This summer I went on the NFTY L'dor v'dor trip to Israel. The trip was about 5 and a half weeks long. We spent 4 days in Prague and 3 days on the “Exodus” boat trip to Haifa. The rest of the trip was spent touring and living all over Israel. Seeing Jerusalem for the first time was amazing. It was very dramatic. Before we arrived in Jerusalem, we had been stuck on this awful boat for 3 days, and then we got right off the boat and onto a bus. When we got off the bus, finally, the staff had us all close our eyes and walk off the bus holding hands. Finally, they told us to open our eyes-and there, in front of us, was Jerusalem! It was beautiful. Standing there looking at the capital of the Jewish state made me understand why people went through so much to get here.

On the trip there were 500 teens from all over the US, separated into groups. Since I was from San Antonio, I got put into one out of two Greene Family Camp Groups. I was placed with a group that mostly already knew each other from camp or NFTY events, both of which I did not attend. At first it was hard, and I felt a little lonely. But I found that because we were in this holy land, going through all of these amazing experiences it becomes very easy to bond with the people around you. I realized that bonds are not only formed with friends,but with God, too. Knowing that the person next to you feels the same about your beliefs as you do makes it easier to connect to your Jewish identity. I became really good friends with everyone. I feel like I've known them all my life. Now, I can't imagine not knowing them, and not having them in my life.

Three Israeli teens were with us on the trip. They had been at GFC on the oldest unit, called kibbutz. They were seeing the tourist part of Israel. Talking to them was interesting. I thought they'd be different, but they are the same teenagers as we are --they just grew up in a different place and have an accent! It was kind of weird to see them grow up knowing Judaism they way they do. Judaism is their way of life. Shabbat and Holidays are easy for them. It was funny for them to hear that the schools are even open on the Jewish holidays! This made me want to think about living in Israel because it was just easier to be Jewish.

My experience in Israel changed me in a lot of different ways. I feel a lot more open about being Jewish, and more proud to be Jewish. I also know that Israel is always a place where I can go if anything goes wrong. I know I'd fit right in. In Israel, I just feel safer and more confident. I'm not afraid to say I'm Jewish. It was also amazing to learn about Israeli history there, versus learning about it at a youth group event. In the beginning of the trip, while we werein Prague, the random history sections started out boring, but then as we went through the Jewish quarters the history started to become heritage, and was became so much more important and interesting. The same was true in Israel-- history in Israel was not boring but important.

I wish everyone could go through the great experiences I went through this summer. For some, safety is a big concern. I don't think it should be. Even though I knew there were bombings, I still felt extremely safe. There wasn't one point that I worried about my safety. But then when you are there, you just don't think about it, and you feel safe. You just know you are in the right place and it will be ok.

I still think no one will fully understand how life changing my Jewish summer was. My Jewish identity will never be the same and I would have it any other way.

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