TL-45-485 Update 5

Written by Brandon

We visited Mount Herzl today to visit the national cemetery, located on the west side of Jerusalem.

Living in North America, it can be difficult to understand the threats and risks that Israeli soldiers and civilians face living here and the impact that has on their lives. We sometimes read about fatal events in Israel that tend to blend into the rest of the news, and though we can somewhat sympathize with them more because we are both Jewish, they are still strangers on the other side of the world.

Today’s visit to the military cemetery was sobering; graves were decorated with photos of people our age who looked like they could be us. There were tombstones covered with trinkets placed by their family and friends, in remembrance of the person they lost. I realized we were fortunate to have some of our new Israeli friends who are former soldiers on the trip with us.

While we know about the threats that Israel faces as a whole, we were given an opportunity to understand the way those threats impact individual lives. We’ve been reminded of how precious life is and how important it is to celebrate it every day.