Usually, the "hopes and expectations" activity would take place on the first night of the trip before much has happened. As we were just arriving, just meeting one another, just ready to sleep on that night, we put it off until the third night, and what transpired was a powerful re-introduction to the trip which left us all looking forward to the potential for a truly incredible experience.
It started with "Israel Madness" in which the students were split into pairs, each team advocating in a bracket tournament for their assigned site as the "best and most important on the trip." It included classic matchups such as Jeep Ride vs. Camel Ride in the quarter final, Israeli Food vs. Har Herzl in the semis, and ultimately Har Herzl vs. Masada in the finals, with Masada coming away with the championship under the argument "if it weren't for Masada, there wouldn't be Har Herzl!"
Another highlight came in the Har Herzl vs. The Beach quarters, in which Har Herzl advanced on the argument that "the beach is too dangerous. There are jellyfish, paddle ballers, and the fish that ate Jonah." It was an extremely entertaining way to look ahead at what we can expect over the next couple weeks. It was also a hint that the Edmontonians and Calgarians were eager to work together and be a united group.
The tournament took longer than expected and we reconvened after dinner for the more serious hopes exercise. In this program, students wrote letters to themselves about what they hope to get out of the trip which they will read on the final night. The other part was to write a letter to the group outlining their hopes for us a mishpacha. These were read aloud about 10 minutes later.
The "Dear Group" exercise was taken quite seriously with just enough comic relief to keep it refreshing. They talked about bonding as Albertans, being excited to touch the material they'd been learning about for years, and having a lot of fun. It is understood that we only have one chance to get this right, and that the simple way to make it happen is to do what Stav says.
The day's activities certainly influenced the evening's meaning.
The program at Yad Vashem began at 9:00. I call it "the program" as opposed to "the tour" (and ya, I guess today I'm big into quotation marks?) pretty intentionally. Our Yad Vashem leader Sergei asked lots of questions, allowed our students to ask in return, and left everyone wanting to learn more.
So here is some more. I was telling the students that they have to come back one day. I told them honestly that I've been to that museum 10 times and each program was almost completely different. Each leader brings their own agenda and has a fascinating way of getting it across. There was the one a few years ago who zoomed in on specific artifacts to drive home the point that there are 6,000,000 fascinating and tragic stories. There was the one who pointed out a very feminine understanding of the experience - for instance pointing out a thimble of blush recovered from Auschwitz where a lady would have to put enough on to appear healthy but not so much as to look attractive to the guards. There was the guide who stirred up anger towards the perpetrators, and the guide who focused on the way that each stage affected people at each stage of life.
Sergei focused on the dilemmas. How could Jews sew the stars on their clothes? How far would they go to save their own lives? To have even the potential to save a family member? To fight or obey? Are Schindler's List and Sophie's Choice more shock value or educational value? Some food for thought, but we needed food for our bellies.
Before we knew it, it was noon and we moved on. We will revisit the learning from Yad Vashem on Yom Hashoah next week.
After lunch at the (only thing open) Kosher for Pesach McDonald's, we were back to the Mount of Memory for a look at the other side: Har Herzl.
Har Herzl is agonizing in a different way. With three former soldiers accompanying us, we are hearing about the events of this generation and the evidence. I shared with them the story of Michael Levin and how eerily similar his life was to the way ours is. He was from Philadelphia, grew up in shul two times a year, went to Jewish day school and summer camp, and went to Israel as a teenager. He enlisted at the time of the 2006 Lebanon War and has since been at Har Herzl. I told them how when I first hear his story I was about his age (22), and it really hit home at that moment that over the last decade, my life has gone on while his never will. I think it resonated, along with the stories that Stav, Tom, and Zvia shared, and led to the meaningful discussions of last night.
So we had a very long day of learning and walking, a long day of emoting, and now we have two long days where there ain't a ton going on. Today is the 7th day of Pesach so it will be some leisurely strolls and a lot of nonsense in the hotel, and that'll be pretty much the same tomorrow. A highlight in between will be Shabbat at the Kotel which I'm looking forward to reporting on.
Dear group of parents, I hope you are excited and happy for your kids as they are really on a life-changing experience disguised as a really fun trip.
Love, Ari.
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