On Friday we woke up to our usual breakfast at the hotel and loaded the buses for a guided tour of Yad Vashem. The tour was truly inspiring and enlightening. After a great lunch of bagels and veggies, we headed to Har Hertzel for an introduction by our Israeli staff and a beautiful ceremony. Afterwards. we headed back to the hotel to get ready for an amazing Shabbat davening outside, and a fun filled Jerusalem themed dinner.

During our first Shabbat in Jerusalem, and the ruach was real. We started the day off with a late wakeup, and by 11:30AM it was time for an amazing kiddish. After that, we had an incredibly inspiring learning group, led by Debra Paul about the impact our words can have on others. Then it was time for lunch! Following food, there was menucha, and the choice to attend the multiple chabura’s that were given. Later on, in the evening, we all sat on the balcony and had the most awesome slow Shira, with the sun setting over Jerusalem in the background. Once Shabbat had ended, it was time to get out of that hotel and eat! We went to Emek Refaim and got some of the best food in the world. All in all, an amazing Shabbat full of friends, learning, and food!

-Tali Miller and Eliana Ruben