A Day of Field Trips

After class I walked a long, hot walk to the prime minister's residence in the Rechavia neighborhood. Today marks 1,500 days since Gilad Shalit's abduction into Gaza. His family and his 'army of friends' organized a mass rally, encircling the block on which sits the prime minister's home. The rally gathered hundreds of people and drew much attention for local passersby, passing cars and the media. Participants held signs that expressed their passion and their goal could be understood by the sea of faces that were masked with Gilad's likeness. At the head of the pack, leading the supporters around the block were Noam and Aviva, Gilad's parents, who have been devoting their lives to the release of their son. It was great to see them there and with full energy, though I know that this must be a traumatic experience for them daily.

After observing the rally for a while, I walked to Givat Ram to the Israel Museum. For a mere 60 shekels ($16) I toured the museum for about two hours and enjoyed a number of incredible exhibits that featured the history and traditions of Israel and Judaism from around the world. This picture is an original known as the Nuremberg Machzor (high holiday prayer book) attributed to the scribes Mattanyah and Jacob in 1331. Other impressive works included microcalligraphy samples and modern art of like Picasso and Israeli artists as well as rebuilt original synagogues from India and elsewhere around the world.

After I ended my museum tour, which was definitely impressive, I went to meet my roommate and other friends at the museum's outdoor pavilion for the Israel Wine Festival. This was by far the best single event and night of my immersion into Israel. There was a live band, a wine glass to take home and a plethora of samples (or full glasses) in which to partake. I had a great time and met a bunch of people, new and old, that were fun to enjoy the evening with. Among them were a few people touring Israel as part of a select group of social media professionals, writing about their experiences as foreigners and, from what I understand, largely non-Jewish backgrounds (their blogs are OyVaGoy.com and Shanghai Exposed and are definitely worth reading). It was great to meet others who are interested in sharing their thoughts and experiences about Israel as well, especially so they can take back to their home countries their tales. We also met a set of Moroccan Israelis and entertained each other over more glasses of wine, which was a nice way to close the evening, all included in the price of admission.