Day 8 - More Jerusalem

Today was a day packed with poignant learning, as well as fun. We began the day by visiting Yad Vashem, Israel's famous Holocaust museum. Here, students had a chance to access their prior knowledge of the Shoah, as well as learn new information, gathering more meaning into the existence of the State of Israel. As we weaved our way through the galleries, ending up on a beautiful lookout overlooking the hills of Jerusalem, we understood on a deeper level how important Israel is to us, in the wake of this piece of our history.

From here, we went to Har Herzl, Israel's military cematary and memorial for fallen soldiers. Along with paying homage at the graves of the Jewish peoples greatest leaders including Yitzhak Rabin, Theodor Herzl, and Hannah Senesh, we learned about the many soldiers who have fallen and continue to fall in defense of Israel. At each stop we read a poem or sang a song, reflecting on what the specific location meant to us.

We then headed to Machane Yehudah, the large outdoor Jersualem market for lunch. But lunch was not our only mission at the shuk...our students had the important task of buying food for our highly anticipated Shabbat lunch picnic! In teams, students scoured shuk for fresh fruit, bread, dessert, cheeses, and other treats. It's sure to be a delicious meal!

After some down time to get ready for Shabbat, we headed to services at Shira Chadasha, a local modern orthodox synagogue. It was exciting to see the different kinds of Jewish expression and practice here in Jerusalem!

We enjoyed a delicious Shabbat dinner in our hotel with some special guests...our wonderful tour guide Zvi's wife and sons! After dinner, we gathered for a festive oneg. Students shared songs, poems, riddles, and more. Zvi told stories, Marc rapped, and Deborah even sang her new origional songs!

We are excited for a relaxing Shabbat tomorrow, including services outdoors and our picnic lunch. Shabbat Shalom!