Every Yom Yerushalayim, I don't go straight home from school. Instead, I go to my grandfather’s house, which isn’t far from where we live. Together, we embark on a journey to Jerusalem, the heart of Israel, exploring its many faces. Each year, we visit a new part of this historic city, but our pilgrimage always ends at the Western Wall—a symbol of enduring faith and history.
This year, as Grandpa stops the car at a red light, he turns to me with a twinkle in his eye. "Yair, have I ever told you about my marble?" he asks, breaking our usual silence. I shake my head, intrigued. Grandpa smiles knowingly. "Ah... it's a long story. I think I'll tell you exactly where it happened. Come on, let’s go to the Jewish Quarter!"
Grandpa leads me through these winding paths until we reach a humble house. "This is where I grew up," he declares, his voice tinged with nostalgia. I press on about the marble, my curiosity piqued. "I won it in a game against Menachem, our neighbor," Grandpa explains, recounting the pride of winning a beautiful blue marble amidst the chaos of war.
Grandpa continues his story, describing the fear and urgency as his family prepared to leave during the siege. "In the middle of all that, you still had time to play marbles?" I ask, disbelief lacing my words. Grandpa smiles gently. "Children are children," he replies, his eyes reflecting the innocence of youth. He describes hiding his cherished marble in a hollow brick, a silent guardian of his childhood home.
Grandpa pauses, his excitement palpable. "It took much longer than a week or two," he finally says. He recounts the miracles of the Six-Day War, his return to a liberated Jerusalem, and his quest to reclaim his past. As he reaches into his pocket, he pulls out the blue marble—weathered but precious.
Grandpa holds the marble out to me, a symbol of resilience and hope. "It waited for you," I whisper, emotion catching in my throat. Grandpa smiles, his eyes glistening in the dim light. Together, we stand in reverence, the weight of history in our hearts, and the promise of stories yet to be told.
