By Emma Zelkind, NFTY in Israel Participant, Bus 2
We had finally left the desert and moved to a much more modern society, Jerusalem. Often times, this the most looked forward to part of the trip because of its huge influence in our religion as a whole, but also it’s culture and history. That’s what caused visiting the markets to be so much fun. It was one of the first times, if not the first, all of us were exposed to traditional Israeli life. When we first arrived to the markets we were told, “bargain everything.” Many people found this scary and intimidating, but once they had the opportunity to actually try it for themselves, they found it riveting and thrilling. Some of us were ripped off while others got amazing deals! To compare and contrast them was almost as fun as actually buying the products. Following this, the whole group went to a completely dark water tunnel that not only strengthened our bonds with each other but to test our own boundaries. This already packed day was not done yet! We then visited the Western Wall. We all took our own time to talk to the wall and placed our pre-written prayer into the wall. There were hugs, photos taken, and many tears that were shed. Only one week in and all of us had already created an unbreakable community.
