Israel

The pressure to write the story about my trip to Israel is immeasurable. How can I possibly do that amazing and spiritual journey justice in merely words on some random blog that only few people will ever look at. However I will give it my best shot, because after spending 2 weeks in a country that is younger than my grandma I feel compelled to at least summarize this truly eye opening, once in a lifetime experience. My trip was divided into two parts; the first ten days was with the Birthright group Young Judea, and the last four were with my Israeli family most of whom I had never met before that trip. I do not plan on sharing every single detail of my experiences in Israel, for it is too much for my lazy ass to write about and like I said before I do not believe I have the talent to describe the magnitude of the impact this trip had on me. I will however try to produce the most meaningful summary of this experience that I can.

From being dropped off at Newark airport the night after New Year’s Eve (still hungover), I began my 2011 in the most conflicted yet beautiful part of the world that I have ever seen. The rest of 2011 has a tall order to follow if there is anything preordained to happen this year that can top my visit to Israel. The only part of my trip that licked balls was being stuck in the middle seat for 10 hours on the plane. In the end I look at this uncomfortable experience has a small price to pay for what was ahead of me those next two weeks. 

From the opening wine blessing at Old Caesarea City, to saying goodbye to everyone in front of our bus in Tel Aviv the Birthright trip is something I would classify as a requirement for any young Jew to do. I found the Birthright trip to be well organized, it brought you to as many places as possible in the minimum 10 days you’re in Israel, and most importantly this trip was populated by a group of awesome people. I didn’t know a soul going on this trip when I arrived at Newark airport, but after I left the hotel in Tel Aviv to meet up with my Israeli cousins, I had met and gotten close to about 50 cool individuals over those remarkable 10 days. Most of them were older than me and from Philly, so I didn’t think I’d have anything in common with them, and at first I felt a touch of social anxiety. What I would find out was that the majority of this group was down to earth, and like me very appreciative of getting a free trip to Israel. So needless to say they were cool, down to party, had an open mind going into this experience, and they really did not give a fuck that I was from New York or still an undergrad. An overlooked common characteristic that I had with this group, a characteristic that I at the time didn’t think mattered so much was that we were all Jewish, and by the end of this trip I would look at this identity in new eyes.

I never considered myself to be religious, shit before this trip I only called myself Jewish to keep my family happy. After taking part in Birthright I have a whole new idea on what it means to be a Jew. Judaism is not simply a religious identity but a cultural one as well. It’s not all about keeping kosher and going to a Synagogue every Saturday. Being Jewish is about helping others, keeping your family close, having and respecting great traditions, and overall just being a good person. Having a sense of humor is also an integral part of the Jewish culture, after all just like they said on Seinfeld, “Our sense of humor as sustained us as a people for over 5000 years”. This is the message I took away from my trip to Israel, and the fact that Israel is like my home away from home. This can be attributed to the warm hospitality given to me by my cousins over there. They mention throughout various part of the Birthright tour that simply being Jewish means that Israel is your country which I agree with. However it is because of what I experienced while I stayed with my cousins for a few extra days, that I feel an even deeper connection to that incredible country.

Most of these people I have never met before and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but after being constantly fed great food, taken to other parts of the country I had yet to see, and given warm places to sleep for more than 2 hours, (just to name a few great things done for me); I truly felt like a part of their family. Even though we were all related by blood, it was those days in Israel that made it feel like a real and loving connection.

This is probably the most heartwarming story I have ever written, which wasn’t the type of genre I had intended to write for this blog. However after that those 2 weeks in Israel, those warm emotions are all I feel when I think about that trip.