Day 6 - Netzach - Sarah
Today was a particularly exciting day, not only for the entirety of Netzach, but also for myself. Beginning the morning bright and early with an intense schedule planned for the day was joyous, especially being woken up by “Happy Birthday” songs, presents and balloons!
A fulfilling birthday breakfast set the tone for the day perfectly as we made our way, after prayers, towards the Walls Promenade of the Old City. To much of our surprise, touring and exploring the Walls was slightly nerve-racking and quite exhilarating, as we were met with narrow pathways, steep staircases and intimidatingly breathtaking views of Jerusalem’s Old City, which we had spent many years at Moriah College hearing, learning and writing about - a full circle moment is one way to describe the emotion that overcame all of us. The promenade built by Herod along the walls of the Old City, starts at the Tower of David and ends at the Jewish Quarter or the Kotel, which we learnt from our incredible and engaging tour guide, Natan, who always makes activities interactive and inspires us to become the next chapter of Jewish History.
Upon arrival at the Jewish Quarter, Netzach was met with a fun, yet extremely challenging Scavenger Hunt based off of significant features within the Jewish Quarter which would provide us with answers to a variety of puzzling questions. The first family group to correctly answer and complete all the tasks outlined would score gold with a priceless prize- FREE ICED COFFEES FROM AROMA, for our 3 hour, early morning drive to the North the following day. The girls were buzzing for coffee and the boys were just keen to solve the riddles, which resulted in a fair bit of competition. Unfortunately, my family group was not successful in achieving the ultimate goal, but the activity was incredibly enjoyable. The highlight of the day and my birthday was easily our experience during free time within the Jewish quarter. My friends and I treated ourselves to the finest falafel and ice cream that Jerusalem has to offer, as we made our way to an area surrounded by chaos, laughter and music. We found ourselves dancing at a Romanian celebration, with a great energy in the atmosphere - the dancing and true exposure to Israeli culture and lifestyle was a surreal feeling.
Afterward, the group once again visited the Kotel in an emotional embrace of prayer, connection and spirituality. Soon after, we were underneath the physical wall we see today and discovering what lies under the surface of the Kotel. As Natan says, “Onions have layers, just like the Old City is made up of intricate layers!” Within the Kotel tunnels, we made contact with the closest physical place to the קדוש הקדוש, the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount before its destruction. To physically feel the wall beneath the ground was eye-opening and left me pondering the richness of Jewish History.
To conclude the night, we ate a hearty dinner, lots of ice cream cake and sang way too many birthday songs before meeting our friends from Lehava at the Ramada Hotel. Our experience in the evening was incredible, with the privilege of hearing from guest speaker Rav Gav - a captivating Rabbi from New York who’s very involved in Aish.com and has enough charisma to engage an entire stadium. He taught us the implications and consequences of Lashon Harah, which completely opened a new perspective for myself and many others.
Overall, what I enjoyed the most today was our raw exposure to Israeli culture, society and lifestyle, as an outcome of our free time activities. My 16th birthday celebration was just the cherry on top!
Sarah Uria
