Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Israel Day Parade with USY

Noa Gurvis '15 (METNY)


I've watched the Israel Day Parade from afar, and finally being able to participate was like a dream come true. It's such an empowering feeling, walking step-in-step with more than one hundred of your best friends; you feel like you can accomplish anything.

Being at the parade with everyone made me feel so proud of our country. There were so many people there that I didn't know, but it was incredible and almost unfathomable that we were all connected by our strong love for Israel. Seeing everyone there with the same goal in mind - to celebrate our country - was the best feeling in the world.

We had so much spirit, singing ruach songs at the top of our lungs and going crazy every time we passed by a camera. Everyone was into it. It turned from just a march into something I'll never forget.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Samantha Engelmyer '16 (Tzafon)


131 hours ago I returned to my small town in upstate New York after spending 10 days in the beautiful land of Israel, which I visited for the first time. When we boarded the bus at 5:45 AM on Thursday, we only recognized a face or two in the early morning light. The look of being terrified and excited because of heading half way across the world with 31 new faces, was wide spread.  

By the time the four-hour bus ride to Newark Airport was over, we were all so close already. We may not have thought about talking to each other in school, but we all had bonded over the fact that we were departing on a journey to such a special place. Some of the members of the group had already visited Israel five or six times in the past, while others had only read about it, but the moment we walked out of Ben-Gurion Airport, each and everyone of us was awe-struck.

We spent our first two days in Jerusalem, which was picture perfect. We walked through mazes of stone walls and ran up hillsides to view the stunning ancient city. After spending the weekend in Jerusalem, when we thought nothing could be better, we traveled two hours south by bus to Eshkol. There we met even more new friends and our host families for the week.

The time in Eshkol was one of the most moving things I have ever experienced. We lived lives of Israeli teenagers, so similar to us, each and every day surrounded by pure beauty. There were fields of bright red flowers in the middle of the desert, whose names I probably will never remember, and there wasn't a place the eye reached that wasn't breathtaking.

After you return from a trip as special as this, finding words powerful enough to describe the beauty and experience seems impossible. I never understood the phenomenon before, but now I do, and there is no way to describe it. One day you'll just have to go to understand for yourself too.

H2 Woah Reflections

Jacob Seidel '14 (NERUSY)


H2 was a very close, somewhat informal kinnus for USYers with a particular interest in Israel and Judaism. Between the amazing staff, thought provoking programming, and super fun company, it was one of the best kinnusim that I have ever had the pleasure of attending. There were wonderful USYers in attendance from all over the U.S. (and some from Canada) all of whom added an extra layer of enjoyment to the weekend. I highly recommend attending next year!