The adventure continues for our intrepid travellers—read all about it!
Hi everyone!
After a restful morning, we started our day with services at Kehillat Har-El, the first Reform synagogue in Jerusalem. Upon entering the synagogue, we saw a plaque commemorating Congregation Rodeph Sholom and the generosity of Walter M. Weismann, past president of our community. Evidently, CRS assisted with the refurbishment of their sanctuary in 1965. It was amazing to literally find ourselves here at home. We realized how lucky we are at CRS to be able to worship in a beautiful space with a diverse community and were struck by the contrast of our two congregations.
Rabbi Ada Zavidov invited Rabbi Weitzman to the bimah for an aliyah and the opportunity to speak a bit about CRS. Their small community welcomed us so warmly—it was a beautiful way to start our day.
After services, a few of us headed to the Christian quarter of the Old City, where we explored the different shops, enjoyed a delicious lunch at Hummus Lina (thought to be one of the best hummus restaurants in Israel), and stopped by a photograph shop where we saw images from before the founding of the State of Israel. It was remarkable to see how much as changed since the early 1900s—and how much has remained the same. After a Shabbat nap, we met up with Cantorial student and CRS member Jenna Mark, who is spending her first year of Cantorial school here in Israel.
Together we had dinner and ended Shabbat outside with Havdalah in Gan Ha’atzmaut. What an amazing experience to see Jerusalem come back to life after everything had shut down for Shabbat.
Our Sunday began with a trip back to the Kotel (Western Wall), where we were able to place notes in the cracks of the wall. From there we did a tour of the Western Wall tunnels, taking us underground to see the excavation sites of even more of the Kotel than is visible above ground. We then took a walking tour of all four quarters of the Old City—Armenian, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish. We stopped for shawarma and falafel before touring the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus is said to have been buried and resurrected—it was a reminder of just how significant this city is to so many around the world.
From there, we headed to the Israel Museum to view the Dead Sea Scrolls—2,000 year old documents that were discovered just before the War of Independence and the oldest known examples of written Jewish text. We finished our day with a wonderful dinner at Piccolino, an Italian restaurant owned by the cousins of our very own Cantor Garfein. It was a great way to wrap up our time in Jerusalem. On to the next adventure!
Shavua Tov,
Rabbi Weitzman, Lyndsie, and the CRS Congregational Trip
Stay tuned for more adventures! In the meantime, check out these amazing photos:
