More in Jerusalem!

by Brad Ashman, Am Shalom member and trip participant

12/21/14

After our lecture, we enter the old city through the Zion gate.  I was almost over whelmed when our guide Koren, welcomed us home when we reached the Jewish quarter.   After going up to the Western Wall and chanting Kaddish, we went underground and toured the lower parts of the wall.  Amazing and interesting.

We then went to the south section of the western wall where everyone is allowed to go up to the wall instead of men and women separated.  Just over half or group climbed down the other half stayed up.  This became significant as the Israeli army cleared the plaza because of a suspicious bag.  Our group was split for a half hour.  We were trapped below the Plaza till the bag or whatever, was disposed.   As soon as the plaza was reopened, singing and dancing broke out and we were able to continue on our way, reuniting our group (including my parents).

For lunch, wasn’t hungry, but Rabbi Steve wanted to make sure we had our 3 major food groups covered, Swedish fish, Gummy bears and donuts.

We shopped for a while, then we went on the roof tops of the Jewish quarter.  Rabbi Steve informed us the Middle East is the middle of the world and we were in the exact spot that is the middle of the Middle east, the middle of Israel, the middle of Jerusalem, the middle of the old city, middle of the Jewish quarter, in other words…The middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle.

After leaving the old city, we went to the tented market (Machana Yehuda Street) and walked through.  I felt like I was walking through a movie scene.  The market was so vibrant.  Different languages conducting commerce all at once.  That’s a nice way of saying Israeli merchants were yelling Hebrew at people regardless of what customers spoke.

Dinner was at Olive and Fish then bed.

12-22-23

After breakfast, we hopped on the bus and drove to ride camels.  Then on our way to Masada.

Cable car up the mountain.  Listened to Koren tell us the story of the Jewish resistance as told by Flavious.  He took us to different rooms and explained how the rebels were able to old out against the most powerful military power ever assembled.  Some of us choose to walk down the mountain, others back down in the cable car.  Next stop, the lowest point on earth.

The Dead Sea, what I had always wanted to do.  It did not disappoint.  Coming to Israel and floating in the Dead Sea IS that much fun.  Slap on some mud and sit back and float in the water that nothing lives in.  It felt great.  My family had a blast.