Today was a real cerebral day.
Our breakfast briefing was done by Dr Rachel Korazim. She gave us an entirely new perspective of the Holocaust and how to view Yad Vashem. She explained that the process of both the Nazis and eventually the liberators was to photograph the people in the camps in such a way as to show them in their worst possible moment, without dignity. She told us that when we see the black and white photos of people without hair in striped pajamas, we should try to imagine them with colored clothes, hair, beards, hats and jewelery, as they would have liked us to see them. She also explained how we should explain the holocaust to our children.
We then spent the entire morning at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial centre. The museum part was difficult to walk through, seeing the abominable, unbelievable atrocities inflicted on the Jews of Europe. Although it is unpleasant, infuriating, saddening and extermely emotional, it is something every human being should do once in their lives.
We ended the visit to Yad Vashem with a very moving ceremony in which members of our Mission placed wreaths on a grave stone for the six million Jews who perished. We heard stories of survivors, Psalms were read and then everyone said a prayer for the dead. A cantor sang two extremely meaningful songs, one being the song that the Jews sang as they walked into the gas chambers. There was not a dry eye in the hall. We ended the ceremony with everone singing Hatikva (Hope) the Israeli National Anthem.
After spending a short time for lunch in a typical Israeli Jerusalem neighborhood, we traveled to the Haas Promenade for a small ceremony prior to welcoming the Shabbat. We sang and danced overlooking the old city of Jerusalem.
From there we were dropped off at the old city to spend Kabbalat Shabbat at the Kotel; the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. This developed into one of the unscripted but amazing events of the mission. A group of us started the Kabbalat Shabbat with the leadership of Rabbi Gelman from UOS in Houston. It added a new meaning doing this in front of this holy place. When we finished, we started to dance in our little group. There was a bunch of around 25 Israeli soldiers next to us. They invited us over to join them. We all started dancing together with vigor singing "Am Yisroel Chai!" (The Nation of Israel Lives). There was another group of religious Jewish Yeshiva students behind us. All of a sudden, they also joined us. It was amazing and inspiring.
Eventually we left the combined group to fonish our Shabbat service, after which we walked through the Old City, through a modern (closed) mall and down to our hotel.
At the hotel, after a quick wash, we joined our entire group for a Shabbat Dinner with a visiting Rabbi, a Jewish Archipelo group and some visiting students and current soldiers who are in Israel from Houston.
A wonderful, difficult, inspiring, day which made us think... a lot!
Shabbat Shalom.
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