Friendship Is The Theme

Throughout the past couple days, I've been thinking a lot about how I've changed and how I've grown in Israel. The people that I've met and the experiences I've been through have shaped me more into the person I've wanted to become. Although I've run into some extreme rough patches, the amazing support system that I have here has helped me more than I could've imagined. I can't express the love I have for my EIE family enough, and I am constantly dreading the day we have to part.

Inspiring The Future

"Anything you can do, I can do better" was my motto growing up. Also running along the lines of inspirational quotes was the big winner "Girls rule, Boys drool". I've aways looked up to actresses and female athletes because they prove that women can be some boss as* b*tches. After becoming very interested in Israeli culture, I went further to see what the amazing women of Israel had to offer. 

One specific female that specifically drew me in was someone who showed me that really anything is possible with the right amount of dedication and perseverance. Not only did Inbal Pezaro compete in the Paralympics paralyzed in her lower limbs, but she continued on and won four silver and four bronze medals. Of course I can't completely relate to Inbal, but I can understand where she's coming from regarding limitations due to something you can't control. 

I was diagnosed with a heart condition a couple years ago that causes a combination of an intensely high heart rate and abnormal low blood pressure. I only recently was able to receive medication that allows me to engage in sports and exercise normally. Prior to my medication, I was allowed a limited amount of physical activity, which included limited time to play lacrosse. Inbal inspired me, however, to not let something out of my reach get in the way of everyday life.

Read the rest of Inbal's accomplishments (I highly suggest it)

 -- http://www.haaretz.com/news/independence-day

Culture Through Rhythm

Tonight, we went to a Israeli music concert and I've never had more fun. Seeing all the madrichim in their element listening to their favorite music was inspiring. I've mentioned how I want to connect more to Israeli culture, and I've 100% accomplished that. I can't wait to experience more during my last month here, and gather bunches of stories to bring back with me.

Passover With My Lovies

Over Passover break, I experienced my first Pesach in Israel. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. The seder wasn't too long (even though I love a long seder), and I got to practice my Hebrew :) Spending this night with my friends made it even sweeter, not to mention the charoset was pretty sweet as well. Lol!

"I'm A Pilgrim, Not A Tourist"

For me, one of the most stressful things regarding EIE was preparing for the changes in culture I would face the second we landed in Israel. I've found myself adapting to the Israeli life-style quite well, and realized that I had nothing to worry about. As long as I act like I know what I'm doing, I'll be good. Emerging myself in everyday life has definitely helped me. Whether it's listening to Israeli music, speaking the little Hebrew that I know, or reading Israeli literature, I feel as if I'm connecting to the land of Israel on a deeper level and enhancing my EIE experience.

One piece of Israeli literature that specifically caught my attention was a small, gathered collection of short stories by Etgar Keret (recommended by the one and only Aaron Gertz). I wasn't exactly sure what to expect as I began to read it, but I soon found myself loving his style of writing. He represented Israeli culture and attitudes extremely accurately. I'm still not 100% adapted, but I'm improving each and every day.

Journey To Last A Lifetime

This year during Passover, it'll be different for me. I've never been in a very religious household during the holidays, and I'm excited to have this experience in such an amazing place as Israel. Not only will I be celebrating Passover, but we embark on a 13 day long journey around Israel and hiking from Sea to Sea during 5 of them. I keep thinking that there's no way to make this journey better, but then somehow it gets even more amazing. I can't wait to see how these next few weeks go...hopefully I didn't forget to pack anything!

Growing Into Myself

     For me, Poland wasn’t solely a negative experience. Although it wasn’t in the exact way I would’ve chose, I learned a lot about myself. Having all the different conflicting emotions inside my body at once caused a lot of thinking to be done. I knew that Poland would be tough. I knew that I would see things that would make me the opposite of happy, but I also knew that going with such a great group of people would make the trip a little bit less emotionally wrecking. 

     For me, it was my first time doing anything related to the Holocaust outside of school. I went to Washington D.C. with my 8th grade class, but going to the Holocaust museum was taken off the agenda because it would be “too hard” for some of my classmates. My mom and I were both very upset, and didn’t know why teaching about WWII to 8th grade students wasn’t required. Of course that portion of history is tough to talk about, let alone see in a museum, but choosing to leave it out of the curriculum doesn’t lessen its effect on the victims. 

     I still vividly remember the masa to Poland, specifically our time in Majdonik. It was the first of our stops throughout our journey, and the one that made the biggest impact on me. I 100% understand the reasons for visiting the monstrosity that remains there, but I wish I could get some of the images out of my head. I took a few moments to myself while being there and let my emotions pour into my journal:

          “I’m so numb. I feel as if someone has punched me in the stomach. My heart feels as if it’s                      missing and there’s a little flutter inside my chest. Seeing everyone around me hugging and                    embracing gives me hope of good people still left in the world. I just want to leave this                            place. I hate this mood that is upon everyone. I don’t like being here. I hate it I hate it I hate it I              hate it. I hate this so much. I don’t understand how this happened. How did no one stop it. How            did people not know. I’m left without words to say.”

     I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about the events that took place in the Holocaust, and I’ve taken away a lot of knowledge regarding myself and self-growth. Talking about my Judaism has always been hard for me at home because of how small the Jewish population is in my town. But being at the different concentration camps and seeing how hard it was for the Jewish people of Eastern Europe during WWII has changed my perspectives a lot. I’ve never been so proud to be Jewish. I’ve never been so confident in my choice to marry someone Jewish. Of course I’ve known my whole life that I want to raise my children in a Jewish household, but this journey has cemented that thought in my head. My priority now is to continue Judaism because I feel that it is our duty as the remaining population. As long as we have at least half of the faith that the Holocaust victims had, it will come completely naturally.