On the last week of Gabbie’s trip, the group visited some important locations in Jewish history. The first of these locations was the Cave of the Patriarchs, or as we call it Me’arat Ha’Machpela.
Located in Hevron, this is where we believe the forefathers and mothers are buried. It is a disputed site as it is a holy place for both Jewish and Muslim people and over the years attacks have taken place on both sides. (Just saying that makes me think why? Why can’t both religions agree that our roots are the same and share the space?)
This is what it looks like from the outside:
Another biblical place they visited was Hezekiah’s Tunnel, in Jerusalem. This tunnel was built to divert water in preparation for a siege by the Assyrians. You can now walk in the tunnel and it is something I tried to do when I was in Israel in 1999 but I didn’t know where to access it!
In between the touring, there was also fun, and Gabbie often ate at Big Apple Pizza – a place that has been in the same location for so long that I first ate there in 1996.
And here is Gabbie and a friend before their final Shabbat in Israel.
Continuing the historical tour, the group took a jeep ride on what is called Derech Avot – the road of the fathers – which is the path the forefathers walked to Jerusalem.
And they did yet another tunnel tour, this one in the tunnels that extend from the Western Wall and allow access to the rest of the wall that is hidden underground. (I blogged about this area after we visited in 2015).
(This is just a street sign Gabbie liked!)
A last look at the Kotel (Western Wall) before the trip ended:
And a sad face on social media before they flew back home:
I am happy that Gabbie had this wonderful experience and now Zachary is hoping to attend next summer too!
