Today, Saturday, was Shabbat and therefore we had a day of rest, at least till the sun set.
I started off the day with another great breakfast, learning how to properly eat one of dishes properly from one of our soldiers. The dish was a type of baked/fried flaky type of dough which he, Roi, told me to put a sesame sauce or cheese on- he was right- my favorite ended up being a goat cheese on it.
Then I chose to go to the 10:30 AM power yoga class. This class was lead by another student who was on a birthright trip that was yoga focused. The class was very well done, hard work, and very much so needed. It was a great way to be in the moment on our special Shabbat in Jerusalem. It was also nice to physically stretch after having a few days of sitting on buses and carrying backpacks. All together it was a great way to reenergize for the rest of the trip.
Then our whole group met up for a Shabbat lunch with the other hillel groups. This was followed by a group session where we were given 24 cards that involved Jewish values/activities and we had to choose what was necessary to propagate the religion, pretty much what were key Jewish values. We first went to 10 which was hard for our group, then 5, then 3, and finally 1. Interestingly enough, every group chose raising children Jewish as their final card. Everyone chose this card because we felt it encompassed the others so we talked about issues with the broadness of the card and talked about how being raised differently than others doesn't make one person a better Jew than another. It was really interesting to see everyone's thought processes and hear how the Israelis' thoughts were similar and different to ours.
Finally our group went to have Bat Mitzvot for two of the girls in our group. This was pretty special to me, especially for one of the girls who had her Bat Mitzvah because I've seen first hand how she has grown on the trip and become more connected to a Jewish background she never really was involved with before. It was also a bit weird because we sang two songs, they read the prayers before and after the reading, our Israeli fellow read the portion in Hebrew, and our tour leader gave a d'var Torah, a summary of the portion with a lesson tied in, but that was really it so it didn't feel like a Bat Mitzvah to me. At the end we through candy, sang, and danced the Horah to celebrate!
Then we returned to our rooms to get ready to go out. While I was back I saw something out the window which really made me realize that I was in Jerusalem for Shabbat and how special that is- everyone walking back from synagogue. It was a great beginning to the end of Shabbat.
Finally, we boarded a bus and went to the YMCA, which had a huge Christmas tree outside. Then we went inside and met with other birthright trips where we had a Havdallah service and Hanukkah candle lighting with music and dancing, well at least the Penn Staters got up from our rows and danced all over the room in a line and circles. Then we got a chance to hear the fascinating and funny Avraham, who was the director of birthright in the beginning, speak about what it means to be a Jew. Through stories and reactions, as he called them, he discussed what a Jew does or doesn't do and talked about whether or not Judaism is a religion or culture and why certain issues arise in either viewpoint. His talk was very thought provoking and made me really think about what being Jewish means to me.
It was finally time for dinner and our night out. We arrived at Ben Yehuda Street and had a perimeter we were to stay in but otherwise we're free to roam. Some of my friends and I went to a great falafel place on the Main Street.
Falafel
We then walked some more and saw a big Chanukiah/Menorah and shopped a bit just to take in the atmosphere, a lot of which was birthright participants.
Then we ran into Alona, our Israeli fellow, and asked her where to get coffee so she took us to, Aroma, which is one of Israel's most popular coffees. On our way more and more people from our group joined in. I got a Cafe Aroma which was coffee with chocolate on the bottom. The coffee in Israel is not nearly as bitter as at home and is also stronger. Then we got a chance to hang out there with some of our group including the soldiers, who were not allowed in bars anyway. We ended up singing the Hanukkah Song by Matisyahu- a favorite of ours- and do some Penn State cheers.
Aroma
While walking around a bit was saw the Chabad van which was like a party van. They, young teenagers, were blasting music and parked, stopping traffic, to get out and on the roof to dance. It was unlike anything I had seen before and was quite a lot of fun.
Chabad Party Van
Finally we headed back to our meet up point at 11:50 so our whole group could welcome in the New Year together.
Happy 2017 everyone!
Laura
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