Walking into the פלמח (Palmach) museum, none of us knew what to expect. We had all learned about the Holocaust but the journey that Jews took to Israel was foreign to many of us. We were given translating headsets and didn't hear from our tour guide again. As we walked through the rooms, we experienced the פלמח's journey. I have never felt as connected to history as when I felt the spotlight above searching for us and heard the gunshots as the jews escaped from את לית (Atlit a British DP camp). The contrast from יד ושמwas astounding. Throughout our trip, the history lessons have been depressing. The Holocaust museum left many of us in tears and הר הרצל (Har/Mt. Herzl) was hardly up lifting. None of us expected how meaningful the journey of the פלמח (Palmach) would be. Even those among us who had been before found it intriguing. After we emerged, we discussed the War of Independence with the Israelis.
Many of them had grandparents in the פלמח (Palmach) and it added an extra connection to the information. The story was not just from a textbook, it was told by our friends. After talking about Jewish leadership at Congress, seeing the men and women who were our age fight for their country, the conversations really sunk in.
The next stop was Independence Hall, the building where Ben Gurion declared Independence. The building had originally been the house of the first mayor, Dizingoff 1904. After his wife had died, he turned it into an art gallery. Our tour guide was quite the character and, even though the actual tour was boring, we all had strong opinions on the the way he presented the information. Even though I personally did not get as much out of the tour as I wanted to, I really saw how the leadership directly affected all of our experiences.
We were all much more excited to go to the Tel Aviv shuk. Personally, I couldn't wait to get more banana flavored candy, a novelty not found in the US. We navigated the busy streets and returned with crazy pants, smoothies, tank tops, and jewelry. Bogged down by our shopping bags, we walked back to the hotel for a much needed break.
We regrouped for a night in Jaffa. Our guide, Gadi, shared ridiculous amounts of history with us and we were set loose to buy our own dinners.
We went to a play called "Not by Bread Alone". It was preformed by blind and deaf actors about the challenges that they faced and the friendships they formed. Watching these incredible people overcome their struggles and produce the amazing show was astounding.
See you soon,
Anna Hutchinson