Shabbat

I definitely broke my personal record for service attendance in a 24 hour period having gone to a Friday night service, a Saturday morning service (where a suprise bat mitzvah was held), a Torah study session and then Havdallah. The Shabbat event that will stay with me most was the session I attended with the students from the Arava Institute. Students from America, Israel, Jordon and East Jerusalem all attend the Institute. The students all study various aspects of environmental sciences while living together on the same campus. Each of them were articulate and passionate about their personal stories and the struggles that they experience being with one another especially after a terror incident. It was wonderful to watch them interact and to hear about their open dialogue. Hopefully, this will serve as a model for future peace and that the students will be able to share their positive and fulfilling experiences living with one another when they return to their respective homelands.