by Emma Tabenken
I’ve had the privilege of traveling all around the world with my family. But for many
reasons, this trip has stood out from all the rest I’ve taken. On no other trip have I learned so
much about not only Israel, but also about myself and what my passions are. Having been to
Israel before about 8 years ago, I was unsure of what to expect on this trip with our
congregation. I quickly found out that this trip would be exceeding my expectations in all ways.
There is something about being in a place where you belong in the majority. Being
Jewish in Israel is a powerful feeling. I felt proud of being Jewish and took comfort in knowing
that most of the people around me shared that common feeling. I’ve never really experienced
anything like this before, except for at the Jewish sleepaway camp I used to go to. The time
when it really hit me that we were in a Jewish state was when all the stores were open on
Sunday as if it were Monday. I couldn’t remember seeing anything like it before and I felt like I
was in a place that fully accepted me.
Another reason why this trip was so amazing was that we had an amazing tour guide.
Yoram was like a walking encyclopedia and there seemed to be no end to his knowledge of
Israel and its history and culture.
We had experiences other groups probably don’t get to have: being hosted by and
learning about a Druze family and getting to speak with and listen to Palestinians. These
experiences let me have a direct interaction with Israel’s culture and citizens, an experience I
don’t think I would have gotten without the group.