June 24: Yad Vashem and Erev Shabbat

A walk through Yad Vashem. The Holocaust memorial we saw on our last trip exists no more. A new, striking building stands in its place. The architecture is unsettling, as no doubt was the purpose. The walls on the right and left lean in to almost meet at the top, leaving just a few feet clear to let day light through. The effect on me was that I wasn't sure I was standing straight, and I had to struggle to keep my balance. This made the walkthrough as exhausting physically as it was emotionally, looking at the incredible things people did to other people. How could this be? How on earth could this be? The quote that sticks in my mind is, "A country is not only what it does but what it tolerates." What do WE tolerate?

Stepping out of the memorial, I experience another unsettling sensation. Now the ground is not level, it angles up slightly, just enough to keep me off-balance. Again, I'm not sure I'm standing straight. I walk slowly up to a glass railing at the end of the ramp to see a breathtaking view of Eretz Yisrael, and what goes through my mind is, "From there, to here." What a way to end the exhibit.

Later in the afternoon, off to see a slice of life in modern Jerusalem - the Machane Yehuda market place. Those who like crowds and noise love it there. Warren and I don't, and so we didn't like it at all. An overwhelming amount of food piled up in the open air. Shoulder to shoulder people. Noise, smell, flies. We were supposed to eat lunch there, but couldn't stomach doing it. Not even half-way through the main artery we turned back and cleared out. A little hungry by then, we found a small falafel shop with a few tables and chairs and had lunch. A really good falafel, too. Juicy, crunchy falafel balls and yummy salads in a really nice, soft pita. There was even a sink for hand washing, and we were very grateful for this particular expression of religious observance because we could now wash our hands free of the smells (and flies) of the market!

And the day was not over yet. Our group gathered in a lookout spot in the park across the street from the hotel for an early Kabbalat Shabbat service. Another emotional moment - to sing the Friday night service with Jerusalem at our feet. And the kids whom I have taught leading parts of the service.

Then a walk back to the hotel for Shabbat dinner - a huge buffet of chicken soup, gefilte fish, salads, chicken, brisket, knishes, kugel, desserts. And again, noise. This time the kids in our group, sitting together and having fun at the top of their lungs.

Something seems different from last time: I remember the city pretty much shutting down for Shabbat. No traffic to speak of, just a few lone cars here and there. Now, as I'm sitting at the open balcony door of our room, I hear exactly the same the street noise as earlier in the day. A constant flow of cars speeding down the hill. Acceleration, braking, honking. People talking, yelling, laughing. Is this a change that has happened during the eleven years since our last trip, or is this simply a different location? That doesn't make sense, because we are only 6-8 blocks from where we were last time. I liked Shabbat in Jerusalem better then.