New Years Eve in Jerusalem

We woke up and walked over to Mount Herzl, which is Israel’s national cemetery for the country’s fallen leaders as well as soldiers who have passed away during Israel’s wars. It is a beautiful cemetery, full of trees and other vegetation surrounding and covering the graves, creating an incredible juxtaposition of life and death. We paused at certain gravesites to pay respects to soldiers who were particularly interesting or famous and to hear their stories. Our first stop was Ivan’s friend that was in the K-9 unit with him in the Army. Next we stopped at a grave to learn about a soldier who heroically jumped on a grenade to protect his fellow soldiers from the blast. We also saw the grave of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated in 1995 by a man upset with Rabin’s efforts for peace with surrounding countries. Lastly, at the top of the mount on which the cemetery was built, we visited the grave of Theodore Herzl, a man who was instrumental in the creation of the Jewish state. Before we left the cemetery, we sat down to discuss the issue of anti-Semitism which we face in our own lives.

            After breaking for lunch, we walked to Yad Vashem, Israel’s museum for the Holocaust. The museum’s architecture was incredible, starting with a dark, closed triangular space, gradually transitioning into smaller rooms, moving uphill, and heading towards the natural light at the end of the museum. The museum focused on telling the personal stories of the Holocaust’s victims, to give the tragedy a personal feel for those learning its history. There was even a separate memorial outside the museum that spoke all the names of all the children who were victims of the Holocaust. We ended by watching a documentary that featured a Greek man telling his personal story of survival in the Holocaust.

            We then took a short break for dinner and to pack for the next day’s excursion to the desert before visiting the Maale Film School, the world’s only Jewish film school. We watched two short Jewish films about issues that many Israelis and other Jews struggle with in the life, and we had the opportunity to talk with the producer of one of the films. Finally, we celebrated the New Year out on the town at a pedestrian mall in Jerusalem, giving each of us a New Year’s Eve we’ll be sure to remember for the rest of our lives.

~Louis Glazer and Lesley Read

Don't forget to check out our website. www.hillel.org.vt.edu

Tel Aviv

We woke up early for the first time today, and we were all somewhat tired because of that.

We went to Tel Aviv and admired all of the beautiful architecture while waiting for our soldiers to show up. When our soldiers arrived, we showed them our drawings of what we expected them to look like, and we did some icebreakers to get familiar with their names. They are all in our age group and they are all very polite and fun.

After meeting our soldiers, we went to Yitzhak Rabin Square and talked about political assassinations and the reasoning behind Rabin’s assassination. We also discussed its effect on Israel and its people and how we connect to that as Americans.

We then drove to Independence Hall and learned a lot about Tel Aviv and its founding. We also learned about the history of Israel and the hardships of the people.

We went to Jaffa and wandered around the marketplace for lunch and shopping. There was a flea market there that some of us wandered in to. The soldiers came with us and showed some of us around.

Shakked then took us on a small tour around Jaffa. She told us about how important Jaffa has been to Israel. We were also able to reflect on how much Tel Aviv has grown. It was a nice, long, day.

Brittany Vitner and Brett Gallahan

A Day of Rest in Jerusalem

Upon awakening in the holy city of Jerusalem we felt refreshed and ready for a quiet day of reflection and contemplation. Breakfast was early for those of us who slept through dinner the night before and was filled with great coffee and an interesting assortment of Israeli foods such as avocados and cheese. Our group activities started in the morning with optional yoga or a discussion with a local rabbinical student in Jerusalem. Afterwards, we feasted on lunch and in the afternoon we went for a walk and saw many of the government buildings such as the Knessett, the home of the Israeli parliament. We then concluded the walk with the Wohl Rose Park of Jerusalem where we played a fun game and had a stirring Hillel discussion about the uniqueness of being a Jew. We returned to the hotel where we are about to embark on a night of fun with new friends. Katelyn Flippen and Daniel Diner

Bus #1039 Overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem for the first time!

Welcome to Israel!

We started our trip at Newark Airport at 9.15am. After being interviewed by El Al officials, we sent our bags away, went through security and then boarded the plane. On the Boeing 777 we found out that everybody was assigned to random seats. There were a lot of Hassidic Jews aboard which was a cool culture shock. The flight lasted a daunting 10 hours.

When we landed, we went straight to Jerusalem on a bus to start our first busy day. There was little nap time and much to do. We started by stopping at a street ledge that overlooked the city of Jerusalem. We said the shehechianu, took pictures and danced. After getting back onto our tour bus, we headed straight to the old city. What a remarkable experience that was.

The city was hustling while getting ready for Shabbat. We toured the old city and saw the old ruins of the original market and city centers. Afterwards we arrived at the old temple in which our tour guide gave a very interesting brief history of the temple and the plaza’s significance and how it shifted hands through different people throughout the years. Next stop…the Western Wall!

Beautiful, historical, breathtaking and powerful are words that describe this landmark. Many of us wrote notes or said prayers in front of the wall and bestowed our wishes and prayers within. We later continued our adventure to the shuk which was impressively busy. The alleyways were crowed with people young and old getting ready for Shabbat. The market included fresh fruit, fish, falafel, candy, spices, breads and desserts. This market was hoppin’!

By this point everyone was exhausted. We headed to the hotel, lit the Shabbat candles and got ready for the Shabbat dinner. Now we are ready for bed!!

~Michael Callo and Jennie Cohen

Don't forget to check out our website. www.hillel.org.vt.edu

Upcoming Winter Trips!

Taglit-Birthright is departing from Newark Airport in 9 days! We can't wait to accompany so many Virginia Tech, Radford, and other Virginia students to Israel in just over a week! Keep an eye out for a post here every day from those students! The JNF alternative winter break trip to Israel is also leaving in just over a week! Three Hokies will be returning to Israel to do service work and agricultural work in the Negev! Keep an eye out for their reflection here sometime in January! Virginia Tech's first EVER interfaith alternative break will be leaving on January 9th to go to the Dominican Republic. Their experience will be here on the Hillel blog as well! Check back soon for more updates! Amanda Herring Coordinator of Engagement and Initiatives Hillel at Virginia Tech Don't forget to check out our website. www.hillel.org.vt.edu