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| Day 8: Jerusalem and South | | Date Created: Jan 11, 2005, 04:16 PM |
 Day 8 was probably the most trying day of the tour. Many in the group were extremely exhausted from a long evening at the mega club. The place was supposed to be the best in the Middle East, but personally, I thought it was small, the decor was a bit dry and drinks were ridiculously expensive. One of our group ordered a double scotch and it came out to 96 sheckels (the equivalent of almost $24). We got home at around 2 AM and the NFL football games were on in the hotel. It IS the playoffs. By 3 AM, about 10 of us were there with a bottle of wine and a long night ahead. The Jets were up, but everyone bailed by 4 PM. If I was a die hard, I would stay up the whole night-- and that I did. I hung out with some guys from the IDF and hooted and hollered until I fell asleep most of the way through the 2nd quarter. I woke up just in time for the fourth and literally watched the sun rise as the Jets were finishing up in overtime.
Point is, I had no sleep and our first scheduled meeting was with a holocaust survivor. It was a painful morning, but nothing compared with the pain and suffering she conveyed because of a horrible episode she had to endure sixty years before. She was from Holland, and lost her sister and father in the Holocaust. She was also good friends with Anne Frank, and told us about Anne and her family. Hannah's parents used to socialize with them before the Holocaust began. Hannah left for Israel after the war with help from Mr. Frank-- I couldn't stop thinking about the other countries that never let Jews in- but Israel was there to accept them. Six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, but the ones that survived had no place to go until the gates of Israel were opened.
After the emotional meeting, we boarded the buses for our first stop- Yad Vashim, the Holocaust Museum of Jerusalem. It was quite different from the one in Washington-- a bit more subtle and historical. It did not try to "stick it to you" like at the one in DC. They didn't have piles of shoes-- and it did not smell like a gas chamber. It was simple and symbolic. We took a walk over to a replica of a train on a fragmented tressel. Then, we walked over to the main museum. It was old and deteriorating, but a new building was being constructed next door. We then moved over to the section dedicated to children who perished-- and this was the most moving part of the entire museum. They had candles and mirrors that represented the one million children that died in the holocaust. It was something else. There were two speakers naming each child that died-- their age and where they were from. I wanted to well up with tears, but honestly, the holocaust has numbed me. I have watched so many movies, heard school lectures, took an entire class on it in college and visited numerous museums. I have watched it on the history channel and read books. It does not rile me emotionally any more-- all tears have been shed.
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 After a poor meal in the snack bar at the museum, we headed on a bus to the south. We weren't going to get down to Eilat (a resort by Egypt) but we would be able to see and experience the desert. After a few hours of driving and a few rest stops, we made it to a place where we would do a little spelunking and an archeological dig. We were greeted by 800 birthright buses from other programs. This was probably the worst part of the trip. We were tired of being with other Americans- we wanted to experience the land, the culture and the people by ourselves-- not with MEGA amounts of participants.
The climbing through the caverns were really cool. I've done this before in New Zealand and Scotland, but to many of the participants, it was a new thing. One of the funniest points in the trip came when we had to squeeze through a small hole. Eric was a bit large, and we all laughed when he attempted to fit through the hole. He was successful and kept moving on. Israel is so diverse in its climate-- it is amazingly beautiful- I could understand why so many people tried to conquer this mystical area.
The archeological dig didn't interest me so much. Some found pottery-- and I couldn't help to think how cool it was that there were still artifacts in the ground. Someone found a bowl and something else, but I just wanted to get back on the bus. |
 After dinner, we went on a walk in the desert. The stars were out, and I thought we would get a lesson on the stars and I guess wildife in the desert. That was not the case. It turned into a military exercise-- I guess they wanted to give us a taste of what boot camp was like. I was definitely not into boot camp and let it be known. This 19 year old dude decided to push us and yell like how it is in the military. I had to laugh. Anyway, he made us climb this hill. I was wearing dress shoes with worn out soles. I was made the commander and was told to run up the hill. Halfway up, we saw this black thing-- I alerted one of the Israelis that this could possibly be a snake. She screamed and the entire "batallion" started running down the dark hill... I slipped and fell- hurt my leg and well, it was a complete disaster and a great story.
We went back to the tent and my adrenaline was running high. I did not sleep for two days but I was feeling okay. I went into my corner of the tent, with three shirts, a sweater, jeans and socks on. It was cold, but the heater going into the tent was keeping us quite warm. Some were playing the guitar, some were playing cards and talking. Others went over to a bonfire to cook Aviad's chicken. Aviad was so proud of thsi chicken and told us it would be the "best we ever tasted". Me? I passed out and slept for three hours. |
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