Freedom

We met with two awesome organizations this morning. Stand with Us is among other things, a great resource for information about Israel and the Middle East conflict. [www.standwithus.com] The other group is Honest Reporting, a news watchdog that monitors the international coverage of Israel. They communicate with journalists and look for bias in word usage, photography, and other areas. As a service to journalists they also provide information about the country and local services. [honestreporting.com]

This afternoon we had a chance to explore the town square on our own. I had filafel for lunch, a local favorite that does include hummus. We journeyed to Brook's favorite coffee shop but alas, they were out of white chocolate! She had been raving about the white chocolate dream and we were unable to purchase the goodness. Thus we drowned our sorrows in cherry chip and chocolate truffle gelato. We laughed alot and observed the beautiful city. I was noticing how much more lax this trip is about where you are and what you're doing than any other I've been on. I realized this may be because its not a mission trip, but also as I compared and analyzed the surroundings here in Jerusalem it struck me how safe I feel in this city. I'm not being naive and running down the street with my passport in one hand and wallet full of shekels in the other. However, there's a peace to the community thats almost tangible.

We did pass the prime minister's house this morning. We stopped by to observe a protest, for the freedom of Gilad Shalit, a young Israeli soldier kidnapped over 4 years ago being held in Gaza currently. The terrorist group Hamas originally demanded 1000 prisoners' release in exchange for this one man's life. The number now falls around 450, yet Hamas will not consent. They have violated international laws but not allowing the Red Cross to check on his needs and condition. His parents marched to the city, with thousands joining them along the way, in order to lobby his release. It is certainly an interesting predicament. Israel values human life, and here is a situation where a countrymen has been left behind and is in the enemy's hands. What is better? To release known terrorists to retrieve one man, while more attacks may take place, seems foolish to some. Yet others disagree, creating an internal national conflict. [www.habanim.org/en/index_en.html]

In the afternoon we went to the old City of David, to newly excavated ruins. We walked through Hezekiah's tunnel, which was a canal for the spring to transport the water. So, we walked for 30 minutes through water in a dark and narrow cave. It was quite an adventure. A little unnerving at times, but fun. After dinner we went to the Western Wall and walked in the tunnels beneath the street level, along the length of the wall near the foundation stone.

Now, we are going to bed as we have an early morning and are leaving for Eifrat tomorrow to spend Shabbot in the city.