In the Arab village of Ein Rafa, we discovered a special school called the Centre for Creativity in Education and Cultural Heritage that celebrates cultural diversity with Jewish and Arab children and their families. I felt inspired to learn about how it was possible to peacefully connect these two cultures, and was impressed to see both Jewish and Arab families in a slideshow sharing and learning Kosher and Halal recipes from each other. It was interesting to see how a simple game of hopscotch can have different variations, depending on the culture, and how the children opened their eyes to their neighbors and saw that a child, no matter what cultural background they came from, or what differences they may have (in food, clothing, games, etc.), is still a child, with the same hope to feel welcome, safe, and happy.

The highlight of my trip to the school was interacting with the children and sharing a game called "duck, duck, goose." Our SIS group sat down with the children  in a circle, and we taught each other our own versions of the game. It was invigorating to have that hands on experience with the school regarding their philosophy of connecting children (and adult's inner child) through games; no politics, no religion, no judgment--just plain 'ol fun!

Shabbos! My first Shabbat in Jerusalem was incredibly heartfelt as we started a Kabbalat Shabbat with a youth movement (Serendipitously I bumped into friends from back home in that same group) singing "Hinei Ma Tov" and "Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu." As we stood near the Western wall, singing arm in arm, I felt a chill of spiritual connection and camaraderie. It was absolutely breathtaking to be in that location, at that time, with those people. It will be a memory I won't forget.

Afterwards, we went to a traditional Shabbos/Shabbat  dinner with an observant Jerusalem family.  We felt the warmth of the home (and I’m not talking about the heater, or the number of glasses of wine I drank).  It was filled with the radiance of a loving family, with acts of love and kindness, who opened their home to share a meal with us. The tables were laiden with delicious food and wine, and genuine personal stories of everyone's impressions of Israel filled our souls. We danced and sang; blessings and rituals were practiced together as one group, and I couldn't help but feel humbled by all that I've experienced thus far, and extremely grateful, to be part of such a beautiful cohort.