Friday morning. Another morning in which I am grateful to be waking up in Jerusalem. I made the trek to the Kotel.
Because it's Erev Shabbat, the plaza was more packed with people. Many Israelis start their day early with a Kotel visit to allow time to prepare for Shabbat.
We had an incredible morning. We heard from two great speakers: Ester Bisawer, a lawyer from the Ethiopian community, who has joined the anti-racism unit set up to be able to deal with the racism that exists in Israel against the Ethiopian community. It was a pleasure to hear about the issues, and to see her positive attitude to try and make it work. She believes that everyone will learn to live well together without having to worry about racism or bias against any group, and she battles to make her dream a reality. That takes incredible courage.
We then heard from Professor Robbie Sabel, who is a legal advisor in the Foreign Ministry and was very involved in many of the behind-the-scenes negotiations that Israel had done in the '90s with Jordan and the peace process. He really gave us an in-depth look that was fascinating and very appreciated.
Then we went to the City of David, an incredible archaeological site where they are digging up and exploring the beginnings of the city of Jerusalem, which started with King David.
We had a chance to tour an area for VIP guests. The leaders of the excavation site guided us through an area not open to the public. There, they uncovered an entire road, the road that every Jew in the Second Temple era used to travel on when coming to the festivals to spend at the Temple in Jerusalem. They went to the Mikvah at the bottom of the hill in the Shiloah pool, walking hundreds of metres on the way to the Temple. We walked on the same road.
They spent an enormous amount of money reinforcing the entire area under the houses so they can excavate and uncover the road. To see remnants of a palm tree, coins, and other items that were excavated from the area and come from the time when people traveled the road was very special.
From there we went to Machaneh Yehuda Shuk, the market, to capture the vibe of getting ready for Shabbat. Thousands were making their way through shoulder to shoulder, trying to buy their fares for Shabbat. We joined in and became part of the great energy and adrenaline. Then we went back to get ready for Shabbat.
Shabbat was magical. We all went to the Old City where the women led a candle-lighting ceremony. We all marched together to the Kotel. The men's group joined in an incredible, melodious service filled with singing and dancing. All the melodies of the many groups around the Kotel float together and create a beautiful song and feeling of Shabbat.
With that great spirit, we went up to a beautiful hall overlooking the Western Wall, and had a delicious and spirited Shabbat dinner. People shared their feelings, how the trip has been a transformative experience. We had lots of Lechaims, and sang songs together til late at night and continued with a lively Farbrengen back at the hotel where many people shared personal accounts that were very moving and powerful.
Shabbat was a restful day. Some joined me to pray at the Great Synagogue, while others joined a special beginners' service where many serious questions were asked about Judaism and Jewish life. Both services were informative and inspiring.
We had a beautiful lunch together which consisted of buffet with every food you can dream of.
From there we went to meet and hear from Amit Segal, one of the leading political correspondents who gave us a picture of how politics works in Israel, and the current situation as it stands. He also discussed what he expects may happen. It was informative. We really got to understand the Israeli system down to the kishkes.
We then strolled through the Talpiot neighbourhood, where we saw beautiful homes and residences. We saw how the city has developed.
We then went back to the hotel. When Shabbat was over, we had a musical Havdalah on the rooftop of the Orient Hotel. Everyone held their candles and sang and danced. We all celebrated the beautiful Shabbat we had experienced, and plan on bringing that spirit into the week we are entering into. The Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lion was our privileged guest for Havdalah. He addressed us and expressed his gratitude for our visit to Jerusalem and for continuing to support Israel.
What a memorable Shabbat!
