Birthright Day 6
Day 6 I found myself heading to a place I had long wished to see. The City of Jerusalem beckoned, and I finally came. First I got a chance to explore the Old City. The place was steeped in cultures of the many nations that had risen and fallen within the area of the City. All it really takes is some digging and you are bound to find history in the Capital of Israel.
Still the greater sight was just ahead. The Kotel, the Western Wall, the pinnacle of religious sites in Judaism. I finally after many years awaiting my chance, got to pray at the Wall. This is the closest that a modern Jew can get to praying at the temple. I won’t lie when I say this was the greatest moment of the trip as far as my religious journey was concerned. I wrapped Tefilin and prayed at the wall. I also listened to a Torah Reading at the wall, which seemed to be even more special than normally listening to a reading. The power of this place cannot be described in words. You will have to enter this sacred area yourself to truly understand the experience. Don’t take it from me either. Some of my new friends from the trip even got their official Bar and Bat Mitzvahs while in this holy area.
Next the group departed the Old City and I found myself quickly in one of Jerusalem’s busy markets. It really is important for me to point out at this point just how much better the quality of food is in Israel than in the United States. There is little to no grease in the food and the fresh fruit and veggies take far longer to spoil than in the United States as well.
The high point of the day came to an end as the night turned to darker topics. Leading into what was to occur the next day, we spent the night as a group discussing the Holocaust. This of course is an issue that just about anyone will get emotional about, but to me as someone who has survived more than one form of discrimination that became significantly elevated, I share a very different outlook than most. The standard response is to avoid conflict and be the bigger person, but I firmly believe that standing and fighting is the only option. To show deference in my opinion is to already admit defeat.
We got rest and did not go out for a night on the town in preparation for what I would soon discover was to be the heaviest day of the entire trip.