Friday began with a delicious Israeli breakfast. Then we went to Yad Vashem, the redone Holocaust Memorial. It was very crowded but of course very important to see. We ran into cousins Stacy and Matthew there! Adam and I explored the grounds of Vad Vashem, all of the extra memorials, but somehow we got off the path and found ourselves on the main road, trying to get back to the entrance building where we had left our bag. We had to walk a whole lot, even an Israeli guard thought we should find transportation, but we made it and while we had to walk through the outside gate again (that’s how far away we were), we got back. I ran into Cindy F from JTS (now in Chicago) and Eran R who was an Israeli mishlachat with me at Camp Ramah in Canada years ago. He was Cindy’s tour guide for her program – small world, only in Israel! After Yad Vashem we walked up to Har Herzl and found the graves of the leaders like Rabin and Teddy Koleck, the soldiers, etc. Then we took a cab to Machaneh Yehudah where we bought challot and of course rugulach for Shabbat (and great desserts for our Shabbat meals). There we met cousins Stacy, Michael, Matthew, and Audrey. We took them on a “5 minute” (Israeli style, so a bit longer) walk to The Village Green for a delicious lunch. Then we said goodbye to them and walked down Jaffa to find the new Mamilla Mall. Not easy to find – we almost gave up. But we found it, walked around a bit, and wondered who would really shop there. I guess rich Israelis because I think foreigners can get these things for cheaper at home. Still, it was very cool to see these stores and then see the Old City in the background. Adam is standing in front of a store called Reuma – Marette’s Hebrew name – so we thought that was neat. After a rest, we went to Shira Chadasha, the modern Orthodox shul, for Friday night services. There we saw tons of Conservative rabbis I know, but I couldn’t say hi because they were on the other side of the mechitza! Sarah A was there – great to see her. Luciana and Alon and Sima (her mother) and Beni (their son) were there. I stood in the back with Lu – so much fun to watch Beni play. At one point someone in charge of the minyan came up to me and asked if I was the official greeter of the night! I said no, just a guest. We decided I must just have that look! Shabbat dinner was fantastic. We connected with Jimmy and Miriam, Alan’s cousin, and were treated to a family, relaxed Shabbat time. There were many languages spoken at this dinner – English, Hebrew, and French. It was quite international! Adam loved the kubeh – a Moroccan dumpling. We had a beautiful walk home on Emek Refaim. Shabbat Shalom, Yerushalayim.
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