An experiential day focusing on the significance of Jerusalem for the Jewish people, the price and effort required to reach it, and the power of the Zionist vision that motivates people to action. We will meet exemplary figures from the battles on the Castel axis, through the grand idea conceived by Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl, to stories of immigration and heroism, and we will discuss the question: What does Jerusalem symbolize for us today, as young people and as a society?

Objectives:

• Deepening understanding of the Zionist idea through learning about seminal stories in Jewish and Zionist history, and clarifying the place of this idea in the lives of students.
• Strengthening personal and social ties to Jerusalem as a center of identity, hope, and encounter for the Jewish people.
• Exposure to models of leadership, responsibility, and personal example.

Part I – The Castel Site:
We will learn about the battles to open the besieged road to the city and address questions such as: What did Jerusalem mean to the fighters at that time? What price were they willing to pay to gain access to it? And what is the responsibility of those who lead others? Along the route, there will be experiential ODT stations, at each of which the students will face tasks involving decision-making, teamwork, leadership under pressure, and seeing the other side. Through physical experience, we will create a connection between the story of the commanders and fighters at Castel and questions of personal and group leadership in the lives of today's students.

Part II – Mount Herzl:
Introduction to Herzl and the Zionist vision.
Then select 3 of the following stations:

• The Great Leaders of the Nation – On leadership and leaders, with an emphasis on the figure of Yitzhak Rabin.
• Hannah Szenes and the Yishuv Paratroopers – On the choice of a girl their age to fulfill Zionism in her personal life.
• Ma'apili Aguz – The Story of the Immigrants from Morocco.
• Monument to the Jewish soldier in the Red Army.
• Sudan Memorial – The Story of Immigration from Ethiopia.
• Last Descendant – The story of Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel and fell in the War of Independence, the last descendants of their families.
• Visit to the plots at the military cemetery – discussion about the value of defense through stories of the fallen.