The land that changed my life, part 3

On Ben Yehuda street in Jerusalem with JH. One of our nights out.




With NS and JH in the hookah lair.




Approaching the Wailing Wall. I wrote a really poignant letter to God and I honestly wish I had a copy. But I believe that he'll read it and answer my prayers.




Woof. Bad hair day at the wall. I waited my whole life for this and it wasn't what I expected. It wasn't personal; it was awkward. It's very difficult to have a moment with God with so many people around and all fighting for the same spot. The women's side of the wall is considerably smaller than the men's side, so I literally had to push my way to the front. I folded my piece of paper as much as I could, I literally shoved it in a crack, and I said a very quick prayer. The most comforting part of the whole episode was knowing that somewhere in the premises was a piece of paper containing a prayer that my dad had written 40 years prior.




Wall premises with a stunning view of Jerusalem in the background.




Two of my favorite boys, RM and JH, at the wall.




On my way out of the wall, a holy man stopped me, tied this around my wrist and wished me a L'shana Tovah (happy holiday). I took it as a good luck sign. It fell off on new years day, which also felt like a good sign.




Ein Gedi. The photo from this post was also taken there. This was breathtakingly beautiful and in my opinion one of the most underrated aspects of the whole experience. My dad swam here 40 years ago!





With WC and RC, the best plane pals EVER, on the top of Masada. The climb was challenging but worth the schlep. I never in a million years would have imagined how expansive it was up there. Colonies actually lived there many moons ago.





The Israeli flag on top of Masada. One of my favorite photos from the trip.




Some of the girls at the kibbutz pub on the last night out. I miss them so.