Hello from Jerusalem!!
Last night we first heard from a young Palestinian who grew up in the coexistence community where we're staying called Neve Shalom. We then did a program on the chronological progression of the Holocaust and the challenge of selecting the right date for Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial/Remembrance Day.
All are looking forward to a great last few days in Jerusalem primarily focused on the intersection of politics and religion in the center of the world, concluding with Shabbat in the Old City.
We're having an amazing week. On Monday we went on a short hike outside of Jerusalem and learned about Caesar and the Romans who built it (and why). We then focused on modern military history, first visiting Latrun, a military museum and memorial focused on tanks, and then Ammunition hill where a critical battle in the Six Day War took place.
Monday night was a highlight of the trip. We went underground and toured the Kotel Tunnels, getting as close to the site of the Holy Temple Mount as we can get. The group really embraced the intense spirituality of the experience, and spontaneously prayed together underground in this holy space.
Yesterday we continued learning about Israeli military history. We went to the Herzl museum and then explored Har Herzl national cemetery. We visited the grave of Hannah Senesh, learned about the paratroopers' heroism, and then sang Eili Eili based on her poem. We visited the memorial to those killed in terrorist attacks and recited Mourner's Kaddish, and then visited the grave of Yonantan Netanyahu and learned about his heroism rescuing hostages from Entebbe, Uganda in July 1976. We finished our tour by visiting the graves of fallen soldiers and talking about those who died in Israel's most recent war with Lebanon in 2006.
Yesterday afternoon began with a really creative hands on arts project about mapping our journey. We then went to the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. Amazing.
This morning we spent several hours at Yad Vashem. We first watched the testimony of a survivor and then took a very comprehensive guided your of the museum. It was an emotional morning as we contemplated what the Holocaust says about humanity, modern Jewry, the founding of the State of Israel, and us.
Shalom!
Joy Getnick
CSL in Israel
