Today started with a morning hike down Sataf mountain to learn about ancient agriculture. We saw how they used terracing and natural water springs,found in caves, to irrigate their crops.
Our next discussion was about the history of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. We got a better understanding of both the history and current situation, and it was clear that this is a very challenging and complicated situation. We saw, from a vantage point, the controversial security fence that has been built to separate parts of Jerusalem.
Next we drove to a beautiful look out spot for a great view of the Old City of Jerusalem and the hills surrounding it.
The Jerusalem Marketplace (Shuk) in Makhane Yehuda is famous for all of its fresh foods, baked goods, fruits, nuts, vegetables, shops and little eating places. It is an especially bustling place to be on Friday afternoon, as people finish up their Friday shopping for Shabbat. We joined all of the shoppers to experience the Marketplace (Shuk). Then it was a short walk back to our hotel to get dressed for Shabbat evening.
At 6:40 we lit Shabbat candles and then walked (35 minute walk) to the Old City and down to the Kotel. The Kotel was full of people coming together to pray and welcome the Shabbat. We had our own Prayer Service first, in an area of the Kotel that has been recently sectioned off so that women and mixed groups of women and men, can come to the Kotel to pray , either as a women's group or groups of men and women together (since the rest of the Kotel has men and women separated). It was a very meaningful experience to pray together in Hebrew and English and then to put more notes with prayers from students at the Lippman School into cracks in the Wall. Our Kotel experience would not have been complete without joining the men and women on their designated sides to hear the joy of prayer, singing and dancing- religious men and women, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, soldiers, students and tourists all moving and singing together as they welcomed Shabbat in this holy place.
We walked back to our hotel, enjoying the cool mountain air, and had a good Shabbat dinner.
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