We split up today to get some well-needed respite from each
other. Well not really. Back to school
for me firstly travelling to the Hebrew University. We were taken on a tour of
the campus, from where we could see across the Jordan Valley to the Moab
mountains. I certainly didn’t appreciate that you could see Jordan from
Jerusalem, even on a relatively hazy day like today. Here is a photo of the back of the Mount of
Olives taken from the Uni. Note the fence snaking along half way up.
We had an hour with a professor telling us about doing
anxiety therapy with ultra orthodox Jews which was very interesting. We then went to the Commonwealth war graves
at Mt Scopus where I laid a wreath on behalf of the Australian Psychological
Society. 
Then light lunch at the Israel centre for the treatment of
psychotrauma, followed by a 3 hour workshop.
While we didn’t learn much that was new, it was interesting to see the
approaches taken. Back to the hotel by 5pm for a coffee and catchup with
Julie.
Julie:
Today was my first day where I did not join the group, as it
was mostly psychology sessions. I
went down to breakfast and then waved them goodbye (just to make sure they
really left), and then I spent 30 minutes talking to Laura on Skype. At one point she even took me (on her
computer) for a tour of the new plants they were planting in the garden, and
Reilly gave me quick kiss, but he was too busy watering to talk.
Then I headed off to the old city. I went to a shop in the old city that others
from the group had been to yesterday, and mentioned this and he gave me the
same discount as he gave them. They are
very friendly, and get a little upset when you say no to a drink of tea,
coffee, juice etc. You could spend all
day in just one shop if you were not careful.
Then I walked through a very modern and upmarket open air shopping mall,
where I didn’t really buy anything other than in the chemist. I had lunch sitting on a terrace that had a
view back to the old city, and it was extremely pleasant.
I had a quick walk to the King David Hotel for a very
relaxing massage. After that I sat
quietly with a soft drink on the terrace looking at a different view of the old
city walls. So nice to sit and not have
to rush around madly. Then it was back
to the hotel just before the others arrived back. How time flies when you are having fun.
Back on the bus at 6.30pm for the trip back to Yad Vashem Holocaust
Museum for the Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony.
We were treated like VIPs getting through security very quickly and
being given reserved seats with translation facilities so we understood pretty
much everything going on. The obvious presence of submachine guns, snipers and
a goodly proportion of the Israeli Defence Force was reassuring. We had been warned that this night is always cold, but our night was quite warm.
The
proceedings were very impressive indeed.
The flag was lowered to half mast, a memorial torch was lit, songs were sung,
poems recited, prayers read and President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Netanyahu
spoke. The latter recited some of the names
which the Iranian President is calling Israelis and likened this to the same vicious
rhetoric directed at Jews before the Holocaust.
He said very determinedly that no matter what names they were called, or
how many times they are threatened with annihilation, there will never be
another Holocaust.
Peres (taken from the TV screen - we weren't that close!
The most moving and effective part of the ceremony was the
lighting of torches by 6 Holocaust survivors.
Their stories were posted on the large TV screens, and were quite
harrowing, particularly a man who spent 7 months taking bodies out of gas
chambers, before he managed to get a job as an electrician. Both at this ceremony, and in the Yad Vashem memorial
itself, there is no undue dwelling on the really graphic horrors. They have managed to get the balance just right
between telling the stories very effectively without being overwhelming.
We had a light supper at the memorial, then back to the
hotel by 10.45pm. We are getting used to the late nights. We realised yesterday we’d been in the
hotel for 5 days without turning on the TV.
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