Our day started at Independence Hall, the place where David Ben-Gurion announced the founding of the state of Israel on Friday 14th May 1948, just before Shabbat began. It was oddly nostalgic to see the chairs and table where the declaration was signed and read out, and to imagine all the people crammed into such a small room. The juxtaposition between the significance of the moment and the place in which it happened was an extraordinary indication of what Israel was like as an infant in 1948.
After independence hall we travelled to the Children’s Museum in Holon. Here we learnt how deaf people go about their daily lives and the challenges that they face. It was amazing to place ourselves in their shoes and to try to experience some of what they experience in their daily routine.
Our next activity of the day was a tour of Old Jaffa. One of the Southern parts of Tel Aviv, Jaffa is among the oldest areas of Israel, dating as far back as biblical times. The city has also served a strategic importance and is now a beautiful area, hosting many weddings, as well as being one of the more mixed Arab and Jewish areas in Israel.
After a busy day we boarded the coach and returned to Jerusalem. If Tel Aviv is the bustling metropolis of Israeli commerce, then Jerusalem is its soul, where the spiritual atmosphere fills the air and lifts everyone's spirits. It was great to drive from one to the other, since these two cities epitomize the mix of old and new in Israel, with enormous skyscrapers and funky feats of engineering in Tel Aviv, alongside the centuries-old buildings and ruins of Jaffa and Jerusalem. Even the main motorway between the two cities lies atop the ancient road that led from Jerusalem to Jaffa - it's more than three centuries old!
We returned to the hotel for a big dinner which was the first step of our Tisha B’Av preparation. We then drove to the walls of the old city where we sat as a group and
learnt about the significance of Tisha B’Av, before Rav Binstock came to read us Megillat Eicha. It was amazing to be sitting in Jerusalem, right outside the Old City walls, within which it all happened.
learnt about the significance of Tisha B’Av, before Rav Binstock came to read us Megillat Eicha. It was amazing to be sitting in Jerusalem, right outside the Old City walls, within which it all happened.
Since it’s a fast day, tomorrow won’t be quite as busy and we got an early night in order to preserve our energy!
Mia Berelson said, “The deaf museum was exhilarating, exciting and inspiring.”
Amy Phillips said, “Independence hall was quite special and one of a kind.”
The Tribe Team
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