Wednesday evening we shared a final meal with our Israeli colleagues, boarded our bus and headed for the Kibbutz Ginosar. We rose early Thursday morning and were greeted with our first glimpses of the sea of Galleli. Before loading on the bus once again, some were able to enjoy a few peaceful moments on the shores of the lake.
Our bus journeyed further North towards the Golan Heights. We stopped for a visit at the Gadot lookout. This site is now a war memorial, but was once a Syrian military post. Our group gathered under a shady tree and listened to a brief review of Israeli history. What was so amazing was that as our guide Shelley schooled us on the history Shira and Tova shared first hand accounts of moments in their lives. Hearing Tova tell of a phone endlessly ringing on Yom Kippur to call her husband to the 6 day war made the history a reality.
The next stop on our trip took us to Safed, the center of Kaballah. We visited several synagogues, shopped the artisans, and enjoyed a meal together. After the boisterous excitement of Safed, we climbed the stairs to the Kinnert cemetery. Our guide Shelly reminded us that “cemeteries are the best places to meet people”. To that end she introduced us to Rachel Bluwstein. Rachel’s poetry gave voice to the experiences of those first people making Alliyah to Israel. We also took time at the cemetery to paint individual pictures of the view from the cemetery.
After the quiet reflection of the cemetery, we headed to our final destination of the day, Jerusalem. We got quick glimpses of the holy city as our bus sped past Bedouin villages and brown landscapes. We arrived at Mount Scopus and stepped off the bus to be greeted by the city. Emotions ran high as we snapped pictures and made videos to share with family at home. We gathered together and sang “Shehechiyanu” and felt truly grateful for being in that moment. We held friends close while singing “Yerushalayim shel zahav- Jerusalem of Gold” and stared at the beautiful city below. As we headed out for dinner, we each walked away feeling our own sense of joy, of belonging and excitements for the moments to come.
– Kelly Gumina, Danielle West, Judy Abrams
