The many factes of Jerusalem

Finally after exploring the natural beauty of the North, MBI has begun to focus on Israel's bustling metropolises. The first stop was most historical and spiritual of cities in Israel - Jerusalem. First they explored the narrow alleyways of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City and made their way to the kotel (western wall). The Kotel is part of the surviving outer wall from the 2nd temple period, and is the most spiritual and central location of Judaism today. It was an overwhelming experience for the MBIers to come face to face with such a meaningful and historical place.

The group then headed to the Supreme Court Building. Here they received a full tour of the building where they learned about the architecture of the building and the significance of supreme court trials. Then each bus was split up into smaller groups and each group was given a role to play from a recent supreme court case. One group was the prosecution, one the defense and one the jury. This was a first hand way for them to really understand what goes into making the decisions and the arguments that occur within the rooms they were in. Some of the groups even got to act out the mock court case in an actual court room.

After what I am sure were heated and exhilarating debates the group headed over to one of Israel's most famous outdoor markets, Machaneh Yehuda. Here they were given a scavenger hunt and were tasked with finding things like the cheapest grapes, a specific nut vendor and the funniest shaped candy. This was an interesting and fun way to experience such a large and busy marketplace.

After dinner all of MBI had a tochnit erev (evening activity) called Beit Cafe (coffee house). All of MBI was split up into small groups ranging across machaneh and bus to give the chanichim a chance to get to know some new friends. In the small groups they received questions, both serious and silly to discuss in order to break the ice and start conversation. This was a nice relaxing night after their exciting day in Jerusalem.