We started off the day with a late wake up. We have all finally adjusted to the time zone! We then had a morning activity at the hotel which involved a rudimentary overview of the history behind the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We then boarded the bus and set off for Bethlehem.
In Bethlehem, we met up with our tour guide and then made our way to the church where Jesus was born. It is the oldest continually running church in the world. We then went down into the cave underneath the church and we received a blessing from the Armenian priest. We then made our way to the shepherd fields to explore the caves. Then, we ate a delicious and fresh lunch at a restaurant nearby. We were their first big group since the beginning of the pandemic!
Lastly, we made our way to Effrat where we talked to a man who had made Aliyah after coming to Israel on a teen tour like ours! We loved hearing his perspective on being an Israeli settler and we listened carefully to his thoughts. We then finished off the day by stopping at a grocery store to pick up some fresh fruit and then ending the day with a short activity to prepare us for our visit to Yad Vashem tomorrow.