By Max Spitulnick (Potomac, MD), Brian Spitulnick (Potomac, MD), Jonathan Kushner(Washington, DC)
Our first stop today was a network of caves the Jews used over 2000 years ago. To get to the caves, 48 over-educated, over-fed Jews (us) crawled, shimmied, spiraled, and slithered our way through passages far too narrow for comfort. In the end, it turned out to be a claustrophobic, mud covered, highly informative experience that powerfully connected us to our history.
The dark twisting caves of 2000 years ago gave way to the falafel and Judaica shops of Ben Yehuda Street. We spent our hard earned American dollars and enjoyed our first free time in Israel (incidentally, free time in Jerusalem tastes like fried chick peas and hummmus).
Our final destination was the Old City of Jerusalem. We perused the ancient street known as the "Cardo," now the heart of the Old City, marked by ancient Roman archways and ruins.
Walking from the Jewish quarter of the city to the Western Wall provided each of us with a unique blend of anticipation, excitement, and even anxiety. Everyone seemed to have a fixed notion of what they should be feeling at the Wall. What we found was an undeniable connection to our culture, our heritage, and to each other.
As we write this blog, max, Kush and I are chatting with fellow travelers and watching several members dance like baboons to the beats of Missy Elliot and Justin Timberlake. All in all, a great second day! And I love Jews. They rock. Totes.
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