Today was a awesome day! We started off davening at Rachel imainu’s grave which was a very spiritual experience. We then hopped on the bus and drove over to an army hangout called the Pina Chama where we gave the soldiers snacks and food that we previously chipped in for from the supermarket. It was awesome to see the ways Israelis take care of the soldiers protecting us! Afterwards we went to the Tzomet Institute in Alon Shvut which taught us all about the intersection between technology and the Torah. It was very interesting to learn about the many inventions that have been made to integrate modern technology into Jewish tradition from thousands of years ago. We then split into our learning groups and had a program giving us an inside look on different types of Jews in our society. This connected to Tisha B’av a lot since even though there are many types of Jews and we come together as one nation on this sad tragic day. The buses then took us back to the hotel where we prepared for Tisha Ba’av and ate our last meal before the fast. Once the fast started we went across the street to a lookout of Yerushalayim for the reading of Eicha and a few Kinot. Before each Kina we learned about its meaning so we would understand it more. In our solemn mood we went up to the porch of our hotel and had a kumzits under the stars where personal & Holocaust stories were shared and we sang for Hashem to return the Jewish nation to our home. The next morning we woke up and had the most meaningful Tisha Ba’av anyone ever experienced since the churban. In the morning we had late wake up and said kinot at davening. We then broke up into learning groups where we learned about inclusion and אהבת חנם which is a character trait that every Jew needs in order to bring Mashiach. The rest of the day was very calm with inspirational and meaningful movies playing throughout the day. Right before the fast ended we had another kumzits outside and then broke our fast in an amazing restaurant! The waffles were delicious!

Can’t wait for an amazing day in Tel Aviv tomorrow!

– Tammy Aryeh and Akiva Laifer