More Day to Day…

More Day to Day…

Sometimes the days are very long. The kids spend hours in a language they can’t understand. They come home tired and frustrated. All my plans for the interesting, exciting things to do are erased, and they spend a night vegged out on screens. A walk around the neighborhood seems too much. The last 3 days we have seen a lot of rain – good for Israel, not so great for us in our teeny apartment.

Ahhh, but tonight, was the kind of night that will make our trip memorable. We finally were going on the tunnel tour of the Western Wall. Something we had all been looking forward to and had to reschedule due to sickness. We decide to go a bit early to walk around the Jewish Quarter – the winding alleys and stone walk ways – a great place to explore. We found it teeming with activity. We are thrilled to find out that our tour coincides with the swearing in ceremony for the Chiyalim, the soldiers. We see everyone all together at the Kotel – religious, secular, all economic levels. The Army is one of the equalizers of Israeli society. It was inspiring.

We started the tour. It was fascinating to contrast the history of the Jewish people with our present situation of strength with the army ever present. The kids were completely engaged – good to see our Jewish education at work. They knew the history and were thrilled to see it come alive right in front of our eyes. The tour guide was amazing. We all left awed and inspired. As I write, Hyim is putting the kids to bed and I am listening to them talk about our history – the Jewish people. What more can I ask for?