Shabbat Shalom

Wow - hey Teaneck are ya listening? Mr. and Mrs. Witt - you there? Hi Abbie, Miriam, Morgan and Danielle - we miss ya!

Just another amazing day in Jerusalem.

We met with our groups of people from each city in Wexner and our Israeli friends from the Wexner Fellows group and had a great conversation.

After that, from 11 a.m. until 2:30 we walked around Jerusalem. We started by going schook - Mahane Yehuda - it's a huge outdoor market with all kinds of incredible things. From fruit to fish to meat to kippot, - you want it you can get it there. Elizabeth brought us to a wonderful bakery called Marzipan and it was awesome. Got a challah from there... oh man, it's awesome.

Seth Cohen and I went to a great store to by tallis' and found ones that we loved. The man who sold them to us was great and Seth asked him what he thought about Americans and whether we should make aliyah or come visit ... he said that if Americans came to visit once every two years - everyone would be very, very happy.

Side note - this is Seth's first trip here - my second. It's awesome to be able to watch someone so involved in our community (and one of my best friends) experience Israel for the first time. I know Elizabeth enjoyed taking me here 8 years ago and now I get to see what she saw through me. Hope. Life. Love. Amazement. Joy. It's something everyone should experience with mispaucha!

While walking around - the spirit of the city was hopping and just incredible. Don't listen to those morons on television - Jerusalem is alive and doing very well. Get off of your butts and come visit - there's nothing like being here. Tel Aviv is like New York - but this city is just incredible and so spiritual (for you Karlin!) I love it. I cannot wait for the day my girls will come here for USY or whatever they want. Elizabeth had a chance to study here for 6 months and loved it. I will do everything in my power to make sure that this city will be here and this vibrant for my girls to come to.

Got back to the hotel and Rabbi Goodman and Rae were in the lobby. They looked good and it was great to see them. Also ran into Tim and Sandi Wulinger from Cleveland who we know through AIPAC. Sad to say, Sandi broke her ankle here. But she was in good spirits nonetheless.

Ida and Irwin Haber - you are sorely missed and often thought of and spoken about. We hope and pray for your father's good health! See ya soon.

Tonight we are going to the Wall and to the Kotel. I am sooooo excited about it... going to be great. We have such a great group of people in Wexner from our sister cities and we have had a great time talking and learning with them. For those who want an incredible learning experience - check out Wexner and if it is coming to your town. I recommend this more than anything I have done.

So much so that when we get home we, along with Cohen's, have decided to look into finding someone to teach us Hebrew. With our girls starting day school, it's important for us to learn and we have decided to jump into the pool. Sure it won't be easy, but I would LOVE to come back to Jerusalem with my girls and be able to speak the language.

That's it for now ... about to clean up and get ready for a spiritual night. Good night and good luck from the David Citadel Hotel.