Thursday, April 18, 2013

The Good Life

Written by Alex Good (Hagesher)


An experience I will never forget was being able to go on a USY Poland/Israel Pilgrimage Second Departure. Among many experiences, those that influenced me the most were trips to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Visiting Mount Hertzel Cemetery in Israel blindsided me with a connection that was closer than I thought.

While in Poland we went to Auschwitz I. We walked up to the gate and saw “Arbeit Macht Frei”- “Work will set you free”. The sign I've often heard of was right in front of me, a historical symbol of Nazi inhumanity. The barracks held display cases filled with items collected from the prisoners. One case contained crutches, prosthetic legs and feet. Thinking about how these life-aiding items were forcibly removed from them evoked a sense of rage within me. When I approached the case full of hair, I witnessed my friend crying and saw another friend hug and console her. I arrived in a narrow hallway with cases on both sides containing mounds of shoes. When my friend put his around me, I realized that was the first true bonding experience of the trip. At that moment I started to cry.
                   
Our next destination was Auschwitz II-Birkenau. I walked in and saw the train tracks; an instant blow to the heart. The feeling that overcame me when I saw those train tracks, was one I will never have again. One of my counselors looked at me, saw that I was upset, and tied an Israeli flag onto my backpack. I walked onto the train tracks, with the wind blowing at the flag and I was immediately calmed. Even though I had not yet been to Israel and didn't have a strong emotional connection, standing on the tracks where thousands of Jewish people were systematically murdered, learning their history and honoring their memories laid the foundation for my evolving connection to Israel.
            
In Israel we visited Mount Hertzel Cemetery where fallen IDF soldiers are buried. Michael Levin was the son of a family in our community and the brother of one of my Hebrew school teachers.  When I approached his grave, the first thing I saw was an Eagles hat. Knowing Michael was an avid Philadelphia sports fan my first reaction was to smile. Without thinking I took my Flyers hat off and set it down next to his grave. Only then, realizing how similar our experiences were, did I begin to cry. Our connection runs much deeper than growing up in the same community; Michael also went on USY Poland/Israel Pilgrimage. 

These experiences impacted me in the way that made me realize I am a part of something bigger than myself. It reminds me of an important Jewish concept, L’dor V’dor: From Generation to Generation. I am proud to link my experiences with those of generations past.  I am proud to be able to tell my stories to future generations. I am proud to be Jewish.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

My Best Friend is Five

Written by Lauren Kerner (Far West)

Pilgrimage was perfect! I wish I could tell you how many times I almost peed in my pants from laughing so hard (final count: 3 ½.) There was a moment for me to feel every single feeling under the sun: I felt overwhelmingly blessed when I landed in Tel Aviv for the very first time, I felt extremely connected to God at the Kotel on my first full day in Israel, I felt so loved by my amazing group (L’ Takayn Olam G3 2012! 15 strong! And the best 3 staff a USYer could ever hope for), I felt so infectiously happy when I was running around the Rambam Medical Center with my new 5 year old best friend, Shir, I felt empowered after accomplishing the remarkable feat of repainting an entire gymnasium in four hours, I felt like anything was possible in Israel and even though I was in hysterics in Ben-Gurion after saying goodbye to my staff and felt like the entire world ended when I boarded my flight back to California, I knew I had just experienced the greatest summer of my life and I would never trade it for the world.

This is one of my all time favorite pilgrimage stories- the scene is set: Haifa, Israel. Group 3 had moved into two well-sized dormitory styled homes on the Beit Rutenberg campus. Us girls definitely knew how to party and each night for a week, the communal showers in our house were filled with a Disney’s greatest hits song session. Each morning we would wake up at the crack of dawn, get ready for our volunteer placements (The Ofakim School for children with Cerebral Palsy, the Haifa Zoo, and the Meyer Children’s Hospital), eat a hearty breakfast, get some words of wisdom from our sainted host, Barry, and head out for the day in taxi busses. With four of  some of my closest friends, we drove down the humungous hill into Haifa and walked into the children’s hospital. We were given a brief tour on the first day and that was it! We were free to roam as we pleased and give our friendship and love to anyone we could find. I found Shir.
   
Let me tell you about Shir. She is the cutest, spunkiest, and silliest 5 year-old on the planet! I met Shir in the classroom of the Internal Medicine ward and we became instant buddies. On the first day, we had a blast getting to know each other by coloring and making jewelry and laughing at funny noises we could make. I don’t speak a single word of Hebrew and she didn’t speak a single word of English but that didn’t matter to us- we were soul sisters! On the next day, I returned and found Shir back in the classroom. We made more jewelry and spent more time singing En-Den-Dino and laughing with each other. Then, a nurse rushed in and told Shir and her mother that they needed to see the doctor immediately. Shir refused! She would not go unless I went with her. Her mother asked me if I could “please, please, please,” come with them. I thought for a few seconds, “Oh my gosh! That’s in the huge medical center… what if my rosh can’t find me? What if this? What if that?” and then I realized that those were stupid questions. This is what I came here to do; I came to make a difference in someone’s life and this was my chance. So hand in hand with my little friend, I went to all of Shir’s doctor’s appointments and infusions with all kinds of different doctors, but honestly, we had such a blast! Put two energetic girls in a big room with slippery floors and you’ve got two very loud singers doing the chicken dance in the middle of the Rambam Medical Center. It didn’t matter how old I was or where I was from, Shir and I were best friends.
           
That whole week was amazing. After volunteering, we would come back, have lunch, go on an afternoon adventure (those were so cool! Haifa has the Baha’i holy grounds, the Technion, an awesome Arab community, and the Grand Canyon Mall! It’s an awesome city.), return for drink and cake, a late afternoon program, dinner, an evening program, and then we’d do it all again the next day.
           
Haifa changed my life. The days I spent with Shir have become some of my most cherished memories. This little girl was an inspiration to me for the entire trip. When I said my goodbye to Shir, we were both in tears. She was crying because the bracelet we had just made broke and all of the beads were scattered across the floor of her hospital room. I was crying because of how much this little girl meant to me and how much she taught me about being happy and being strong. She gave me the biggest hug and kiss and she said in English, “I love you, Lauren!” and I walked out of the Meyer Children’s Hospital thinking that maybe I made a difference to her, but I knew the real difference was made in me. She changed my heart and taught me that you don’t need to have anything in common with a person to love them and that no matter where you are or what circumstances you find yourself in, you can always be happy. The day our group left Haifa, Shir was able to go home. Nothing made me happier knowing that my little friend was back to mischief and being a little girl again. I think about Shir all the time and I am constantly in contact with her family via Facebook. Shir calls me her sister, and it’s true- I now have this beautiful, amazing family to call my own in Haifa and I know that I will back to visit them soon.

Yom Haatzmaut Through the Eyes of a TRY-er


Written by Michael Seidenfeld (METNY)

Yom HaAtzmaut in Israel is quite a unique experience. Sure, we have 4th of July in America, but the passion and meaning is nowhere near the same level as in Israel. First, it starts off with Yom HaZikaron, the Day of Remembrance, the day before. On this day Israelis commemorate all the fallen soldiers, which sadly tends to be a very close-to-home issue in a country like Israel.

         
But, as the sun goes down and services end, it’s like you switch between two different worlds. Almost instantly Israel becomes one massive party. The streets of Ben Yehuda are filled to the brim with people all dancing, singing, and rejoicing. There’s music and DJs at every corner, people are spraying confetti everywhere; it’s as if the entire nation of Israel becomes one big nightclub overnight. All through the night people carry on like this, until the next day comes and the festivities continue. The custom is to have a big barbeque (like in the US), so during my time in Israel on TRY, we went to the beach for the day, hanging out in the sun, a grilling up chicken. It was an amazing experience unlike any other.
     
Nowhere else have I felt such a sense of community and camaraderie with total strangers. It was certainly an experience I’ll remember and cherish forever.


Sunday, April 7, 2013

AIPAC: A Trip of a Life Time


Written by Miles Greenspoon (Seaboard)

Dear fourteen-year-old Miles,

It’s me here. Well, you, to be exact. Even though I know this letter will never get to the past, I feel compelled to write it. You’re about to enter high school, which means a lot more USY activities. But between your chapter’s convention preparations and your Skype calls with your Wheels friends, a lot of your time will surround Israel. Even if you don’t go to Israel during high school (trust me, you’ll try your hardest but it just won’t work out), you’ll still want to advocate for Israel, educate others about Israel, and fall in love with everything about Israel over and over again.

It’s important that you develop that feeling as soon as possible, because it’s going to serve you well when USY brings you along to three AIPAC Policy Conferences in the next four years.

Yeah, you read that right: three. You’ll be attending the AIPAC Policy Conference in your freshman, junior, and senior years of high school. And let me tell you, every experience you have is going to be amazing in its own, unique way – that’s the way AIPAC does it. And each year, you will fall in love with Israel all over again.

Each year, you will be awed by just how large the plenary room is. You’ll see thousands upon thousands of people: AIPAC delegates, board members and volunteers; news reporters; clergy members of all religions; adults and students like you who care deeply about Israel. Each year, you will feel a sense of pride when a speaker mentions the thousands of students in the room, and the rest of the room gives you a standing ovation (keep on smiling even after it happens for the fourth or fifth time during the conference). Each year, you will hear insightful speakers talk about both the trials and tribulations Israel must face as well as the innovations Israel has created. Each year, you will fall in love with Israel all over again.

But each year, your understanding of Israel will mature. Your questions directed at speakers will be more thoughtful, more insightful. You will listen to your senators with more resolve, knowing that they are amongst the biggest Israel supporters in the Senate. You will see the AIPAC Policy Conference in a new light, appreciating the different yearly theme even more and everything that it says about the relationship between the United States and Israel. Each year, you will be even more determined to commit yourself as an ally of Israel. Each year, you will fall in love with Israel all over again.

Even if you never do get to read these words, fourteen-year-old Miles, you will get to experience these feelings. Not only do you have the opportunity of a lifetime, you get to take USY up on that offer three times. I can’t wait to see what we both do with the information we learn from AIPAC, and I can’t wait to watch you fall in love with Israel all over again.

Yours truly,
Miles Greenspoon (eighteen-year-old Miles, that is)