By Ruthie Seidemann
After davening and breakfast, we started the day off by going to Begin Science School in Beit Shemesh and making a carnival for kids in elementary school. Last night, we prepared many booths for the carnival, including bobbing for apples, hair and nail polish booths, face painting, and pin to tail on the donkey, to name a few. We went to the school, set up the booths, and the kids were able to go around to the different booths and have a great time. We also danced with the kids and they taught us some of their dances. It was so fun! It was amazing to see how much we had an impact on them. As we were leaving, one of the girls asked one of us if we were coming back next year when she was in 1st grade. When the girl was told that we would be coming back next year, her face lit up. All the kids hugged us as we left, and it was such an amazing experience to be able to make these kids so happy. After, we drove to Yad Vashem had chaburas and ate falafel for lunch outside. We then went into the museum and split into two groups for a tour of Yad Vashem. It was a very meaningful experience. We learned about life before the Holocaust and the events that led up to it. We learned about concentration camps and heard stories of individuals in the camps. Our tour guide also told us personal stories of her father and mother in law. After the museum, we went to the Childrens’ Memorial, which really left a lasting impression. The memorial was five candles reflected in lots of mirrors, which symbolizes all the generations that could have came from these children who were killed. We left the museum with the idea that we need to remember the Holocaust and the people who went through it.
We then went back to Mevaseret and had some free time until dinner. After dinner, we had night activity: races, such as cup stacking races and a race to eat a banana while there were stockings over the contestants’ heads. All in all, it was a fun and meaningful day.