Feb. 22 - Italian Synagogue and Old City

Today we began our tour with the beautiful Italian Synagogue, located on Hillel Street.   It is one of those hidden gems, not only in the history of Jerusalem but in the artistic beauty of the artifacts. The Museum was set up to collect, preserve and display objects pertaining to Jewish life in Italy from the Renaissance period through to the present time.  We had an outstanding guide who described the Museum’s collection and the  richness of Jewish life in Italy throughout the ages.

The outstanding highlight of the Museum is the ancient synagogue, which is now used by Italian Jewish community in Jerusalem: it was originally the synagogue of Conegliano Veneto, a village located between Padua and Venice. We were all in awe as we toured the synagogue and the museum.

From there we drove to the  Zion Gate and walked in and out of rain showers, to the Jewish Quarter and another majestic synagogue, the Hurva.  Our local guide for this tour was Yoel and quite the guide who brought the history of the synagogue to life!  We first saw the main sanctuary filled with religious men studying the Torah.  From there Yoel took us to the basement of the building to see the ancient Roman Street.  The synagogue was founded in the early 18th century by followers of  Shabtei Zvi brought to Israel by Yehuda HaHasid in 1700 and  it was destroyed by the local Muslims in 1721 due to the fact that the Jewish population borrowed money and could not pay it back. Joel explained that the synagogue was rebuilt several times.  After the 6 Day War in 1967 one arch was rebuilt,and  after years of deliberation  the synagogue we rebuild and dedication in 2010.  The view from the roof, even in the pouring rain, was amazing.  Ask Gloria!

Time for lunch and a warm place - we highly recommend the Jewish Quarter Cafe!

After lunch and a little shopping Neil gave us a short tour of the Jewish Quarter and we made our way through the Christian Quarter to the Church of the Holy Seplucher Church.
From there we went to the Western Wall and the Kotel.  Even in the pouring rain people continue to pray at the Wall.   A special moment for us!

Back to the hotel for dinner and a wonderful speaker,  Rabbi David Rosen who functions as the advisor to the Israel Rabbinate in relations with the Vatican. He was our last speaker in our CAARI Speakers Forum who explained the importance of relations between Israel with the Vatican and in general relations bewteen Judaism and Christianity

 As so closed CAARI's 2016 outstanding Speaker Forum!













Enjoy our day's pictures!

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