Day 10 - Lehava - Rebecca
We started off our morning with a visit to the Haas promenade. An exquisite view of העיר העתיקה (The Old City) paired with the enthusiastic Festival of יום סגד (Yom Sigd) for Ethiopian Jews was a sight you didn’t want to miss. We all felt a sense of intrigue as we watched the Ethiopians pass by wearing authentic traditional garb. We observed the fascinating traditions of our brothers and sisters which we aren’t usually exposed to back in Australia.
Looking over the Old City our tour guide Daniel explained how Jerusalem and more specifically הר המוריה (Mount Moriah) is the centre of the Jewish universe . The mountain, after which our school is named, is where Avraham was prepared to sacrifice Yitzchak. It’s where the Beit Hamikdash stood and the Kotel remains. It’s where we face when we pray. And when we look at how, time and time again, we have returned back to this centre of Jewish life, which was a symbol of hope for the Jewish people throughout our history, instills a sense of pride and hope for the future of the Jews.
After seeing the Old City from a distance we drove down to עיר דוד (The City of David). Here we were able to experience the famous tunnel tours. The tunnels were dug in order to provide an easily accessible water source inside the city walls. Upon entering into the dark and damp tunnels the walls began to form into the anticipated tight walkway. Despite entering the cold water everyone was filled with excitement. As we walked through the narrow channels, we used the energy from the cold water on our feet to sing - a variety of songs ranging from tisch, to ruach and even to the Moriah College anthem. Despite being in an enclosed space we felt free and privileged to be able to sing our Jewish songs with pride. From start to finish we filled the tunnels with melodies which had been missing from Israel during the Jewish exile, filling us with delight and pride.
After lunch we made our way to הר הרצל (Mount Hertzel). At the beginning of the tour, our tour guide Daniel, asked the question ‘What does it mean to be a Hero?’ There was a moment of silence. What is heroism? ‘Bravery’ one person said, ‘sacrifice’ said another. And yet this question continued to confuse me as we are always admiring and talking about heroes, yet none of us could give a clear, confident and cohesive answer. But why? This question we hoped would be answered by the end of the day.
At Herzl’s grave we were greeted with the sight of a group of soldiers paying respect to the man who dedicated his life to finding the Jews a Homeland and is the main reason we have an Israel today. Complemented with the symbol of the soldiers, who protect and defend what Herzl willed, Medinat Yisroel, our sighting of Herzl’s grave could not have been more impactful. His most famous quote ‘If you will it, it is no dream’ was perfectly represented through this image.
Next we moved through the graves of past political leaders to the memorial for victims of terrorist attacks. The walls, filled with names, instilled sadness within us. The thousands of individuals, who’s lives were brutally and prematurely taken from them, created heartache. It is interesting that their deaths are honoured at a cemetery for those who died fighting for Israel. I guess as Jews we are all soldiers of Israel.
Transitioning into the military section of the cemetery we were given a photograph of an individual who had lost their life fighting for our country. Learning a tiny bit about a regular IDF soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our Israel, gave us an understanding that the graves we were visiting belonged to everyday people just like us who happened to die in service to their country.
The first grave we visited was the famous Roi Klein. He was a commander in the IDF and, despite having a wife and two kids at home, jumped onto a grenade saving the lives of his platoon. When he jumped he called out “Shema Yisrael”. Daniel explained that when he thinks of a hero he thinks of Roi. He was selfless and brave and inspirational. Hearing Roi’s story about his heroic act filled us with pride when we were able to pay our respects to him at his gravesite.
Following this we visited Micheal Levin’s grave. He was an American lone soldier who volunteered for the IDF. He was on vacation in the US when the Lebanon war broke out and cut his time away short, to return and help fight the war. He unfortunately died during the war and despite his family living in America, he was buried at Har Herzl. This hero was a personal friend of our tour guide Daniel and hearing his story from a friend’s perspective, how he lived life with such joy, was so moving. We felt the loss in our own hearts.
Dinah Di Veroli shared with us her experience on visiting Har Herzl on Yom Hazikaron (Day of Remembrance for fallen soldiers). Each person was given a soldier who is likely not to have been visited recently. She was given David Cohen (Doodi). She located his grave and paid her respects. Each time she visits Har Herzl she makes a point to go and visit him. Once she was there and a man in his 80’s asked “how do you know Doodi?” and she explained the situation. And asked the question back. The man replied “I was his best friend”. This story sent shivers down our spines and brought tears to our eyes. This man had lost his best friend at such a young age and to this day he visits and remembers his fallen brother. Personally this story made me realise how lucky we are to be able to safely visit Israel because it has come at such a cost. How could we not appreciate that?
Finally we visited the grave of Miriam Peretz’s son. She had unfortunately lost her eldest son in an ambush in Lebanon. Not long after that, she lost her husband who was just 56. Then her son Eliraz Peretz was tragically killed in the Gaza Strip. This story left us with chills. The thought of losing one person you love is heart breaking but losing three is unimaginable; surely that would break her. Yet, despite having lost so much, she was able to continue to be a loving grandmother and actively care for her remaining family. Despite her immense tragedy she was still able to perform her grandmotherly duties for her lost son’s children and continued to be a role model for them. She recognised her own hardships but instead of letting her life fall apart she focused on helping and caring for her loved ones around her.
I didn’t come to a complete conclusion at the end of the tour of what it means to be a hero, but I now understand how a true hero can be the simple husband and father that sacrificed his life for his brothers. A true hero can be the boy from America who leaves his vacation to fight for what he believes in. A true hero can be the man who mourns for his best friend for over 50 years. A true hero can be the girl who chooses to continue to visit the grave of someone she never met. Or a true hero can be the mother who is able to provide for grandchildren after losing her two sons and husband.
A hero doesn’t always wear a cape.
Our already awesome day ended with a shiur (talk), together with our Netzach friends from the amazing Rav Johnny Sack. He presented us with the ideas of how Jewish ethos and values shape our relationships. He asked members of the audience what they truely want in life, some said happiness, purpose or fulfilment. He made us think about what we really want when in a relationship, and how physicality can steer you away from the ideology you value in a relationship and disrupt how you would achieve true happiness. He used the a recurring phrase along the line of; the person you chose to be now will shape who you are going to be in the future. Thus getting us thinking of what we value and how we choose to act on those values.
