By Maddie Bullard
Last summer, I had the amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity to take a trip to Israel, the Holy Land. The trip itself was amazing, but even better, I got to experience it along with a big group of friends. We started in Prague and Poland with an exploration of our Jewish history and then went on to Israel.
Spending time in Israel changed the way I look at my own religion as well as the religions around me. The trip helped me become more open-minded and more knowledgeable. We visited the city of Acco, which has a significant Muslim population. I learned a lot about Muslim culture, and that helped me to better understand and appreciate the multitude of people from different religions and cultures who call Israel home. We toured Islamic mosques, Christian churches, and even a Ramadan festival. It was so enlightening to be exposed to different religions in a very physical, hands-on way.
One of the most impactful moments for me was when we had the opportunity to visit the home of a Muslim family and learn about their religion and culture and their life in Israel. Even the little things, like hiking to the peak of Masada to see the sunset, really put things in perspective for me and helped me to appreciate all that life has to offer. This trip to Israel was the best summer of my life so far. I can’t wait to return to Israel one day and see the breathtaking sites again!
Maddie Bullard, the daughter of Samantha and Brian Bullard, is a junior at DeSoto Central High School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the costs of her NFTY program in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Israel. All rising juniors and seniors in the Memphis Jewish community are eligible for grants of up to $2500 to attend a recognized teen summer program in Israel. Teen Israel Experience applications for summer 2017 will be available soon at www.jcpmemphis.org/lemsky-endowment-fund.