We visited Yad Vashem - I went there when I was 12 years old. I remember leaving and feeling sad, but today was a whole new level of sad. I felt pain. I could not fathom what the Jews went through and how one person had so much power and how one person was so toxic and how one person murdered children and their families. I felt the pain the mothers felt when they knew they were going to die with their child. I felt pain inside my heart.
After Yad Vashem I felt low and deflated.
We visited Har Hertzl where soldiers who fell in the Jerusalem area were buried. In 1949, the government decided to turn the site into the main cemetery for IDF members who have fallen in the line of duty. Some of these soldiers were 20 years of age, it was unimaginable for me. These soldiers were somebody’s son.
The Old City tour was amazing. It was buzzing with people. I loved walking through the cobbled streets. It lifted the mood and was incredible to see how alive this place was.
After the tour we were given a special gift from Liat - our own Siddur.
I have never owned a Siddur let alone a personalized one with a special message inside just for me. Today I cried more than I have in years. As Liat said, "tears are the windows to your soul". And today I found myself again.
Arden Josselowsky #itstartswithwomen #myfirstsiddur #windowtothesoul #yadvashem
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