Today was all about challenges. We spent the morning sleeping in the bus because we had an 11:30 appointment with an Imam at a mosque in Ein Rafa. Ein Rafa is one of the few Arab cities that remained in Israel since the War of Independence and all of the citizens are considered Israeli citizens. Our guide through the experience was Yasmine, a British national who married Musa who is originally from Ein Rafa. She converted to Islam and moved to Israel almost 5 years ago now. For many of us it was our first time to have a one on one conversation with Muslims and we were able to hear about Islam and ask as many questions as we wanted. This dialogue proved to be really interesting and we were taken aback at the many misconceptions we had. Israel is a place where so many religions, cultures, and people have together to become the crossroads of the Middle East.
That afternoon was spent at Har Herzl: the military cemetery of Israel. There are many famous giborim (heroes) buried there such as Hannah Senesh, Golda Meir, and Theodore Herzl. It was definitely important for us to pay our respects to those individuals who have fought and died bravely defending the land of Israel.
Finally that night we went to tour Hebrew Union College, the Reform and Progressive Seminary in Jerusalem where all of our Clergy studied. Liz and Rabbi Steve Geller gave us a great tour of the campus and gave us an understanding of the programs that are done there.
L’Hitraot! Today challenges, tomorrow Yad Vashem and Shabbat!
Paul, I read all the daily reports to your grandma (Nana) today…she was thrilled to hear about what you and all your fellow travelers are seeing and doing and learning! We’re looking forward to future blogs!
Love and l’hitraot,
Cousin Susie