Though the whole group was checked out and ready to load the bus on time, the bus wasn't there. We soon learned that the bus didn't start, and with the help of Muki and the Jerusalem office, we were able to improvise our transportation for the morning.
Another Reform synagogue group, North Country Synagogue from Glen Cove, Long Island, gave us a ride to our first stop, Independence Hall. The building is most famous for being the place where David Ben-Gurion declared Israel's independence on May 14, 1948 at 4:00 p.m. But we learned much more, including the fact that it had once been the home of Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv, and that he later had it converted to the Tel Aviv art museum, which it was on May 14.
We spent about an hour there, concluding our visit by hearing Ben-Gurion's voice as it was recorded on that day, the presiding rabbi leading Shehechianu, and, of course, the singing of Hatikva. Several in the room were in tears reenacting this momentus day in the life of the Jewish people.
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