Tuesday 15th July: Inspiring Fast Day

We began the day visiting the holy burial sites of two very righteous leaders - the Rambam - a preeminent medieval Spanish, Sephardic Jewish philosopher, astronomer and one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages, and Rabbi Akiva - one of the most beloved figures in Jewish history, a person whose influence and stature is a source of inspiration throughout all of the ages.

We heard about their life and the influence they had and still have and had the opportunity to offer up our own prayer and their grave site.

We then visited Kibbutz Lohamei Haghetaot - the Ghetto fighters Kibbutz founded in 1949 by Holocaust survivors and amongst them, the last remaining survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto. We heard how, upon immigration to Israel the pioneers established a kibbutz in order to commemorate their families that perished during the Holocaust, how in August of 1949 the fist baby was born and how for the first time after the long years of suffering and wandering, the Kibbutz members began to feel as if they have a permanent home and that their suffering had come to an end. 

All of this was very pertinent to the seriousness of the 17th of Tamuz which is a fast day commemorating the beginning of the destruction of the holy temples and exile of the Jewish people.

We then had some free time before dinner and our evening activity which was a good opportunity for us to reflect on the day.

Hannah Roskin: "Hearing about people who have made such an impact on the Jewish nation throughout hard times was inspirational"