Friday in Jerusalem is all about preparation for Shabbat. We began our day at Har Herzl, starting with a very creative multimedia experience about the life of Theodor Herzl. We continued on to the graves of some important Israelis - like Itzhak Rabin and Golda Meir. We then moved on to the military cemetery, as Jared spoke about the various wars - 1948, 1967, 1973 - that led to the development of the Jewish state and resulted in the sacrifice of life represented in the cemetery. Jared wove a very interesting narrative throughout about the development of the Israeli identity.
Then... on to the shuk to eat an amazing Iraqi lunch and to buy items for Shabbat lunch....cheeses, veggies, fruit, nuts, bread, cookies.... all found and purchased in the teeming aisles of the shuk.
After an afternoon rest, the group split up and attended Kabbalat Shabbat services at two different shuls. The one we attended featured a sheer mehitza, enthusiastic singing and a service led alternately by a man and a woman. It was interestingly similar to the Kabbalat Shabbat service we hold at the PJC and consquently helped us to feel a connection to fellow congregants in the shul -- and to Israel. When we got back to the hotel, we enjoyed a Shabbat meal all together. Shabbat Shalom.
Andrea and Peter Rothberg
N.B. We are sharing our hotel with a lovely group from Maryland. Their dining table was next to ours, and after dinner they began to bench and the PJC joined in, singing along and drumming on the dinner table.
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