Thursday was a crazy day for us. We took over 25,000 steps! We woke up bright and early, eager to get moving. We started the day off with a 3 hour long Jewish walking tour in Brooklyn. We met up with our tour-guide, Norman who was very knowledgeable about Jewish life in Brooklyn and also had a slight resemblance to our teacher, Mr. Hrycan. As we walked around the Jewish scene of Brooklyn, the sun was out and it was very warm, though we wanted to be respectful of the Orthodox community so we maintained a modest dress code while we endured the 30 degree New York heat. Being outside for 3 hours in this weather was not a walk in the park, which we did. We also visited local business that were owned by members of the Jewish community and enjoyed some kosher food. By the end, you could see that we were tired, but we had a very memorable tour.
In the afternoon we had the opportunity to meet some Junior High students from a Jewish day school in Manhattan. Entering Central Park, we met our new friends, and they greeted us with cookies. At first we were all a bit nervous but our nerves faded quickly and we got along great. Together we had a wonderful Kabbalat Shabbat at their school where we had some shared traditions and learned about some of each others traditions.
We returned to the hotel to quickly change and prepare for our second shabbat experience at the incredibly glamorous and famous Park Avenue Synagogue. It was such a unique experience that we will never forget. The service was beautiful, the cantor was so engaging and it was an incredible Shabbat that we will never forget.
After that, we grabbed a quick bite before heading to Times Square, still decked out in our synagogue apparel. Then, we enjoyed a shopping spree throughout the square, acquiring many pairs of Reece’s overpriced pants, and candy. Our feet on fire from all the walking, we decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel, ready to see the end of our third day.
