Taglit Birthright Summer 2014 - Day 8
Posted on 06/20/2014 @ 04:00 PM
On Friday, we had one of the most incredible days of the entire trip. To begin the day, we took a ride to a spot overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. Here, Hagai gave us a breakdown of the history of Jerusalem and the different historical landmarks. This lookout spot had breathtaking views of the holiest city in the world and, with yet another wonderfully delivered presentation by our tour guide, I was able to get a better understanding of the story of each important location and how the stories were intertwined with the others over the course of history.
After leaving the lookout point, we headed straight for the Old City of Jerusalem. When we were dropped off, we entered through the Jaffa Gate and walked through the Armenian Quarter en route to the Jewish Quarter, stopping at various spots to learn more about the historic city that we were walking through. Once inside the walls, it was difficult to fully comprehend just how significant of a place I was currently in and how much history had taken place there over the years. It was hard to fully grasp everything all at once: the architecture, the people, the stores and other general surroundings; this was certainly a sensory overload and the day had barely even begun.
Soon enough, we were given an opportunity to shop within the Jewish Quarter. This was certainly an interesting experience. All of the stores and mini shops had their own different touch and items to offer. However, considering that we collectively had "tourist" and "American" written all over us, prices were immediately higher in ordering to capitalize on our naivety. Though I did not end up buying anything, it was great to walk around and take in all this marketplace had to offer.
From the marketplace, we moved on towards the Western Wall. Upon arriving, we stopped atop the staircase, tied "good luck" red strings on our wrists, and listened to a brief history of the Wall, it's significance, different practices, and other tidbits from Hagai. Finally, it was time to approach the Kotel, my single most anticipated event when learning that I'd be taking part in the Birthright experience.
I was lucky enough to experience the Kotel with both my brother, Jared, and one of the Israeli soldiers, Shlomo, who became one of my great friends throughout the trip. This was extra special for me as Jared and I are extremely close and being able to share an experience of this magnitude was something I simply could not have planned. As for Shlomo, having him there as well was amazing as he was able to give me his own first hand experiences with the Kotel, different bits of information and customs that he knew of, and he even offered to say a prayer of our choice while on site. Needless to say, it is difficult to describe how nice that was.
While at the Kotel, I was able to close my eyes, say a few personal prayers, leave a note in the Wall, and just take in my surroundings and the whole experience. This event on the trip certainly lived up to and fully exceeded my initial expectations.
Following our time at the Kotel, we broke for lunch and then boarded the bus to be back at the hotel in time for Shabbat to begin. When we got back to the hotel, we gathered together to light the Shabbos candles, said our prayers, and enjoyed dinner as a group. All in all, this was certainly one of the best days on the Birthright trip!
Josh Klein
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