Shabbat

Good Shabbas!
Another eventful day and rewarding in so many ways. We awoke to Shabbat in Jerusalem. Some of us chose to "chill" at the hotel, enjoying this beautiful hotel and pool. Others of us went exploring. We chose to walk to Hebrew Union College for services. Rabbi Spilker led us to HUC walking through the first Jewish neighborhood outside the Old City established around the late 1800s, Mishkenot Sh'ananim. It is adorned with beautiful flowers and this was a beautiful walk. Upon arriving at HUC, the sanctuary was packed with many visiting groups. There were so many people that chairs were lining the entrance. The service was led by Rabbi Spilker's former classmates and colleagues from HUC. The service was complete with 2 guitars, piano, drum, and beautiful cantorial voices.
After the service, a group of us walked back to the hotel. While walking we passed the YMCA. Normally, I would have passed on by but before departing for Israel my father had told me that going to the top of the tower of the YMCA was a "must do!". We bought our elevator tickets for 10 shekels and went to the top. The view was amazing! You could see to the horizon 360 degrees around the city. Jerusalem is a sprawling city in all directions. This ascent really gave us all a perspective and an appreciation for the city. Thanks, dad! The best 10 shekels I've spent so far! We meandered back to the hotel for lunch and a few minutes rest.
Little did I know that the day was just beginning...
The group met up and we walked through the "Valley of Death" and arrived at the Jaffa Gate. We walked through the Arab market and then along the rooftops of the Old City where our guide Muki pointed out the different "quarters" of the Old City.
After some shopping in the Arab market we met up at the Jaffa Gate and then met up with Rabbi David Wilfond for a "Walking the Psalms in Jerusalem" shabbat walking tour. Rabbi Wilfond led us in reading and studying Psalms that related to what we were seeing. We saw King David's Tomb along our walk. This was really interesting to relate our text with the exact place we were standing. Really interesting! At one point we were standing next to a shul, adjacent to that was a church, and adjacent to that was a mosque. This is truly a Holy land.
Our walking tour ended up inside the Old City in a spot overlooking Mount of Olives, adjacent to the Western Wall, and looking out in front of us we could see some mosques. The sounds of prayer coming from all directions-- sounds coming from the Western Wall, call to worship coming from the mosques, church bells ringing. At this overlook, we gathered together for Havdallah. The kids joined Rabbi Spilker in leading Havdallah. Truly we celebrated as a Mount Zion community our first Shabbat together in Eretz Israel and in Jerusalem. This was very moving and a Shabbat I will always remember.

Our evening continued on as we headed toward Ben Yehuda and Nachalat Shiva Pedestrian Mall where we joined the many Israelis out on the town. It was a big celebration of dancing, singing, and shopping!
And, finally as I finish writing this blog entry it is 1:00am. A full and wonderful day. As I took my evening pills I noticed that we still have another week as pilgrims. Each day has been a wonderful adventure and I cherish those to come. We are learning so many things, wrestling with new concepts and ideas, opening our minds, and especially opening our hearts to this incredible Holy land.
Lila tov,
Susan Schwartz