After visiting the Western Wall and the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, I believe that I can speak on behalf of the entire group when I say that I am both overwhelmed and exhausted. To my surprise, however, I am not overwhelmed by sadness or pain, two emotions I have lcome to expect when learning about the difficult past of our people. Instead, my mind and my heart are bursting with pride, gratitude, and even hope.
As the sun set on our tour of the old city of Jerusalem on Monday, our Shorashim staff asked us to close our eyes, link our hands, and follow them through the narrow alleys of the city to see our surroundings with more than just our eyes. After shuffling blindly over the cobblestones, we opened our eyes to see that we were overlooking a breathtaking view of the Kotel. In this moment, I think it all began to come together. All of the strife that Israel faces on a daily basis, the atrocities we would learn about the following day at Yad Vashem, and the struggles that our Israeli counterparts face on a daily basis all seemed to fade away in front of this humbling piece of history and bestow upon us an immense perspective. We have been persecuted, we have been hated, and we have been tested, but just like the stones of the Kotel, we have stood the test of time and remained a beautiful and united people. These two days have brought us together not only as Jews, but as humans.