Day 6 - Shabbat

(Photo taken on Friday afternoon)

So Shabbat started with a nice hike up to the Kotel. Watching all the religious Jews gathering at the wall was awesome! The amount of people was just astonishing. It was an incredible sight to look out to the wall as we approached the Kotel and see the black and white outfits layering the courtyard. There were also many different types of hats. The one that interested me the most was the Russian shtreimel. They were big, round, and fuzzy.

After services we walked back to the hotel for our Shabbat dinner which was lots of fun. Our group had a number of guests; Sabrina had her uncle and aunt, Sarah had her brother and sister visit, and some of the Lippman School students and faculty had guests of their own. We had a very festive and filling Shabbat dinner with songs and kiddush. After dinner we went back to our rooms and observed a traditional Shabbat by resting, talking, and just hanging out.

On Shabbat morning we all got up and walked to shul. Half of us went to a Reform service at HUC (Hebrew Union College) and the rest of us went to an Orthodox one (including me). The synagogue was Sephardic in a beautifully decorated sanctuary and the service was over by 10:00am! After that we went back to the hotel and chilled through lunch until we went on a Shabbat walk and lunch picnic in the park. We spent some time there and then came back to rest up until Havdallah.

When it was time for Havdallah we met on the outdoor lobby balcony and sang the blessings with the Kiddush, sweet spices, and Havdallah candle. Soon after Havdallah we walked to Ben Yehuda street where I meet my cousin Leonard and his son Joel. We sat down and talked and all too soon he had to leave. It was a great way to end my Shabbat in the Holy City.

Shavuah Tov,
Michael