Days 5 & 6, wow and whew.

Yesterday morning the boys and the other younger kids went to the Jerusalem Zoo while the rest of us spent the morning at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem. I can't even begin to describe the emotions that I or anyone else feels when presented with the overwhelming stories of the holocaust. A few years ago Samantha and I visited the holocaust museum in washnigton dc and while it's very well done, Yad Hashem is without parallel. Not only were the exhibits comprehensive and compelling, the architecture is magnificent, ending with a beautiful walk onto an open porch for reflection with the rolling hills of Jerusalem in the foreground. A very powerful experience that was culminated by tHe kids rejoining us for a memorial service led by Rabbi Bloom in the Valley of the Communities (stone area in memory of the more than 100 Jewish communities that were eliminated in the holocaust). In the service Rabbi read aloud holocaust survivor stories from senior members of our own Temple Beth Abraham synagogue in Oakland, a touching tribute that brought it all home for us.

After this emotional morning it was nice that our bus next took us to the Yehuda Market, a chaotic and boisterous market in the middle of Jerusalem where you can buy anything from fruits and nuts to fish, baked goods, toys, clothes, you name it. It was extra boisterous because it was Friday afternoon and the local residents were shopping for their Shabbat meals. While most of the other places we had visited up to this point included menus or prices in both Hebrew and english, the market was Hebrew-only and extra challenging. I had another
fantastic falafel, the boys had some pizza focaccias, and we bought wine, challah, fruit, and a few other things.

After swimming and relaxing back at the hotel, our group walked to the park across the street for a Shabbat service while taking in the view of the old city. Despite our exhaustion, we were able to sing and dance with great spirit. Following dinner back at the hotel, Rabbi Bloom led a group of 25 to see a unique orthodox service up the street from our hotel at Mayanot synagogue. Another once in a lifetime experience, I was struck by the passion and loud singing (carlebach melodies) that you could feel from the congregants but also by how different it felt for men and women to be separated for the service..to each their own but I sure like
having our family together for services.

This morning we slept in a bit then joined the rest of our group up the street for a service at the Fuchsberg center. While this was very similar to our home synagogue, I couldn't help but be struck by the small-world connections between Jerusalem and the bay area. For instance, today's Rabbi's sister in law (Debbie Weinstein) is a member of our community in Oakland, as is the brother (Leon Bloomfield) of a prominent member of another synagogue here in Jerusalem. This afternoon we took the kids to play ball in a local park, where I happened to meet the college roommate of my business partner Michael Terris' nephew, and a very close friend of a professional colleague of mine in SF (Jay Rosenthal)...small world eh?

Tonight we hung out on the deck of the Rabbi's suite on the 11th floor of our hotel, with incredible views of Jerusalem in almost every direction. As the evening came to a close and we did Havdallah as a community, it was extremely easy to reflect on the absolutely incredible week we've spent in this city. Tomorrow we leave early for the Dead Sea and then on to stay at a kibbutz in the upper galilee...I must get to bed.