Met Al Israel.

 

*The Associated Blog cited this post and linked to my blog on January 18, 2011. Click here to see that blog post!*

I went to Israel for twelve days as part of the Taglit-Birthright program to start off my 2011 year.

I had heard so much about the country and about this trip itself, but having never been, I didn’t know what to expect. Now I’m back, and I can honestly say that it was the most meaningful trip I’ve ever been on. I want to preface all these posts by saying that no photographs, videos, or words can begin to illustrate how incredible this experience was. It’s something that one can only understand by doing them self.

There are three main things I’ll take from this trip.

The first is more pride in being Jewish. I was always one of the very few Jews growing up in school. There was never a time I didn’t feel normal, and I never had any shame in telling people I was Jewish, but at times it was hard to relate to people in that regard. Seeing a society where Judaism is the norm was truly inspiring. It felt like home.

Secondly, I realized just how easy my life is. In Israel, everyone must serve in the army. We were blessed to have eight Israeli soldiers with us. They’re all performing the ultimate service to their country with no complaints, yet they’re still kids who laugh, think, cry, love, and party just like us. I visited a school on the border of the Gaza Strip that regularly gets hit by incoming rocket propelled missiles. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to focus in an environment like that, yet the students I met there are some of the happiest, brightest people I’ve ever met. What do I have to be unhappy about? Being too busy? Having too much schoolwork? Losing a tennis match?

Finally, I’ve gained 52 new friends, both American and Israeli. It was unbelievable to see how quickly we all became so close to each other. It brought me to tears when it was time to say goodbye.

This was my favorite photograph from the trip. The upcoming posts will be highlighting some scattered but memorable moments from my time in Israel.