Departing Karmiel and off to Jerusalem (Dec. 30th)...

We woke up early on Thursday and said goodbye to our wonderful and generous host families and headed to Jerusalem. Even though we had to say bye to our new friends, we know we'll be seeing them again in the future. We all met at the bus stop at 8:30 and we were off to Jerusalem. The trip was pretty long so it was a great time for all of us tired Pittsburghers to catch some Zzzs. 


Once we arrived, we picked up our tour guide Peter for some educational and fun touring around the holy and ancient city. The first stop was the popular photo spot where you can see where the new city and the old city meet. Far to your right you can just make out Jordan, in front of you the Dome of the Rock and Hebrew University, and to your far left you can see Arab neighborhoods.

a view from the lookout.

Our whole group in Jerusalem!

Peter, our tour guide, showing us a map of the city.

After some free time in the Old City, Peter took us through a crowded market place in the Christian quarter to stand where the 4 quarters of the city meet. With a view of the Western Wall behind us, Peter taught us about the 1948 and 1967 borders and how they have changed over the years. He had informative maps to help bring his words alive. 

The Western Wall from above...

Praying at the Western Wall.

A beautiful picture of the old city...

Next Peter lead us through the security at the Kotel for us to have a few moments there as well. It's always interesting to see how much smaller the women's side is in comparison to the men's. It's a very moving experience for every Jew to place their hand on the wall, close their eyes, and have a quiet moment to themselves. 


Once we were finished at the wall, we traveled over to the offices of PresenTense Magazine. PresenTense is an international grassroots effort to inspire and enable socially-minded pioneering amongst the Jewish People. The magazine is made possible by a network of volunteers around the world. J'Burgh was lucky enough to have been featured in the magazine this past fall with quotes from participant, Beth Goldstein. You can check out the article here: http://www.presentense.org/magazine/community-pittsburgh!


It was then time to check into out Jerusalem home for the evening. Our evening was complete with free time to check out the shops and restaurants on Ben Yehuda Street. Everyone had a great time and was exhausted by the end of the day. It's still hard to believe we were done with the Karmiel portion of the trip.






Until next time...