Ammunition Hill - The Six Day War

During this Tiyul, we traveled to Ammunition Hill, the site of one of the most important strategic battles in the entirety of the Six Day War. Before the war began, Israel had one huge problem - they didn't control Jerusalem. This was the one thing that really mattered to them, after thousands of years of trying to get back to Israel they still didn't have the holiest place in the world. At the time, there was division within the country, with Jews and Jordanians fighting against each other at every corner. It was truly a divided nation. The Six Day War began with Egyptian troops moving along the border of Sinai, with Israel responding. Yitzhak Rabbin launched an offensive strike, which began the war itself. Ammunition Hill was the site of one of the most important battles during this war, being the location from which Israeli soldiers could capture Jerusalem directly. There was high intensity trench warfare fought there, with soldiers feeling the pains of the battle directly. At the end of the battle, Israel lost 36 troops, Jordan lost 71. At the end of the entire war, Israel gained Sinai, Giza, Golan Heights, the West Bank, and most importantly, Jerusalem and the Kotel.

My question to you is: why do you think that Jerusalem was such a powerful incentive for Israel to win the Six Day War?

Poland Shabbat

Celebrating Shabbat in Poland was incredible. After spending a week learning about the flourishing Jewish life in pre-1940s Poland and the genocide which almost eradicated Judaism from Poland entirely, it was an amazing opportunity to be able to celebrate Shabbat there.  

On Friday night we celebrated with a small congregation in downtown Warsaw. The beauty of this service was in the realization that in our prayer, we were bringing the Judaism back to a place where it was virtually destroyed less than 80 years ago. Another notable aspect of this service is that although the service was in English, Hebrew, and Polish, the melodies we sang were the same. This is a beautiful representation of the connection Jews share from America to Israel to Poland. 

On Saturday morning we held services in a private room Sossier (a restaurant in Warsaw). For me, this tfilah seemed to mean more than just a regular Saturday morning service. It was a group of American, Jewish teenagers saying “we’re still here.” We prayed in Warsaw where our ancestors had prayed for centuries before. It also symbolized an end to our Poland pilgrimage and an opportunity for emotional, if not physical, rest. 

Shabbat in Poland was an experience incomparable to anything else I have ever experienced. Despite tremendous sadness regarding the content of the preceding week, we were able to come together and pray. 

Sidur at Poland Synagogue

1. How did it feel to attend a service that was conducted partly in a language other than Hebrew or English?
2. How did you feel about having service in a restaurant?