OK, I will try to bring you up to date with all the latest that has occurred since the Mexico game.
We went out the night of the Mexico game to a local pub/restaurant, trying to forget the game. About 15 of us took over an "Irish" place and basically ordered everything on the menu, including the hard drinks. We were having a good time, washing away the disappointment and getting rowdy -- until the Mexican team showed up. Unbelievable, we can't get away from these guys. We tried to avoid them as best we could - the liquor helped. When we finished, we headed out to a karaoke bar. That was actually pretty fun for awhile. I left after about an hour and went to bed.
The next morning we got going early because Nir Servi, one of our players, arranged for a guided tour of Jerusalem. About 12-13 of us went on the tour. The bus ride was about 1.5 hours to Jerusalem. For most of the trip, our tour guide spoke, telling us about the history of Israel. He wasnt shy about the hot topics either. I thought it was very interesting to hear his perspective, which I found pretty balanced.
We entered Jerusalem and parked at a location which overlooked the old city. The whole team got together and we poured some wine into plastic cups. The guide asked if anyone would lead the Shehechiyanu and the Kiddush and no one volunteered, so I stepped forward and said both prayers. For those who do not know, the Shehechiyanu is the prayer which is recited thanking God for letting us arrive at a holy moment, such as holiday or a simcha, like a wedding. Since this was the first time in Jerusalem for most of the players, it was deemed appropriate to say the prayer. The Kiddush is recited before we drink wine. I felt very honored to say the prayers for the team, and it held special meaning for me as well since going to Jerusalem is always a holy experience for me.
We got back on the bus and drove to a spot from which we disembarked into the old city. We entered in the Jewish quarter, and walked around the narrow, walled-in city looking at the various architechture and history. Many places really expose the history of the city, since you can see layers of architecture going back through Ottoman, Christian, Roman, Jewish, etc. rule. At the same time, though, it is a modern city with shops, schools, butchers, and other necessities of normal modern life. It is a hard place to describe...it really is like stepping into a living time capsule.
After a while in the Jewish quarter, we stopped and got some food. I got a shwarma, which is a pita filled with chicken that is roasted on a vertical spit, along with hummus, Israeli salad (diced tomato and cucumber) and french fries. Real, authentic shwarma is great, so I loved it. All the guys loved it as well. After lunch, we went into the local "shuk", which is a bazaar, sort of like an open air flea market, except much, much bigger and probably 100s of years old (if not 1000s). All the vendors are Israeli arabs. The mostly sell jewelry, clothes (printed t-shirts to suits), tinkets, food and other stuff. The cool thing about the shuk (to me) is that nothing is "sticker price" there. This is where haggling was conceived. I love to negotiate deals, so I was really in my element. I helped out one of my teammates who purchased some earrings for his wife and then got myself a t-shirt.
From the shuk we continued into the Arab quarter. The midday prayers had just ended, so we were cast into a massive tide of arab men returning from the mosques, each with their sajada (prayer rug) over their shoulder. We waded through that and looked at some more architecture before moving through butcher and meat market, which was kind of gross. From there we kept on going to the Christian quarter, where we navigated to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Throughout the Christian quarter, there was a procession of polish Catholic tourists that were making the 14 stations of the cross, chanting latin as they went. That was an odd sight for me, something I am unaccustomed to. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was pretty amazing, even though I've seen it before. There are eastern orthodox holy men which sit in there and guard it.
After that, we made it to the Kotel (western wall), which is the holiest site in the Jewish world. This wall used to be part of the outer wall of the second Temple, which was the the religious center of the Jewish world in ancient times, before it was destroyed by the Romans in 67 CE (that's 67 AD to you gentiles :) ). Being at the Kotel is always so moving for me. I inscribed a small prayer on a piece of paper and made my way right up to the wall itself, which is massive. I also had to wade past dozens of Lubavitch hasidic men trying to convince me to roll tefillin and others who sought tzedakah (charity) in return for a blessing. I was actually looking to give some tzedakah in Jerusalem (on behalf of myself and others in the US who gave me some to give on their behalf), so I gave some to a lubavitch beggar, who then blessed me and my family by name (although I wasnt looking for the blessing). It is really quite an amazing sight, seeing lubavitch hasidim running around begging. You never see that in the US.
At the wall, I put my hands flat up against the massive, ancient stones, so smooth from thousands of years of use by billions (trillions?) of people. I really let myself relax and become moved by the moment in time and space. I said a few small prayers in hebrew and english, opened my eyes, and tuck my piece of paper into a crevice in the wall. Then I turned around and walked back. It was a very fulfilling moment and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to have it.
Once everyone regrouped, we headed out of the Kotel and hopped back on to our bus, which was waiting for us. We then drove back to Haifa.
Well, I have more to write, but I'll have to do it later.
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