Too exhausted to think of clever titles

Hello Parental Units,

Today was a really long day. Not as long as yesterday, which lasted for 40 hours, but still. We got around. We started our day bright and early and went to listen to a vibrant lecture by Hillel's President Emeritus Avraham Infeld. He was a really charismatic, warm, and entertaining speaker, as evidenced by the fact that we actually stayed awake. He talked about the idea that Judaism is not a religion, but a culture, and it was really thought-provoking.

After that, we drove from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, on the way passing through a valley that was a main battle site in the Six Day War. In Tel Aviv, we visited Rabin Square, which is the biggest square in Tel Aviv and known for being the site of huge political protests. Our esteemed tour guide Yuval also told us the sobering story of the Square's name. At an anti-violence rally in 1995, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin spoke about the desperate need for peaceful political ideology, and the whole crowd sang the song "Shir L'Shalom (A Song for Peace)". As he exited the event, a Jewish man shot and killed him. The entire country mourned the death of this great leader.

After this we had lunch and went to an awesome-tastic craft fair/festival with fascinating and sometimes unnerving exhibits (dancing men with webbed fingers, for example). THEN WE WENT TO THE BEACH!!! It was so despicably hot the whole day, that we were unbelievably excited. The Mediterranean water was so warm and calm. It was blissful.

After a quick conversation about how we relate to Israel, we visited Independence Hall, where the state of Israel was officially declared on May 14th, 1948. It was so moving and helped me to really understand the complex struggles of the Israeli people. It's so easy when reading the news at home in the U.S. to make quick assumptions about this complicated country-- this trip has taught me so much about the nuances of the Israeli identity. It is hard, hard work to try to understand it all, but it is a vital journey for which I am extremely grateful.

PS-We will post more pictures tomorrow :)

Carly Groff 2011 UD
Lauren Knapp 2012 UD
Anton Rassadkin 2011 RU