Today was an awesome day! Right after breakfast, we boarded the busses to go to the Old City and the Kotel. We first went to a gorgeous overlook of the whole Jerusalem. As we were looking at Har HaBayat from afar, we broke out into song and dance from excitement. Looking over the city was an emotional time for all, especially for those who had never visited Jerusalem before. Afterwards, we entered the Old City and had a falafel lunch.

Then we finally went to the Kotel! There were many heartfelt prayers recited and personal notes left in the wall. We proceeded to daven mincha, which was a very inspirational tefillah for all.

We then boarded the busses to Gush Etzion and watched a movie about the settlers of Kfar Etzion. The movie portrayed their experiences of building a kibbutz and being attacked by the invading armies in the Independence War. This story allowed us to appreciate the sacrifices and efforts made by many Jews to create the State of Israel and secure the land which we were standing on.

Today was an amazing start in Jerusalem and a great way to begin recognizing our nation’s history. Overall today was a great day and we can’t wait for tomorrow!!!!

– Adena Cohen, Jacob Penstein, Jonathan Wenger