Day 9 - Netzach - Daniel
Our Israeli experience started with dropped jaws. Many described it as “dying and going straight to heaven”. I’m of course talking about our first real breakfast in a week. Welcome to Israel! Many went on a hunt straight for all foods containing chocolate as no parents were present to discipline them. Others decided on the healthy option after the Bus 2 ‘Cookie Monsters’ ate wafers for a week... nutritious. We were all buzzing with excitement after arriving in the Holy Land.
After our daily prayers we headed off to Yad Vashem to close our Poland Shoah experience. Seeing the main building we were all amazed by its architecture; a long triangle building made completely of concrete, overhanging the edge of the hill. The triangle represents a half Magen David symbolising the destruction of Jewish life and of millions of people which have not yet been repaired.
Throughout the tour with our guide Jackie, the events described in the museum connected us to what we had experienced in Poland, where we stood in the camps, danced in the shules and walked through remnants of the former vibrant Jewish life and culture. It cemented our memories and knowledge of the Shoah. We will never let the memory of the 6 million be extinguished.
Before completing our tour, we visited a unique memorial hollowed out from an underground cavern, to commemorate the approximately 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered in the Holocaust. Five memorial candles were reflected through mirrors in order to create a sense of millions of shining stars in the endlessly dark room. A somber space for reflection on last week’s experience as the names of the children could be heard in the background. Overall the museum was a fulfilling end to our Shoah experience and a meaningful transition from Poland.
Lunch was met with much excitement but was a sad disappointment from our uplifting breakfast. Cold and soggy shawarma... delicious. The afternoon was then gladly welcomed with some much needed free time before we would head off to experience authentic Israeli culture on Ben Yehuda street!
We were supposed to leave at 6pm but just like any group of Jews, we were running late as usual... it’s called a “dynamic schedule” as quoted by Ilan Lavan. Miss Kaissis and Saul Oberstein prefer the term ‘wandering potatoes’ due to our slow walking pace. We made it there on time after all and were allowed 2 hours of free time. What was for dinner? Hot and soggy shawarma, a pleasant change from lunch. Of course we couldn’t miss out on dessert; many got ice cream whilst others went for waffles (remember, no parents). As well as food there was plenty of time for shopping, a favourite hobby for many.
Today was a perfect beginning for our Israel adventure and the start of hopefully many good times ahead.
