We have great news--it has stopped raining, and the sun has come out! (However, it's still a brisk 40 degrees.)

To continue our discussion of the three religions of Jerusalem, our day began with an exploration of the importance of the city to Muslims and included an update on the situation in Gaza. We then took a bus tour of the city focusing on the impact of geography on Israel's security issues.

We received security clearance to visit Gush Etzion this afternoon, where we learned about the origins and history of the area through a film at Kibbutz Kfar Etzion. Afterward, we met with a man who lives in Efrat who spoke about his perspective on peace and security for the State of Israel, with a special emphasis on settlements.

Tomorrow morning, we will help prepare Shabbat dinner at a soup kitchen, and then we'll go to the shuk to prepare for our own Shabbat festivities, which we began planning tonight.

Our next update will be after Shabbat. Until then, Shabbat Shalom!