Jerusalem - Adam Weinstock

Wake up duty (again) and its beautiful to see the morning one last time from the Kibbutz.

We get the kids out of bed and their bags on the bus. A quick breakfast, some birthday wishes / songs for our Bus 2 crew and we load the bus heading for Jerusalem.

We remind the kids to write notes for the Kotel. All the girls are dressed so beautifully, it is wonderful to see. The bus rolls out and the kids pass out!

Jules wakes up the bus as we approach the outskirts of town. Matisyahu's 'Jerusalem' plays in the background as we enter the tunnel before the city. As we exit the tunnel and look to our left the most beautiful of sights is in front of our eyes. We get see the old city in all its glory on a beautiful day.

Our first stop is a lookout where we can all see the entire city, take pictures and take in the beauty of this ancient city. Then its into town, Ben Yehuda. We arrive a few minutes before 11 and settle in at the top of the street for the siren and minute of silence for Yom Hazikaron. It is amazing to watch everything stop as the siren goes off. The entire group stands silent and in amazement for 1 minute. It was amazing to me to think, in that short time, how I was afforded that minute in Jerusalem thanks to the sacrifice of so many. My heart went out to their families.

After that we had about 1 hour of free time to shop on Ben Yehuda. The kids too full advantage. Shopping & Shawarma, a great combination.

We got back together and walked over to the old city. A beautiful walk through time as Jules explained the history and architecture of the old city. We slowly made our way towards the Western wall. It has been far too long, 19 years, since I laid my eyes on the Kotel. This is not something I will let happen again. She stands strong after over 2,000 years and you can't help but be amazed by that.

We went over to the Kotel and all the group of boys put on Tfillin and said the Shma together at the Kotel. We took group and individual pictures and had time to place notes and say personal prayers. I took full advantage!

We got back together as a group, took a Bus Photo at the Kotel and then headed to the bus.

We arrived at the hotel with plenty of free time to unpack, shower and change for tonight's celebrations. Each day continues to only get better and yet I know this amazing journey is nearing its end. I can't wait to celebrate Yom Ha'Atzmaout tonight in Jerusalem. We are all going dressed in white shirts and I'm sure it will be quite the sight.

More later!