An urban jungle in the midst of holiness

Gan Sacher (photo credit https://capitil.com/gan-sacher)

Back to my Israel chronicle, there I was in Jerusalem after my 2-week life-changing Akiva trip. After a very packed Thursday my friend and I capped off the day praying at the Kotel. Couldn't misst he opportunity to pray there since we were already in the area. Exhaustion and summer heat included. It was worth it.

That Friday we took it easy. We only left the house for a couple of hours to experience the exhilaration of the Mahane Yehuda, unique to Erev Shabat. We enjoyed one of the yummiest treats I've ever had, açai bowls with an Israeli flare. The typical blend of the fruit base with toppings like dates, peanut butter, nuts and tchina (sesame paste). The Shuk is truly foodie paradise. It was perfect for the heat also. We headed back home to bake challah since it was requested by our hosts for meals.

As the holy day of rest came we had shabat in Katamon Friday night and Nachlaot for Shabat day. At night we went to Shul for services and met our host there, it was very close to our place. During the day we were having lunch across Jerusalem, about a 45 min walk away. To do the "commute" as smooth as possible we did it early in the morning when it's more pleasant weather and went to pray there. We had a huge lunch in the garden of a quaint studio apartment. Lots of people from all walks of life. The neighborhood Nachlaot lives up to the hipster hype, in the heart of the city right by the Shuk with lots of social happenings. I needed to take a rest after such a busy lunch so we crashed on the couch of a friend of my friend's. The grand finale was an eclectic Third Meal on the Gan Sacker park, which is like New York's Central Park. It was a potluck meal picnic style, sitting on the grass over blankets. Young people gathered there as the crowd grew. There were people walking around their dogs, riding a bicycle, there was a kid's birthday in the background. The epicenter of a chaotic urban symphony, ironically happening in Shabbat which is supposed to be a day of rest. That's the beauty of Israel, you can encounter contradictions coexisting everywhere.

That Motzae Shabat was the start of Yom Yerushalaim, a holiday that celebrated the reunification of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967 as the Old City fell into Jewish hands once more. Very appropriate to be in Jerusalem during this day. It was a more exhausting Shabat than anticipated and we got home at around 10 pm, after the long walk back to Katamon. Those five days in Jerusalem were full of action indeed.

I was constantly humbled by people around me who did nice things for me out of the goodness of their heart. When it could've been perfectly understandable to just say no. The girl who payed for my taxi (as seen on one of my previous posts). I had only known her for 2 weeks and as students I understand that the budget is tight to just go around treating people. My friend who hosted me for 5 days in her apartment. She's a single girl with two jobs and 3 roommates that moved to Israel by herself over a year ago. These experiences help me cultivate the quality of appreciation and hopefully I'll be able to do chessed myself. I pray to Hashem that He gives me the opportunity to actually pay it forward and emulate the positive deeds on the giving end, not just on the receiving one. It's about leaving the world a better place than you found it, doing your part and making your effort. It's a constant battle to live up to your potential and not just stay conent with being mediocre.

To Life!

Vivian Chaya Russo

#Jerusalem #Nachlaot #YomYerushalaim #Shabat #GanSacker