By Rabbi Shlomo Crandall, Director Chai Lifeline Midwest
The day started on a spiritual high as we went to pray at Kever Rachel. As we were waiting for the bus to pick us up, some of the teenagers took pictures with the soldiers. Imagine this: a Klausenburger chassid standing next to a chayal. Imagine this: another chassidic boy wearing the soldiers beret, holding his walkie-talkie and taking a picture with him. Where else would you see this happen? The mutual respect was apparent as each looked at other in amazement wondering who had the more difficult challenges.
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Next, we were Off to the Kenesset where we were treated with VIP status. The kids got to sit in on a session on the second tier level reserved only for foreign dignitaries. We were then treated to a short tour and a sit down lunch. Everything is about timing. During lunch we were greeted by the Vice Prime Minister and leader of the Shas Party Eli Yishai, Meir Porush, Moshe Gaffni of the Agudah, and the number two person in Kadima. What was touching about the many politicians we met was their diversity. Put another way the Kenneset is really a microcosm of the Jewish People. It has the one advantage that people have to talk to each other.
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Our next stop was to the Kotel and the Chain of Generations Center which is situated alongside of the Kotel. We split up into 3 groups because only 3 wheelchairs could go in at a time. In my group were the 3 big boys. As we descended, we entered a relatively small elevator. The chair was too big for one of the boys to continue; We were not going to go back. The boy that was more mobile and in a regular wheelchair was taken first, and put on the floor, while the wheelchair was taken back to the other boys to use to go up the elevator. Nothing is impossible.
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