Sunday, February 21 - Mt. Herzl Cemetery, Yad Vashem, Hadassah Hospital

Today was a very solemn day.  We began the day walking through Mt. Herzl Cemetery (Israel's National Cemetery), visiting the graves of the fallen  - far too many. Even the weather had turned chilly and cloudy - fitting for today's tour.  We began our visit at the grave of Lt. Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, who was the only soldier to fall in the Entebbe Mission in Uganda and brother of Prime Minister Netanyahu.  From there we paid respects to the ten fallen soldiers from Operation Protective Edge and many others who fell in service to Israel and fighting for Jewish People around the world.  

It turned out that it was the day of the  commemorating Levi Eshkol's, Israel's third Prime Minister,  death and the cemetery staff and security personnel were preparing for the service. CAARI said Kaddish for Prime Minister Eshkol.  Next stop at was the grave site of Theodore Herzl, the Jewish visionary of the Jewish State.  

Several of the group had never been to Yad Vashem, so we divided into two groups - one for those who had never visited the Museum and those who had been there before.  It is always a difficult visit.  

The guide for those that had been to Yad Vashem before gave a spectacular tour and giving us incite into the events and special stories of individuals, beginning with righteous individuals, artists and the partisans.  This tour is highly recommended by the group!

On to lunch at Hadassah Hospital - a restaurant for everyone's different tastes.  We were fortunate to have Barbara Goldstein, known to Hadassah members as BG, as our guide.  Her energy and knowledge of Hadassah is legendary! She gave us a tour of the synagogue with the stunning Chagall Windows and then one to the Mother and Child Unit.  Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the new surgical unit, as we did last year.  But, this was a for a very good reason - the first surgery was going to be done that week.  We were thrilled to learn about this outstanding technical achievement and the benefits it will provide to ALL!  We ended our touring day on a high note!  

In the evening we were honored to have Professor M. Kedar, from Bar-Ilan University, who had just returned from a speaking tour in the USA and Canada. He spoke on Iran and the issues surrounding the Islamic State.  

Wishing all of you the best,
CAARI 2016