Bus 927's first day in Israel, overlooking the Old City in Jerusalem.
"Despite some initial weather worries, Brown RISD Hillel's Taglit-Birthright Israel delegation arrived earlier this week and is taking Israel by storm. Spread across two buses, 56 students and four staff are currently camped out in the Bayit v'Gan area of Jerusalem. Bus 926 spent two days in the North before heading to Jerusalem on Thursday afternoon. Around the same time, Bus 927 was claiming its luggage at Ben Gurion Airport. On Friday morning, we met the seven Israeli soldiers that will be joining each of our buses for the first half of the trip and headed off to the old city, where we took a walking tour that culminated in a visit to the Western Wall and adjacent archaeological site. After an afternoon at Machaneh Yehuda, taking in the sights and sounds of Jerusalem's busiest market on a Friday afternoon, we welcomed in Shabbat back as a group. Following a relaxing Shabbat, we were off to Ben Yehuda Street for dinner and souvenirs. Yad Vashem, Har Herzl, and a trip to the theater in Jaffa await tomorrow. Check back for more updates!"