Craig and I visited the Kotel the other evening. We arrived just as a ceremony involving many Israeli soldiers was ending. We caught the tail end, which included the soldiers singing Hatikva (the Israeli national anthem) while facing the Kotel. It was quite moving. The magnitude of what we saw was enhanced when we learned what was going on: I asked a 19 years old soldier. He explained that he and his fellow soldiers (male and female) were being honoroed for having just returned from a 7+ month tour of service in Gaza (ie, these were the soldiers defending Israel during the conflict last winter). The young man explained that, after this break, he is off to Golan for another tour of service. There will be another tour after that until his three years of service to his country is complete.
It was really a moving (and serendipitous) experience to have stumbled upon this ceremony and to see these soldiers be honoroed and engage in prayer at the Kotel.
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