Today we did something really cool. We took a mini "field trip" down to the Western Wall to watch the Jews bring in the Sabbath.
When we got there it was still light so we could take pictures and videos, but once it started getting dark, Shabbat had officially started and we could not take pictures because to the Orthodox Jews it is considered doing work. We also weren't allowed to write or use our phones.
Before the festivities got started I went up to the wall and put my written prayer into a crack. Then I walked backwards up to where the plaza is; apparently it is very disrespectful to turn your back on the wall (someone in my group learned that the hard way). In the plaza we watched all of the Israeli soldiers and Jewish boys start the celebration. They got in a big circle and put their arms around each other and jumped around singing. There were a few men in the middle who were shouting out calls to sings (all in Hebrew) and leading the festivities. A couple of times they all dropped down low and slapped the ground. There was a separate circle for the girls.
Then they walked down to the Wall, where there were desks with I'm assuming Torahs on them. It was cool to see all of the different kinds of Jews. The Orthodox Jews wore round furry hats and black clothes. The best part was their long curl sideburns. Even the little boys had the curly sideburns.
The orthodox women shave their heads and wear wigs. It was fun to stand in the plaza with the service couple and try to point out all of the women wearing wigs. And also look for women with red dyed hair (that seems to be a trend happening around here).
It got kind of chilly towards the end. I wasn't freezing but a lot of girls were. We all huddled in a group and the girls ooooo'd and awww'd over the Israeli soldiers (there's just something about a man in uniform! That's what they say anyway...).
After the celebrations we got in our vans and drove back up to the center, and now it's time for dinner! Tonight we're playing Sardines in the center and then watching the Prince of Egypt. Tomorrow's the Sabbath, Sunday we have a free day, Monday we have a field trip to Jericho, and then Thursday we leave for Egypt! This week will be a piece of cake, I'm excited for it!
**Explanation of pictures. The first one is of the men side of the Western Wall where they have the Torah out on the tables to read. The second picture is of me coming out of the city that night after the celebration. The video is explained. Note that I was sneaking all of these pictures, I don't know if you can hear it in the video or not but I actually got in trouble for taping and was told to put my camera away.
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