As Jonah mentioned earlier, taking part in the saddest day of the year in Israel to then celebrating the happiest day of the year (Israel’s Independence day) was quite the contrast. By being here for both of these holidays, we were able to see it all, which ranged from being apart of memorial ceromonies and talking about the struggles of losing someone who has fallen to dancing around in the streets and enjoying each others company . Last night, we walked around the streets in Jerusalem, including Ben Yehuda Street, and listened to people sing and dance and we were in awe about how the country could change so fast. We had a discussion about this and came to the conclusion that ,yes, we need to remember all those who risk their life for the land of Israel but we also need to celebrate the fact that we have this beautiful country today.
Continuing on the fun we had last night, we took part in the second march of this trip with our spirits high. This march was entirely different than the first one. With that being said, before the march, there was a concert where all the delgations were singing and dancing and just indulging in the culture of Israel. We weren’t thinking about the terrible atrocities of the death camps in Poland, but rather the fact that we are able to march in our own land, a land that celebrates the Jewish people.
We then went on to our final event of the trip, the Mega-Event at the Latrun, one last time for all the delegations to come together. Here, we ate dinner, mingled with other delegations, and watched a closing ceremony. The Mega-event was a perfect way to end off our wonderful jounrey. From here, we headed to the airport and said our goodbyes to our fantastic tour guide Boaz and security guard Adam. Even though our journey is coming to a close, it doesn’t mean we won’t cherish the memories and friendships that have become of this wonderful experience. -Sydney Miller, Sycamore HS
During our journey, we’re sharing a few highlight photos per day in our daily blog, yet to see ALL of our photos (many per day), go to our shared album here. https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0SJqstnBJ10BQS
