Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Tisha B'Av

Yesterday was a somber day, not just because of the sites we saw, but because of what the day itself represented. I mentioned this a bit in the previous post, but yesterday was Tisha B'Av one of a few fasting days on the Jewish calendar. It also serves as somewhat of a memorial day and a day of reflection especially for the Israeli Orthodox, which is why our touring sites yesterday were a bit more crowded than just any other Tuesday.

The track was closed yesterday so mostof us just ran here neat the kibbutz on our own. There are not a lot of places to run - a dirt path that turns to thick sand pretty quickly was out, so we were down to the small stretch of road, lasting a bit over 2 miles. The bright side is that it leads to a small park with some very interesting sculpture work.

After the run, we took off to return to Jerusalem once more, but this time, we stayed outside the gates of the old city. Our first stop would be the National Cemetery. It is very interesting to see how it is laid out. I have never been to Arlington, to know how it compares to its American counterpart which makes it more interesting to me. Laid to rest here are members of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) along with high ranking Military officials, and those members of the IDF who fell while in service. Government stones are black while Military stones are white. There is one exception to this rule - Yitzak Rabin, who has a black stone for himself and a white stone for his wife (spouses of high ranking officials are also laid to rest here). Rabin's stone is unique for a few reasons. First he not only served as Prime Minister but also held high ranks in the Military, earning him the right for both a Black or White stone. However, he was also assassinated, an event which shook the country, and therefore this unique circumstance deserved a unique resting place.

From here we made out way to Yad Vashem (The Israeli Holocaust museum). I have been on these grounds twice before, but I do not recall going into the actual museum (the current building did not exist on my first trip here). It has been many years since I visited the museum in DC, but I can not imagine a more impactful site in any other city. Even the architecture and design of the structure is done with specific intent. Everything in Jerusalem is made with specific Jersusalem stone...EXCEPT Yad Vashem which is made on concrete. Pictures are not allowed in most of the Museum, but you can see one picture of the very end, a room full of binders. These binders are filled with names of those killed during the Holocaust, and remembering everyone is a process, one that they do not expect to ever be complete. There are thousands of binders in this room and seeing the rows and rows of binders is certainly a moving site.

Afterleaving the main exhibit, we gathered as a large group with other buses in a memorial hall for a small presentation. As a group we read the mourner's kaddish and sang the Israeli National Anthem - Hatikvah. A few athletes were called down to read off just a few names of Jewish athletes - just like us who were murdered. I think this really hit most of us hard, I know it did for me.

Once we left Yad Vashem, the day would turn eventually to that of celebration. We were off to a beautiful facility somewhere between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for the B'nai Mitzvah ceremony. This was a chance for folks who never had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah to have one, or for those who chose, to have another (to reaffirm etc.). I felt that I had my Bar Mitzvah at 13 and did not want to diminish this event, so chose to watch rather than actively participate...a choice shared by many. It was a special night for two of our track athletes, Sean and Danielle who were being made Bar and Bat Mitzvah for the first time. The ceremony was followed by one of the better dinners we have had yet this trip, so that was also a plus.

Yesterday ended the Israeli Connect portion of our trip and today we move to our new hotel. This meant we would say goodbye to Muki our tour guide for the last 5 days. Muki was great, so great infact that during Yad Vashem we picked up people from other buses and even an older orthodox man. After the museum we all sat together and reflected and at the end we did not say goodbye but rather L'hitraot which will serve as today's word of the day. L'hitraot roughly means see you later. So we've come to the end of another post. Next time you hear from me I will be at my new hotel in downtown Tel Aviv, so until then...L'hitraot.



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