the trip to Sudan and how she only got 30 minutes before they had to keep on walking. After listening to the stories and asking our questions, we went upstairs to where the kids were singing and dancing, and started handing out all the presents. It was invigorating to watch the children’s faces light up with each new gift they were handed, and it was a rewarding experience overall. Then we all went out to watch them play soccer, where we cheered on Matt in the goal, and Nate, Aiden, Daniel, Ben, Claude, and Lev as they tried to score while they played alongside the other Ethiopian children.
Then it was time to say our goodbyes as we boarded the bus to dinner, and then somehow cart ourselves off to bed, with the words of Herzl still fresh in our minds. “If you will it, it is not a dream”.
Mitch, Yitah, Sydney, and Evan
No comments:
Post a Comment