☀️ Day 6️⃣: Jerusalem

We started the day off early, campers gathered on campus at 7:30 am. After doing a quick document check, we hopped on the buses🚌 and headed to Jerusalem. Sadly, we had to leave two campers behind because their Palestinian IDs were not issued yet. The Israeli soldiers did not let them in even though they had permits. The soldiers are being extra strict this year due to the fragility of the Israeli government and the recent operations that happened in the last few months. We arrived at Damascus Gate🚪 where we were greeted by our guide, Husam Abu Aisheh, a famous Jerusalem guide. We went down Al-Wad road to the Austrian Hospice🏥 where we had a brief discussion and then took photos on the roof🌄. Then we followed the Via Dolorosa and ended up at the Arab Blind Association where we learned about the integral role this organization plays in ensuring access to visually impaired persons across Palestine and the Arab world. This organization was the first to teach blind children in the Arab world, the first to translate the Quran to braille, and the first to develop economic integration projects for the blind. After this stop, we continued onto the Aqsa Mosque compound🕌 where we faced an unfortunate obstacle where the Israelis refused to let certain people in due to their religion. However, the majority of the group was able to enter and got to witness the majestic beauty of both Al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Many also got to pray🙏. Afterwards, we headed to Aftimos Square where we got lunch of grilled chicken, vegetables, and fries🍔. After our lunch break, we walked over to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and did a brief tour and had some free time to wander about the different sections of the church. We then marched on to the Armenian quarter and learned about Armenian ceramics and the campers got to paint their own tiles which they will be able to take home with them once they are baked in the next few days. We ended the day with a brief stop at the Mount of Olives for a view of Jerusalem and a brief discussion.