Day 16 - Kotel Tunnels and the City of David (Lehava)

After a much needed "sleep in" which consisted of a 7.30am wake up, we all began preparing for an exciting day ahead in the old city of Jerusalem. 

After a 10 minute drive to our destination, we walked through the city of David and we learnt about the time of King David's reign. Nitzan (our tour guide) told us that the reason for building the kingdom in that location had a purpose. It was a strategic location for money, food, defence and water. Following this, we walked towards Hezakiah's tunnels (underground water tunnels) and got dressed into the appropriate attire for the water. We walked down some stairs onto a suspended platform, where our guide informed us about the history of the place we were visiting and archeological discoveries.

One piece of evidence that archeologists found were stamps. These were used for people to send letters to each other back in the times of King David. The names on these stamps correlated with the names in the Tanach which proves that these biblical stories really did happen.

Our tour guide, Nitzan posed a question to us. She asked us if we think it's important to search for and obtain evidence of the stories in the Tanach. Hearing the answers from my peers made me realise how important this evidence really is for the Jewish people and our identity.

After learning about this, we then walked down many steps in order to reach the water tunnels. 
Stepping in was really cold. All you could hear were screams and a lot of laughter. It was pitch black besides a few very small lights. However, despite walking in the dark, we had the best time singing songs and wading through the water. 

After this exhilarating experience, we headed to the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem. We had 1.5 hours to roam around where we had the opportunity to get lunch. I felt compelled with joy and appreciation while walking in this area as it has been inhabited by Jews for hundreds of centuries. After this time, we all got together and participated in a treasure hunt in the Jewish quarter to discover and acquire knowledge about different aspects of the area. It was very fascinating and was also a very enjoyable way for us to learn about the history. 

Following this fun game, we drove a few minutes to the Haas Prominard in Armon Natziv which had an unbelievable view of the whole of Jerusalem. We all took pictures together, and it was truly a majestic sight to see.

We later came back to the hotel where we had a delicious dinner followed by Zumba for the girls and soccer for the boys. Hadaya then arrived to take our orders for jewellery which was an exciting time for many of us. 

This concluded an exceptional day in the remarkable city of Jerusalem. I'm truly having the most unbelievable and inspiring time in Israel and am feeling eminently grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity. 

By Danielle Katz