Akiva Nelson, son of Hannah and Dr. Michael Nelson, is a senior at The Frisch School in Paramus, New Jersey (pictured inside of a cave, wearing a yellow shirt, with friends he made during his trip to Israel). Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemksy Endowment Fund provided him with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the cost of his Bnei Akiva Mach Hach program in Israel. All rising high school juniors and seniors in the Memphis Jewish community are eligible for grants up to $3,000 to attend a recognized teen summer or semester program in Israel. Teen Israel Experience applications for Summer 2022 are now available online. To learn more and apply, please go to: www.jcpmemphis.org/lemsky-endowment-fund.
By: Akiva Nelson
This past summer I went to Israel on a five-week Mach Hach BaAretz program through Bnei Akiva. I had an amazing experience and connected with the land in a way I never thought was possible. We hiked almost daily, and every hike was beautiful. The scenery was amazing, and the tour guides were even better. The tour guides did an amazing job teaching us the history of our ancestors and answering all my questions. I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend over a month in Israel.
I also made a lot of new friends on Mach Hach and consider them to be some of my closest. The experiences we shared were extremely meaningful and important to the development of our lives on the road to adulthood. Every single day we had so much fun and did so many activities that when we got back to the hostels everyone fell asleep nearly immediately. I consider myself to be a night owl and hardly ever sleep but found myself falling asleep early because the days were so amazing. I could not wait for the next day to arrive so I could continue my incredible journey throughout the country of Israel.
One of my favorite activities was Yam L’yam (Hiking Sea to Sea). In this program, I backpacked from one end of the country to the other in a span of four days. Most of my friends were tired and sore from hiking countless miles for a countless amount of time; however, I could not wait to keep marching forwards. At one point I ran to a separate mountain and was full-out sprinting, jumping, weaving throughout the trees, rocks, and other obstacles, having the best time of my life. I felt connected to the land yet again this time in a completely different manner. I felt connected physically with the land, but also spiritually and emotionally, as if my connection had always been there. This was only one of my amazing experiences I encountered this summer.
This trip, which externally may not seem important, was instrumental in structuring my views on the amazing and beautiful country of Israel. I now know how important Israel is to me and to the Jewish people and vow to never take something so amazing for granted.
Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping to make my Mach Hach summer program possible.