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Israel Pilgrimage,
Group #10
*The pictures below are links; clicking on them will take you to a larger
version of that picture.
Sunday, July 9th:
Group 10 spent a long and moving day at the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. They were given a formal tour of Auschwitz II (Birkenau), followed by Auschwitz I, with opportunities to go into various barracks and other structures that have remained intact for over 60 years. The group was given time to reflect individually as well as participate in a memorial service. After the tour they will take a ride to the border between Poland and Slovakia to a town called Zakopane where they will sleep in a hotel overnight.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Monday, July 10th:
Group 10 woke up in Zakopane, where there happens to be a ski resort in the winter time. The group climbed one of the mountains, called Gubavvka, and went on an Alpine slide. They then began the journey through Slovakia to Budapest.
 
 
 
 
 
Tuesday, July 11th:
Today, Group 10 took a tour of Jewish Budapest. They visited an exquisite synagogue that still stands since before World War II, called the Doheny Synagogue. At the memorial in his honor, the group learned about Raoul Wallenberg who used his diplomatic status to save many Hungarian Jews in the later parts of World War II. They toured the former Jewish town ghetto and spent the afternoon in a general tour of the city. At night they packed and left for the airport as they ended their Eastern Europe part of the trip and headed to Israel.
 
 
 
 
Wednesday, July 12th:
Welcome to Israel! Group 10 arrived early this morning in Ben Gurion Airport! They got their luggage, loaded the bus, and headed up to Jerusalem. They stopped at Yemin Moshe overlooking the Old City walls for a small ceremony with bread and wine much like the Torah describes. They then checked into the beautiful Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism and had the morning to sleep. After lunch, they had an orientation to the next part of the summer, played in the park, and went on some neighborhood walking tours to get to know their surroundings. The group is thrilled to be in Israel!
 
 
 
Thursday, July 13th:
Group 10 had a wonderful first day in Israel. They learned about what USY calls “New Jerusalem,” which basically traces the line that was Israel’s border with Jordan before 1967. First they wet to the Tayelet, an overlook where the entire city can be seen with the Old City in the center. It is said that this is the place where Abraham stood when he saw the city for the first time. From there they went to Ammunition Hill, where they walked through the trenches that used to be part of a Jordanian bunker that was the center of battle in 1967. They then went to the Herzl Museum where they learned about Theodore Herzl, who convened the first Zionist Congress and advocated for a Jewish State. Following the theme of the day, they concluded with a visit to Mount Herzl where they visited the graves of the founders of Zionism, Yitchak Rabin, Hannah Senesh, and some of the young soldiers who have fallen in recent history. Tonight they learned some Talmud with Rabbi Paul Freedman, former Director of USY, and then headed out to Ben Yehudah Street!
 
 
 
Friday, July 14th:
Group 10 had a great day touring Jerusalem! They left this morning for the City of David, where they went through Hezekiyah's Tunnel, a water aqueduct that brought water to the city during the time of King Hezekayah. This afternoon they returned to the Agron Guest House for some free time to prepare for Shabbat. The group is looking forward to a nice relaxing Shabbat together. Shabbat Shalom!
 
 
 
 
 
 
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