We had a very gentle transition into our Israel adventure, with plenty of rest and downtime during Shavuot and Shabbat. We visited the Kotel for the first time on Erev Shavuot, and many of us found time and space for private reflection and prayer even as hundreds of people began to converge there for the holiday. Afterward, we enjoyed a brisk walk back to the hotel in the cool Jerusalem night.

On Shabbat morning, we attended services at Moreshet Yisrael synagogue housed within The Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center for Conservative Judaism, where we were warmly welcomed and invited to be active participants. Sarah celebrated her first aliyah, Leo and Ezra led the congregation in Modeh Ani (CDS-style), and Benjamin had the honor of carrying the Torah for the procession. We are so proud of how CDS Class of 2023 showed up for Shabbat with ruach, knowledge, and respect.

During the afternoon, we played basketball and soccer in Gan Sacher park and also enjoyed an educational walking tour of the street art in Machane Yehudah with our amazing tour guide Shirel. After Havdalah together outside our hotel, we headed for a late night dinner on Ben Yehudah Street, which came alive quickly after Shabbat!

Haas Promenade and City of David

Our official touring begin in earnest this morning with the most unexpected of circumstances―rain in Jerusalem! But even the overcast skies and cold drizzle reminiscent of early spring in Pittsburgh could not obscure the full splendor of the city of Jerusalem spread out before us for the first time at the Haas Promenade (the “Tayelet”). Ezra was overheard saying, “I know we pray for rain in Jerusalem, but now is not the time!” In the group photo below, meet our incredible Israeli team from Keshet including our tour guide Shirel, madrich (counselor) Tomer, and security guard and medic Omer, who are working 24/7 to ensure our trip is educational, fun, and safe!

We then time-traveled to “where it all began,” leaving the 21st century to step back 3,000 years to the reign of King David in biblical Jerusalem. It was on the hilltop where we stood today that King David conquered the “Fortress of Zion” from the Jebusite king, establishing Jerusalem as the unified capital of the tribes of Israel and building his palace. The City of David is now the site of a complex archeological excavation, where new and wondrous discoveries are exposed each year we return. Today we learned about evidence uncovered there for events described in the Tanach, such as King David spotting Bathsheba bathing from his roof.

Hezekiah’s Tunnel

Our journey through time continued into the period of King Hezekiah, who fortified the city against the invading Assyrians and, to protect his water supply, rerouted the waters of the Gihon Spring into the city about 2,700 years ago through an underground tunnel known as Hezekiah’s Tunnel. An inscription engraved in the wall teaches us how the tunnel was created by carving simultaneously from both ends until the workers met each other somewhere in the middle (an impressive feat of engineering dramatically reenacted by Spencer and Sylvie).

We then waded through the narrow 1,750-foot ancient tunnel one direction only, making our way single-file through in the darkness with the cold water as high as our knees. There was a very loud and rowdy group of students ahead of us in the tunnel, which made our time underground much longer than expected; CDS Class of 2023 showed a lot of bravery, teamwork, and sense of humor during the trek. Here is a dizzying view of what the experience felt like on fast forward!22

Kotel and Jewish Quarter

We emerged from underground to the miracle of sunny skies, heading back to the Kotel for more time for reflection (and some fun group photos) and then on to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City for lunch and shopping.

Pantry Packers

Our next stop was a Chesed project at Pantry Packers in Jerusalem, allowing us to make a meaningful contribution to Israeli society even during our short time here. Pantry Packers is the food distribution arm of the social services organization Tzedakah Central/Colel Chabad. Pantry Packers delivers monthly crates of food and household supplies to Israel’s poorest families and senior citizens.

We had the opportunity to be “pantry packers” ourselves to fill bags of lentils, flour, and other grain that will be distributed to Israelis in need. Our first instruction was to don our hairnets, gloves, and aprons. The second instruction came from the Rambam himself. On Maimonides ‘Ladder of Charity,’ the greatest level of giving is to help another to become self-supporting by a gift or a loan or by finding employment for the recipient. A lesser, but also meaningful, rung on the tzedakah ladder is to give inadequately, but to give gladly and with a smile.

The photos and video speak for themselves in that regard, and through a little (mostly) friendly competition, we packed 177 bags of grain for those in need … Kol Hakavod, CDS Class of 2023!