Mmmmm... Camel!!

          This week our field trip was on Sunday and we went to Yad Vashem, which is a holocaust museum here in Jerusalem.  It was actually a very hard and sobering experience for me.  Much harder than when I went to the museum in DC.  I think that is partly because I am older now and I understand more because I have been able to get to learn more about the Jewish people and get to know them on a more personal level. I think the hardest things for me were the things that dealt with tearing apart families or harming children. One of the worst things was a picture of a mother turning her back and clutching her child in her arms to try ot shield it from a soldier who had a gun pointed at them.  I guess the museum just made me so grateful for my family.  Also, it made me grateful that I know the sanctity of life and the value of every human being, and that they are all sons and daughter of God.  After that we went to Mt. Herzl which is a national cemetary in Jerusalem. 

Yad Vashem

Mt Herzl (tomb of Herzl)

          On Monday, a group of us went to Zedekiah's cave, which is probably a quarry used to get stone for Solomon's temple.  Also, people say that King Zedekiah hid here when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem.  Then we did some shopping too.  We were having a soccer tournament this week too, and that was pretty fun, but my team wasn't very good, haha.

King Solomon's Quarries (Zedekiah's Cave)

When we were out shopping, the little boy on the left came up and spanked me...

          On Tuesday, a holocaust survivor came and spoke to us.  He had been to 8 or 9 different concentration camps, including Auschwitz, so he had a number tattooed into his arm and everything.  It was really interesting to listen to him, and the only time he really got choked up was when he was talking about his family and how they had to dig their own graves and then were murdered.  He said that sometimes even he doesnt believe that it happened and he made it through.
          On Wednesday, a group of us went out to eat camel.  It was reeeaally good.  THey cooked it for us three different ways: a pot roast type thing, meatball kabob things, and then a normal grilled shish-kabob.  The last one was the best and tasted like something from Tucanos or something!  

Eating Camel

          On Thursday, I went out with a group of friends and had shawarma, which is just a meat wrap thing.  It is really popular here and really good.  That night, we had a traditional seder (passover) meal, and it was really neat. I sang a song with a group of people called Dayenu.  

          Anyway, things are great here as usual.  We had our Galilee orientation this week, and I am so excited to go!!