Taglit Birthright Winter 2012 - Day 9
Posted on 12/24/2012 @ 04:00 PM
We began our day by overlooking the old city of Jerusalem and toasting to our lives with a little glass of grape wine. The view was breathtaking. Standing and looking over a city that is so old and holy was an experience that cannot be put into words.
Ido told us about the history of our country and why there is so much war over it. The fact that the mosque and Western Wall are right on top of one another put a lot of things in perspective for all of us, I believe. The war is real, and it is prevalent. It was also so nice to take a bunch of group photos with Rami and Ido.
Next, we toured the old city where Ido showed us ruins that existed when the second temple was in existence. It was amazing to touch stone and see that such historical things have been preserved over so much time. Beside the ruins were the shuks. We shopped in the shuks and bought many keepsakes and gifts for families and friends. We then went to the City of David where we went underground to see that there were still ruins existing that were written about in the Torah. We saw a diagram of how the City of David looked at the times of the bible and how it looks now. The excavations proved that such a city existed because the water trenches were in the exact place they were during the biblical era.
Finally, we reached the Western Wall. Touching stone that is so holy and old made me feel elated and enriched with history and emotion. As I kissed the wall, inserted my letter in the cracks of the stone, and said a prayer, I felt whole. I felt as if a puzzle piece to my cultural background as a Jew was added and fit perfectly. This was a very compelling and emotional experience for many being that everyone is fighting a battle, whether we know it or not, and being at the Western Wall gives one a sense of peace and solitude. This was by far one of my favorite moments during Birthright. Everyone felt a sense of personal gain.
Overall, this day’s experience was amazing and I believe it touched everyone’s hearts in a personal way.
Leer D. Gloger
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