Our first day

Today began with a smooth landing. Excitement was high even if the eyes were sleepy after our flight. Our arrival in Jerusalem took us directly to Migdal David for our first overlook of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Muslim call to prayer was on. We wove our prayers into theirs with a meaningful singing of “Shehecheyanu.” The cacophony of religious prayers highlighted the multicultural nature of the city we now dwell.

Jeremy, our guide, posed the following question after learning about the history of the historic and awesome view:

Are you visiting Israel as a tourist or as a pilgrim?

“I am on a mission to discover the history of my people.”
“When I was told I was going to Israel, it was by my parents. Personally, I wasn’t 100% certain I even wanted to come to this so called ‘Holyland’, but as soon as the plane started to land, I knew I couldn’t be happier to be in Israel. When we landed we went to a museum called the Tower of David Museum. I was honestly shocked and amazed by the view from the top of the tower. I have never been so amused with something as the view of the top of a building.”
“I feel that I am both a tourist and a pilgrim because I came here to see the beautiful scenery and also because I feel that coming here will better my future in Canada and maybe I will be able to find the next step in my identity as a future Jewish adult.”

Moments of the day:

“A moment that stood out to me was when we were at the top of the tower looking over the entire city. It was so beautiful and majestic and so full of life. It was a really great moment.”
“The moment that made an imprint in my head was when we were on top of the tower of David listening to the prayers and looking down on the streets of Jerusalem.”
“The minute I stepped onto the Israel ground I felt something different, special, amazing. Yesterday morning my mom told me that when she stepped onto the ground she felt at home and I now understand that feeling. I’m at home.”
We’ve arrived!