Chesed Mission 2015/5775: Day 4

After a Chesed packed two days, Shabbat came around. We were very excited to spend Shabbat in Jerusalem. Friday night dinner was extra special with touching messages from Rabbi Hertzberg, principal of Yeshivah of Flatbush Elementary School and many alumni who are studying in Israel for the year. After dinner we all sat around and sang many songs. On Shabbat day, we had lunch and heard great speeches and stories from Rabbi Besser and Susan Franco. After the meal we had another meaningful round of singing. Shabbat was also a time for us to socialize and get to know the members of Chesed Mission on a deeper level.

On Saturday night we had the opportunity to thank our brothers and sisters that defend Israel. We visited an army base with Thank Israeli Soldiers. The smiles that the soldiers had on their faces were life changing. There were so amazed that Americans came to say thank you to them. We danced and sang with the soldiers and spoke to them about their army experiences and how they want to spend their time after leaving the army. Rabbi Besser then recited a meaningful tefillah for the soldiers. We gave the soldiers bags of gifts and clothing and they were so grateful and excited. They kept thanking us for the gifts, but we couldn't stop thanking them for serving in the army and protecting Israel. ~Pam Cohen