While many Hopkins students enjoyed an extra long winter break, some took one or two pass/fail classes or worked during Intersession, I had what probably will be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I went on a free 10-day trip to Israel for Jewish youth aged 18 to 26 through Taglit Birthright.
When I first heard about this free tour of Jerusalem, Caesarea, the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv and many other sites it seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn more about Judaism, which incidentally we were informed is a "culture" and not a "religion."
I'm still dubious about whether that's true or not, but either way I originally had great apprehensions about the trip that equaled my parents' concerns about me being close to the conflict in Gaza.
Though I always had identified myself as being Jewish and had felt the importance of at least acknowledging the major holidays, I did not grow up in a strict Jewish household, so naturally I was worried about the structure of the trip.
I figured that while we would tour what are considered some of the holiest places on earth - most of which I had never heard of before going to Israel - our tour guide and trip leaders would hit us over the head with lectures about how we can be and must be "better" Jews. After all, even "less observant" Jews, such as myself, are familiar with the concept of Jewish guilt.
It is impossible to summarize my entire trip in a few paragraphs, but in one sentence I can say that my actual experience was not like what I had anticipated. Our group explored the Golan Heights, which are near Syria's and Lebanon's border, as well as being near to where Hezbollah operates. We visited Atlit, a British internment camp for thousands of Jewish refugees after the Holocaust. We made our way through the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum and looked upon the numerous graves - dating from 1948 up to a week prior to our trip - at the Mt. Herzl military cemetery. We observed ruins from the first century atop the mountain Masada and saw Independence Hall in Tel Aviv where Israel was declared to be a state in May 1948. At each of these places I gained a great appreciation for the Jewish people's perseverance and ability to survive.
The observance of Shabbat, a special Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah service by the Southern Wall of the ancient temple in Jerusalem and other traditional ceremonies were incorporated into our trip, but I never felt as though the overall purpose of the Taglit Birthright was to instruct us about how we should live once we returned home to the U.S.
Visiting historic sites such as Rabin Square where Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated and spiritual sites including Safed, a center of mysticism, among many others, had an obvious impact on me.
Yet, I am sure the other Hopkins students and students from other universities on my tour bus would agree that meeting five Israeli soldiers who were around the same age as us shaped our perception of Israel on a deeper level.
The four male soldiers and one female soldier who joined our bus group and became our friends in such a short time were able to show us how difficult it is for other countries to see the Israeli perspective.
Whether one agrees or disagrees about whether or not Israel should have been created, Israeli citizens are threatened in a way that we in America cannot easily comprehend because the U.S. is not attacked constantly and therefore does not require the vast majority of 18-year-olds to join the army. The situation in Israel is far from perfect and the Israeli Defense Forces have made and do make military mistakes, but the same goes for the U.S. military.
Moreover, after directly asking the soldiers questions, it became clear that all Jews in Israel - from those who call themselves secular to those who are orthodox - recognize that having a Jewish state is immensely important in a world that, even now, is largely anti-Semitic.
Though my trip to Israel has not caused me to amend how I will practice Judaism, I will take away a more informed philosophy about my "culture" or "religion," about religion in general and about the State of Israel.
I encourage other Jews to go to Israel through Birthright, though I believe non-Jews should also visit, given the opportunity. On Birthright, you will not necessarily be changed into a "better" Jew, whatever that means, but you will be changed for the better.
