The Bus

We've spent lots of time riding the bus during this trip - yet even this time is made meaningful through thoughtful conversations with seatmates, helpful information provided by knowledgeable tour guides, and listening to women sharing their stories on the bus microphone.

The best part of the bus - without question - is the woman in the photo above - Esti. Esti is simply hysterical - we decided that she is the "frum Joan Rivers.". Not only did she entertain us with her one-liners, but she shared what's important to her and encouraged us to share as well. Holly and I will miss her!
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Our final day . . .

We started our day with class at the hotel, then we had four hours to spend the rest of our shekels. And spend the rest of our shekels we did.

At 4 pm we left the hotel for the final time. We drove to Rachel"s Tomb, outside Bethlehem. The tomb is in Palestinian territory, so the security was full-blown. Two armed soldiers boarded our bus to accompany us.

After we had the opportunity to visit and pray at the tomb, we left for our final dinner at Gavna, a restaurant in Gush Etzion. The view of the lights of village below was beautiful - I'd love to see it in the daytime.

This dinner was an opportunity to celebrate the JWRP and to thank the women who made it all possible. Our DC group presented our city leader, Rebbetzin Ruth Baars, and the head of the JWRP, Rebbetzin Lori Palatnik, with gifts - and we presented the JWRP with a gift in their honor, so that another woman can have this experience next year.

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Supporting the Israeli economy!

As we sit here on the bus, wrapping up our trip with a visit to Rachel's Tomb, we just wanted to let you know that we successfully supported the Israeli economy during our time here! I can't even estimate how much money was spent by the 100+ women on this trip - almost every one of us is heading home with a gorgeous new piece of jewelry!
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It's almost over!

As quickly as these days have gone, I can't believe that this trip is almost over!

This morning, we took two classes.  Then we had some free time, which we spent in the Old City.

We all met at 1:15 p.m. at Mamilla Mall and departed for our afternoon activities.

Our first stop was an army base, where we delivered packages to soldiers training there.  I'll never forget my conversations with and the smiles of these young men who are risking their lives to protect Israel.  Please check out Thank Israeli Soldiers for more information about the great organization that is supporting the Israeli military.

We delivered bags filled with snacks, flashlights, socks, gloves, etc. to these young men, who were most appreciative.  We also brought letters written from children at home, which some of the soldiers read aloud to the group.  The children expressed what we we were all feeling in our hearts -- our pride in these young men and our prayers that they stay safe.

I think we all could have stayed longer at the base, but it was time to move on to our next destination -- a tour of a beautiful mikvah in B'nai Brak.  Aside from its beauty, what makes this mikvah special is that they also offer spa services.  I won't go too much into what a mikvah is, but if you're interested, you can google it for lots of information.

After the tour, we returned to Jerusalem, and several of us went to a delicious restaurant, RYU --sushi/asian with an Israeli influence.

Time now to pack -- we have one more day here, and then we depart for home at 1 a.m. on Wednesday.

Bet Shemesh, Part Two

After we left the Youth Center, we drove a short distance to a Women's Holistic Center, also in Bet Shemesh.  We were treated to a truly special evening.  First, we learned about the center, which provides classes for local women.  Next, an Ethiopian woman who was carried on her mother's back through Ethiopia to Sudan to immigrate to Israel sang for us.  Then, we were provided with a feast prepared by two local women, of Ethiopian and Morrocan/Spanish descent.  The vegetarian meal was definitely different than anything Holly and I had eaten before.  I probably only tried about 50 percent of the foods offered (I am not an adventurous eater), but everything I tried, I loved!  My favorite thing was the soup, and I believe that I'll be getting that recipe!
After dinner, the Ethiopian woman gave us all a dance lesson, which was hysterical.  Video of that lesson is posted here.  Then, another woman performed the Ethiopian tea ceremony (unfortunately I wasn't close enough to get a good look) and then there was time for shopping (of course) for jewelry made by a local woman.

Truly a special evening!

Bet Shemesh

Our local Jewish Federation has a partnership with a city in Israel, called Bet Shemesh.  Bet Shemesh is located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and is surrounded by an absolutely gorgeous area (kibbutzim, vineyards, etc.) 

The city of Bet Shemesh has a very large immigrant population, including immigrants from Ethiopia, who came over in Operation Moses and Operation Solomon.  One of the Federation's projects in Bet Shemesh is a Community Center for Ethiopian Youth.  The women on our mission from DC had the opportunity on Sunday to visit the youth center, help plant a garden, distribute sports balls and craft supplies, and visit with the teens who spend time at the center.  It was such a fun experience!  It's amazing to see what is being done there.  The center is a converted bomb shelter.

I'm going to try to attach a fun video of our time there.  Hopefully you will see it below!

Blogging from the Bus

What an amazing day! (I feel like I've been using the words amazing, incredible, fantastic over and over again!)

We started the day at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. It has been completely redone since I was here with Larry in 1998. The museum is so emotional, especially the Children's Memorial.

A woman from our group is the woman daughter of Holocaust survivors as well as a therapist who specializes in trauma victims. She talked to us for about 15 minutes, and it was incredibly moving.

There were many groups of young Israeli soldiers touring the museum. We learned this week that the army takes these young soldiers on field trips, including to the Old City, so that they can understand what they are defending.

We're heading back to the hotel now. I plan to blog more and upload video this evening.
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