Dear Parents,

We had an amazing day that started with a volunteering project where we made sandwiches and went to the Hot Corner outside Gush Etzion to hand out to soldiers on and off duty.  The teens were spoken to by a commander in the IDF and we’re able to engage the soldiers in conversation.  It was quite a moving experience for the teens when they realized the soldiers that protect Israel are a mere few years older than they are.

From there we went to the Old City of Jerusalem where we focused on the Temples structure and parts and the Temple Institute. The experience enabled all of us to visually understand what was used and done during the temple period.  Across the way in the Jewish Quarter, we walked to the Museum of the Burnt House which is the ruins of a home from the times of the Second Temple. In order to help the teens understand the place they were sitting in, I described to them that similar to Ground Zero, this place was where it all happened and tens of thousands of Jews died during that period. A very powerful thought and perspective change for the teens to have especially right before Tisha Bav.

We ended the day with shopping on Ben Yehuda Street and a program of Deal or No Deal where the bus won a late curfew for Sunday night.

Lastly, the International Director of NCSY, Rabbi Micha Greenland, addressed all three Canada TJJ buses and left them with a powerful message for the teens to take with them towards their future.

All the best

R David Zahtz

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