Day 1 - Arrival in Israel!
*Arrive in Israel *Guesthouse on Har Tzion
*First visit to the Kotel *Dinner in the Old City
We arrived in Israel at around noon on Wednesday. Tzohar has made it to Israel!
As we were landing and excitement was literally causing me to bounce in my seat, I got a little bit sad thinking that our airplane was about to land on Moses’ footsteps... but then I found out that the ancient cities are super underground. And now I’m fine. –Rosie Lipkind
We stepped outside, and we were greeted by the most amazing weather. The sun was shining bright, and the temperature was perfectly not too hot and not too cold. –Chana Kudan
I always love the drive out of the airport toward Jerusalem, no matter how exhausted I am from however many hours of flying. Just looking out the windows watching the land pass me by settles something in my stomach like the comfort of coming home. My eyes focused on a single stone lodged in the grass behind somebody's home on the side of the road and I thought, "Somebody can give me any photo of any corner in Israel out of context, and I'll recognise it immediately. There's just something so nostalgic about everything here."–Rika Feldman
I had been in Israel for a week so when I met up with Tzohar I was like,“What are you guys doing here?!” Eventually, it was just, “Oh yeah, hey familia.”
–Esti Vogel (Picture above, left)
We went straight to our base, a beautiful guest house located on Har Tzion, just outside the walls of the Old City.
The first place we stayed at, in Har Zion, was the coolest place I ever stayed and was a great way to start our trip. The walls and ceilings were made out of stone and the rooms were tiny and adorable. It felt like the perfect, simplistic, beautiful Israel of our dreams. –Chana Rochel Lerner
The first thing we did, of course, was go down to the Kotel to daven mincha. For many, it was their first time there and was an incredibly meaningful experience.
It was so special and beautiful to see everyone davening at the wall.
–Shaindel Freedman (Picture, left)
The scene at the kotel is calm, but it is the calmness that makes the experience surreal. Crumpled up pieces of paper are bursting from each crack in the stone. I feel the unity permeating the space around me. This is the light of the Jewish people, bringing us together.
-Shani Miller
Seeing the Kotel and Tzohar together, I was overwhelmed with joy. -Leah Bakhash
I saw the Kotel for the first time in my life, feeling the presence of G-d through my jetlag. -Rochel Brekan
Tzohar ate dinner at a restaurant in the Old City. Towards the end a stranger with a guitar walked in and began playing to everyone's surprise. What a wonderful welcome to Israel!
Throughout our dinner, a few of us fell asleep on the tables because we were so jet lagged. When I woke up, a guy with a guitar walked in and started playing! That woke me up, and we were all laughing so hard!
– Shaindel Freedman