Day 9 - Netzach - Isabella

Walking into Yad Vashem, after witnessing the tragedies of Poland, we walked in feeling like we knew what we were about to encounter. However, the main takeaway from our experience today was that there is always more to learn.

Stepping into the museum, our attention was directed to a triangular screen, showing a film of the Jewish culture of Europe before the war. After descending down the ramp, we were then encompassed by darkness - a stern reminder of the dehumanising, soulless events that turned Jewish Europe upside down.

As we walked through Yad Vashem, the experiences of Poland began to resurface. However, being in Israel allowed us to connect to the holocaust and understand the tragedies it carried. In Poland we became witnesses and at Yad Vashem we learnt the importance of being a witness and passing on the stories of survivors for generations to come.

Our next activity was free time at Ben-Yehuda street. Bus by bus, we all began to arrive, trickling into the street, then brought together by the mads who directed us to the best shawarma place. Forming an orderly line reaching 20m down the footpath, other retailers and vendors began to acknowledge our presence and soon there were a dozen “we love IST - big discount” signs in shop windows.

After devouring our shawarmas and indulging in some dessert, some light shopping was all that was needed to end the perfect night. With sparkles in their eyes, the shop owners smiled at us and invited us into their stores, offering only the finest Jerusalem gold necklaces and Fortnite kippot.

All in all, we definitely had an amazing first day and experienced some of the best things Jerusalem has to offer.

Isabella Schulz