Day Three - Saturday, October 27, 2012

Synagogue Har-El, Jerusalem

Many members of our delegation walked to Shabbat services at the Har El Reform Congregation immediately following breakfast. We were warmly welcomed by the congregation, rabbi and cantor. Sivia Katz Braunstein, one of our New Jersey delegates, has special ties to the synagogue as her parents had been active members over the years. Her mother received a special honor that morning which was very touching. In addition, Sivia, Robin Kauffman Saran and I were given the second aliyah to represent the New Jersey/Delaware delegation. It was an especially meaningful experience to pray in the land of Israel surrounded by Israelis who genuinely appreciated our visit. The experience is something I will always remember.

After arriving back at the hotel, some of us took a Hebrew Writers guided walking tour through the streets of Jerusalem in the afternoon. We used the writings of Jerusalem's poets and authors including Yehuda Amichai and S.Y. Agnon who wrote, "One does not travel to Jerusalem, one returns."

With a free evening, Robin and I walked to Ben Yehuda Street where we met my cousin from Baltimore who was attending his junior year of high school in Israel. He shared a number of stories with us about his unbelievable experiences thus far and we happily rewarded him with delicious schwarma from Moshiko's. After dinner we walked Ben Yehuda Street in an effort of stimulating the Israeli economy with several purchases for our respective families.