Last time I was here, I was 9 or so. There are certain parts of our trip that I remember completely, but I don't really remember what it was like being at the kotel. So for me, this was almost like being there for the first time. Before we went in each of us was given a branch of Rosemary; the point of that was so that we would not only have the sights and the sounds of all around us at that moment, but we would also have a smell. When we walked into the old city, you could hear the Muslims saying their last prayer of the day. As we moved towards the wall our madraheem gave each of us a slip of paper which asked us to think about who we wished could be there with us. Although I've been to the wall before, this time I really could understand the meaning and know more of the history. It was really amazing just to be there. When we were walking out some of us were crying a bit, and everyone just had our arms wrapped around each other. We may have only been together for a week but we are already a family.
After we went to a pizza place for dinner then to a Debbie Friedman memorial concert at HUC. Then we went to an outdoor mall for free time.
I walked around with my friends for a while. Some of the kids who had brought their guitars for the concert had started playing and the rest of us started joining in. It was really cool cause it just kind of happened. All of us with our arms wrapped around each other were just singing in the middle of this mall. Some of the Israelis even stopped to take pictures and videos of us. Overall it was a really nice night, and one that I'll remember for a very long time.
It sounds like it was very special to be there with your group. I am glad you found it so meaningful. Love You!
ReplyDelete