Teen Israel Experience

Ellie and Friends at an archeological dig.

Ellie Royal, daughter of Leigh and Craig Royal is a junior at St. Mary’s Episcopal School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the cost of her NFTY Jacobs Camp Israel trip last summer. 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. Applications for Summer 2023 are now available online. To learn more and apply, click here.

By: Ellie Royal

This past summer, I had the best opportunity to visit Israel on a NFTY in Israel program. NFTY in Israel is a program where you are able to see Israel with your URJ camp. I visited Israel with all my camp friends from Henry S. Jacobs camp, which made the trip even more special. Traveling to Israel with lifelong best friends was the most incredible experience. Along with being with your own camp friends, each camp is paired up with another URJ camp, therefore you also have the opportunity to make new friends from different regions of the United States.

Before going to Israel, I had no idea what to expect. I knew Israel was an important place to my religion and culture, however, I had no idea how just important it really is. I learned many different things during my trip, such as the history of Jewish people and the history of Israel, different aspects of Judaism, and we got to visit some of Judaism’s most holy places. In my opinion, the most memorable religious site we saw was the Western Wall. One of my favorite memories from the whole trip was spending the first Shabbat in Jerusalem in front of the Western Wall. We did Shabbat services, sang camp songs, and learned about the Western Wall and why it is so important. I loved being able to take in the feeling of being at the holiest Jewish site in the world with all my best friends.

 Another one of my favorite things in Israel was our three-day excursion to the Desert. We slept in the Bedouin tents one night and slept at campsites the other two nights. During our time spent in the desert, we floated in the Dead Sea, rode camels, and went on scenic hikes. The funny memories I made in the desert are memories I will never forget.

Another one of my favorite parts of the trip was Sea to Sea. Sea to Sea is a three-day hike from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea. Going into Sea to Sea, many of my friends and I were nervous. We felt unprepared to hike all day, cook our own food in the woods, and sleep under the stars. Although Sea to Sea was not necessarily an educational aspect of the trip, I felt as though it was the most influential part of the trip. I found it made me get out of my comfort zone and taught me things I would never learn if I didn’t choose to do it. I learned to trust people when navigating through the trails, and I learned as well that I really enjoy hiking – specifically hiking with all of my friends on beautiful trails in Israel.

 All in all, my experience in Israel was easily the best experience of my life. I learned so many things not just about my faith, but also about myself. I made memories with all my best friends that will last a lifetime. I am so beyond grateful for the opportunity we had when visiting Israel, and I hope to visit Israel again soon. Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping to make my NFTY Jacobs Camp Israel trip possible.

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Henry Rochkind and friends in the Old City.

Henry Rochkind, son of Leslie and William Rochkind, is a junior at Lausanne Collegiate School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided him with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the cost of his BBYO Israel trip last summer. 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. Applications for Summer 2023 are now available online. Click here to learn more and apply.

By Henry Rochkind

Ever since I was eight years old, I have spent my summers in Maine at an all-boys camp. Not surprisingly, out of the 215 or so attendees, 200 are from the East Coast, 14 come from California, which leaves me, the lone kid from Memphis, Tennessee. I always took this position with pride however, as my friends learned to embrace me with equal parts awe and curiosity. This year, as I embarked alone on my BBYO trip to Israel, the experience was no different, except I learned to embrace an entirely new culture. The day before I went to the airport, I was extremely nervous about the trip ahead of me. I was going blind into a group of 22 people, including myself, all from various places and backgrounds.

When my dad dropped me off at the JFK airport, my anxiety was even further increased. “This is it” I thought, “I have to spend the next twenty-one days with these strangers.” Although I was at first uncomfortable in my current situation, I soon realized that I and all the other people in my group were connected by one thing – Judaism. With this in mind, I quickly made some friends and took the grueling 11-hour flight all the way from JFK to Tel-Aviv.

The first few days in Israel were definitely tough. It was my first time outside of North America, and I had to adjust to new food, people, language, and not to mention the horrible jetlag you get. As more time went by, however, the adjustment from the United States to Israel became easier and easier. After getting more comfortable with the people around me, I realized the reason I was in Israel – to embrace my Judaism and learn more about my culture and background.

The BBYO Israel Journey I went on did the job. We traveled to all sorts of places: The Golan Heights, Eilat, Haifa, Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem and more. All along the way were experiences that gave me a larger perspective on Judaism as a whole. For example, in Tzfat, our group met a man named Abraham, a follower of a spiritual type of Judaism. He explained how Judaism defines who we are as people. Listening to Abraham especially gave me a new perspective, such as his ideology that our ancestors have been trying to reach Israel for hundreds of years, and we finally are there, honoring them.

Another experience our group had where I felt most connected to my Judaism was at the Kotel. The Kotel, or the Western Wall, is a sacred place in the heart of the Old City where all the people pray. Seeing the people of Israel together praying gave me a sense of unity, and further helped me understand what it means to be Jewish.

In total, the Israel trip I went on was one of the best experiences I ever went on – I got to experience a new culture, meet new people, and strengthen my Jewish identity. As I said before, I had gone to camp for my entire life. I was only in Israel for three short weeks. Yet, in that short period of time, I made what I hope will be lifelong friends from different parts of the country. We shared incredible experiences from sleeping in a kibbutz to riding camels to swimming in the Dead Sea – memories I will never forget.  Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping to make my BBYO Israel trip possible.

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Shoshanah with Reyut Wasserstein and Eliana Waghalter

By Shoshanah Kaplowitz

Shoshanah Kaplowitz, daughter of Drs. Rebekah and Mark Kaplowitz, is a junior at the Goldie Margolin School for Girls. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to offset the costs of her Lindenbaum Lamdeni program in Israel. All rising juniors and seniors are eligible for grants of up to $3,000 to attend a recognized teen summer or semester program in Israel. Teen Israel Experience applications for Summer 2023 are open. Click here to learn more.

This past summer I was a part of the Lindenbaum Lamdeni program. I spent the summer learning Torah and other Jewish topics in Israel but was also able to experience them in real time, by going to the places where they happened. I visited Shiloh to see where the Mishkan (Tabernacle) stood, and to the place on the Jordan river where B’nai Yisrael (the Jewish people) crossed into Israel for the first time.

I did many fun and exciting things in Israel including going white water rafting and on scavenger hunts. We explored Jerusalem, by going to the Kotel multiple times, spending time in the Old City, and by just simply walking around going to cafes and malls. We went across Israel and spent a weekend in the North at a small kibbutz, and spent time in Efrat, south of Jerusalem. I had so much fun seeing small parts of Israeli society in different places in Israel.

The classes on this program were all amazing and I learned so much from the teachers and Rabbis who taught. Every class was super interesting and informative and changed the way I thought about different Jewish topics. The classes ranged from the true meaning of the Jewish holidays to a Gemara (Talmud) class where we finished the last chapter of Mesechet (Tractate) Ta’anit, and classes about modern Israeli society and government.

The best part of the Lamdeni program was that it was very small and close knit, and I was able to be friends with everyone there. The people who went on the program truly made the program what it was and made every day great. I am still in contact with the friends I made on this program, and they are friends that will last a lifetime. The people who went all had such a love for learning that you could feel all the time, and having access to the Lindenbaum Beit Midrash (Study Hall) meant you could see people learning in there at all hours of the day, and even night. I cherish my many memories of being on this program, and the friends I made there. Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping to make my Lindenbaum Lamdeni Israel trip possible.

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Emmie Infeld and BB Rubin experiencing sunrise at Masada.

By: Emmie Infeld

Emmie Infeld, daughter of Dr. Jason and Stephani Infeld is a junior at St. Mary’s Episcopal School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the cost of her NFTY Jacob’s Camp Israel trip last summer. 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. Applications for Summer 2023 are now available online. To learn more and apply, please click here.

This past summer I spent four weeks in Israel. This NFTY Jacobs Camp trip was the most memorable summer I have ever had. Spending the summer with my best friends that I met years ago at Jacobs camp, mixed with a new place that most of us had never visited, made for the most incredible trip.

When we first got there, I was a little skeptical as literally everything was different from what I grew up with. As one day passed, I knew the trip was going to be amazing. On the first day, we all reconnected with each other after not having seen each other for an entire year. As a group of thirty-five teenagers, we got along perfectly. The first place we went to in Israel was Jerusalem. We started off the trip with a highpoint view of Jerusalem to see the city from above. The view was gorgeous.

While in Jerusalem we also stopped at multiple markets. The markets are not comparable to anything in the United States. This was a whole new experience, but the ability to roam around with friends made the experience a lot less stressful. My favorite things we did in Jerusalem were an archaeological dig and climbing through caves. Climbing through the caves was such a fun experience. We then spent our first Shabbat in Israel at the Western Wall which was special for everyone. Growing up I always heard about the Western Wall in Sunday school, so actually seeing it was surreal.

We then traveled to the Dead Sea to start our three nights under the stars in the desert. The Dead Sea was much different than I had expected, but an experience that was so memorable. Our first night under the stars was at the Bedouin tents, where we were able to ride camels, hear stories, try new food, and meet new people. Ironically, the night at the Bedouin tents was the best night of sleep I had during the entire trip. We then woke up before sunset to climb Masada and to see the amazing view and witness the sunrise. Even though I am not a morning person, Masada was my favorite part of the whole trip. The view was gorgeous, and the climb was surprisingly relaxing. We spent the next three days hiking through the desert and sleeping under the stars. I definitely felt at one with nature while sleeping under the stars in the desert.

Next, we moved to Zikhron Ya’akov, which had a completely different feel from Jerusalem and the desert. It was less of a city than Jerusalem and had much more greenery than the desert.

After that, we completed Sea to Sea. We successfully hiked and biked from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea. In the next part of our trip, we had some Israelis our age join us from Shoham, Israel. They were so fun to meet, and I still try to keep up with them. In the last segment of our trip, we stayed outside of Tel Aviv and were able to explore some areas of the city that I loved.

On our last Shabbat, we went to services in Tel Aviv at an area that overlooked the water. That was my last super memorable night in Israel, and overall, the trip was the best experience.

Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping to make my NFTY Jacobs Camp Israel trip possible.

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Sarah visiting The Kotel during BBYO’s International Leadership Seminar in Israel

Sarah Hochman, daughter of Molly Haley and Jacobo Hochman is a junior at Houston High School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the cost of her BBYO ILSI (International Leadership Seminar in Israel) trip last summer. 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. Applications for Summer 2023 are now available online. Click here to learn more and apply.

By: Sarah Hochman

During three weeks of Summer 2022, I participated in BBYO’s International Leadership Seminar in Israel (ILSI). This trip was the voyage of a lifetime and my first ever trip to Israel. Over the three weeks we spent traveling across all of Israel, we were able to see and learn more than I had ever imagined to be possible.

From hiking the legendary Masada before sunrise, not only seeing but going into Ben Gurion’s humble kibbutz home in the Negev, learning how to surf with a nonprofit on a Tel Aviv beach, visiting and praying at the Kotel multiple times, and exploring a bustling Jerusalem shuk (market) before Shabbat, each and every day provided me with a new experience. Other activities we did and places we saw include splashing in the Sea of Galilee, floating in the Dead Sea, camel riding, rafting down the Jordan River, staying in Bedouin tents, rappelling down a crater, hiking through cool and clear waterfalls, singing together under the desert moonlight, and shopping along Ben Yehuda Street.

Each of these experiences deepened my connection to Israel and to the Jewish people more than I ever expected to be possible, reaffirming a bond I know will never be broken. I already am looking forward to taking another trip when I get the chance to go back.

When I arrived on the trip, I knew virtually no one. Being one of the youngest in a group that filled up four buses to their entirety was quite daunting. Yet, in the blink of an eye, I was surrounded by so many new friends who I still talk to every single day. These people have all changed my life, and I never would have met them if I hadn’t gone to Israel. Being on a trip with 160 other Jewish teens from a plethora of different countries leaves me speechless; it helped me to realize how much we have in common with one another even while living completely different lives in completely different places. We would never have met and become friends if it weren’t for this shared voyage, we all chose to do. It also was an inspiring and powerful example that Judaism thrives today in so many varying communities all over the globe.

Our various awe-inspiring guest speakers, fearless BBYO staff members, and knowledgeable tour guides affirmed this, giving us perspectives from all their unique stories and connections to Israel. Some of them were Israeli, some were immigrants, and all came from different countries and different Jewish backgrounds. Whether they were sharing memories of their time in the army or an interesting fun fact, they provided us with learning opportunities we would never have gotten from school or even an Israel trip with our families, and that knowledge will forever remain a great asset to myself and all who were fortunate enough to experience ILSI or any Israel trip. If nothing else, everyone (including myself) learned: there is nowhere quite like Israel.

Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping make my BBYO ISIL Israel trip possible for me.

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Lily at the Haas Promenade on her first day in Jerusalem

Lily Hirsch, daughter of Marci and Geoffrey Hirsch is a junior at St. Mary’s Episcopal School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the cost of her NFTY Jacobs Camp Israel trip last summer. 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. Applications for Summer 2023 are now available online. To learn more and apply, click here.

During my NFTY Jacobs Camp trip to Israel, I was frequently surprised and comforted by the prevalence of Judaism. Every new place I visited, I thought “I wish I could spend more time here.” I’ve never been surrounded by so many Jewish people and seen so many people openly practicing Judaism. This experience was definitely unique and special to me.

The most memorable part of my time in Israel was the two-night camping trip in the desert. I spent each night in a different part of the desert and slept under the stars. Going into this trip, it was the part I was least excited about. Once I got to the desert, I immediately loved the scenery and knew I would love spending time there. I really enjoyed sleeping under the stars at night and waking up to the sunrise in the morning. It was amazing to see these incredible views.

On the last week of my Israel trip, six Israeli teens joined us and traveled around with our group.

It was so interesting to hear about their lives and compare our experiences. It was also fun to have people my age showing me some of their favorite things about their country. On the last day of their stay with the group, I ate lunch at one of their houses. It was exciting to see where my new friends lived and to have the opportunity to experience a traditional home cooked Israeli meal.

Sharing these experiences with the camp friends I have grown up with was the most special part of the trip. I don’t know if my connection to Judaism grew stronger during the trip, but I am so happy to have a connection to Israel and to have a better understanding of the Jewish community beyond my home.

Thank you to the Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky’s Endowment Fund for helping make this journey possible for me.

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Eliza Herman visiting the Kotel during her BBYO Passport Israel trip

Eliza Herman, daughter of Jenny and Larry Herman is a junior at St. Mary’s Episcopal School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the cost of her BBYO Passport Israel trip last summer. 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. Applications for Summer 2023 are now available online. To learn more and apply, click here.

This past summer was one that I will never forget because of my amazing trip to Israel. This was my first time going to Israel, and it was incredible to see how much my connection to the country and my faith grew throughout the three weeks I was there.

The decision to go on this trip was one of the hardest ones I have ever made because I would only know one other person. From going to the shuks (markets), hiking Masada at five in the morning, and especially hanging out with new friends, I can confidently say that I have made memories on this trip that I will never forget.

The trip started in Jerusalem with a tour of the Old City where we walked from the Jaffa Gate to the Zion Gate. This path included walking through an aqueduct underneath the city. We ended the day by going to the 2022 Maccabiah opening ceremonies. At this event, we met up with all of the other BBYO Israel trips where we got to watch the procession of all the countries and ended the night with a concert.

Another day that stands out to me was our day in Tsfat. This day consisted of a tour of the city followed by a discussion with a Kabbalistic artist that lives in the city. This talk stuck with me because it was so interesting to learn about a new side and way of Judaism that I did not know about previously. The artist talked about his life and how he grew up in America and then decided to follow his spirituality and move to Israel. He also spoke about how he uses his art to express some of the teachings of the Kabbalah. After this, we explored the city for ourselves and walked around the market. The day ended with rafting and pizza on the Jordan River.

Before I went on the trip, I knew I was going to love hiking Masada, and I can say that the experience exceeded my expectations. Our desert adventure started with riding camels at sunset which was so much fun. That night, we learned about the Bedouin culture while staying in tents. The next day started early with a 4:30 am wake-up so we could see the sunrise from the top of Masada. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the early wakeup and hike were well worth the view at the top. One of the most impactful moments on the trip was when the group sat in a circle and watched the sunrise at the top while saying a prayer for how we were all grateful to be at that place and in that moment together.

These were only a few of the many experiences that not only made me feel connected to Israel but also with Judaism as a whole. I feel like I have a home in Israel and made many friends from all over the country. Thank you to the Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky’s Endowment Fund for helping make this journey possible for me.

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Kotel (L to R) Ezra Davidovics, Yaakov Lubetski, Asher Liss, Eli Schloss, Izzy Weiner, Yehuda Kahn

Ezra Davidovics, son of Dr. Deena and Noam Davidovics, is a junior at the Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided him with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the cost of his NCSY Kollel Israel trip last summer. 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. Applications for Summer 2023 are now available online. Click here to learn more and apply.

By Ezra Davidovics

Last summer I had the time of my life on NCSY Kollel. It was a completely spectacular experience which I will never forget. The learning was meaningful, the rabbis inspiring, the trips amazing, the counselors fantastic, and the friendships I made along the way long lasting. While on Kollel, I could feel how much I was growing both in my learning and athleticism. I truly believe that if you are going to Israel for the summer, NCSY Kollel is the best and most worthwhile program to attend. 

Kollel, which is in Moshav Beit Meir, a moshav near Jerusalem, is a program which beautifully blends Torah learning and sports. It includes a rigorous schedule of six hours a day of learning, with world renowned rabbis, and an equally intense basketball league, which almost all of the participants are in. The program also has great “mini-tiyulim,” (journeys) for those who don’t want to be in the league or people with an off-day from basketball, which are trips around Israel anywhere from malls to yeshiva campuses. 

Every Tuesday during the program we went on big trips to amazing places throughout the Land of Israel. These trips helped me recognize the beauty of the land I call my second home and what it means to be Zionist. My favorite trip was when I went to go climb Har Yehoram and Har Yo’ash (mountains) in Eilat. This trip was physically challenging, as much of the climb was vertically up a cliff face, but also extremely rewarding once you finally get to the top. The climb down was also another two miles and took us three hours but once we were finished with that it was still 10:00 AM! After the mountain, we went on a boat and had water sports and swimming in the Red Sea. We spent a little time at the famous Ice Mall in Eilat but unfortunately not much there was kosher.

Other tiyulim were more educational, like the Gedolim (noted rabbis) tour. This tiyul was where we went from great rabbi’s house to great rabbi’s house in the city of Bnei Brak. It was very cool and inspiring to see all these holy people and hear words of Torah from them. We were accompanied by our head counselor who knew the city well and could tell us exactly where to go. 

Over the course of the program, through the use of free time and late nights, I managed to finish three quarters of the entire Gemara Maseches (Talmud Tractate) Rosh Hashanah. This was a goal that I took on early in the program and was a tall task indeed. With four days left until the day we were leaving, I was sitting with four dapim (pages) left. I rallied my chavrusa (learning partner), and we managed to finish them all before the final day, at a much faster pace than we were used to. This is what I consider my greatest accomplishment from this program as I worked the hardest for it. Overall, I would recommend NCSY Kollel to anyone and everyone as it was, in fact, the “Best Summer Ever.”

Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping to make my NCSY Kollel trip possible.

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Steve Blen, son of Alison and Scott Blen is a junior at Memphis University School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided him with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the cost of NFTY Jacobs Camp Israel trip last summer. 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. Applications for Summer 2023 are now available online. To learn more and apply, please go to: www.jcpmemphis.org/lemsky-endowment-fund.

I have gone to camp every summer since I was 8 years old, and I have been with the same people for all of these years.  I will never forget this past summer learning and having fun in Israel with my lifelong friends from Jacobs Camp.  Rabbi Jeff Dreifus flew to Israel with my group and was with us for the first Shabbat at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.  We took a picture with him and the Memphis kids on my trip.

My favorite part of the trip was the “Sea to Sea” excursion. We slept under the stars for four nights and met people from many other Jewish summer camps. We hiked in the desert, sat around campfires at night and saw beautiful scenery every day. I still keep in touch with some of the people I met.  I especially enjoyed the visits with Arab families and hearing about what their life was like.  These meetings gave me the opportunity to see things from their perspective and the chance to expand my world view. We also met people in the IDF and heard about their experiences.  I was surprised to learn that they were not much older than me and impressed by their bravery. 

I also enjoyed normal days where we just hung out in Israel playing volleyball with kids on the beach and visiting families in their homes. 

 I saw my first cousin, Sydney Ellen, who was interning in Tel Aviv, and I ran into my sister, Stella, in a flea market, while she was traveling on a BBYO trip. My twin sister, Sarah was on the same trip as me. It was very special to be so far away, and be with Rabbi Dreifus from Memphis, members of my family and my camp friends.

Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping to make my NFTY Jacobs Camp Israel trip possible.

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Stella Blen, daughter of Alison and Scott Blen is a senior at St. Mary’s Episcopal School. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to help offset the cost of her BBYO ISIL (International Leadership Seminar in Israel) Israel trip last summer. 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. Applications for Summer 2023 are now available online. Click here to learn more and apply.

By Stella Blen

Traveling to Israel this summer was one of the most magical experiences I have ever had. I had the opportunity to visit sites that I had been educated on for my entire life, and to see these historical and cultural landmarks in person was truly special.

We started off our journey in a kibbutz near the Kineret, and I did not know anybody on the trip at this point. The scenery was beautiful, the culture was thriving, and this stop was where I connected with so many other Jewish teens. We stayed there for around five days before traveling to Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv was rich with beautiful architecture and food, and we went on cool tours of the city. We would continue this cycle of staying in one city for two or three nights, then traveling to the next and repeating the cycle. 

My favorite place we traveled to was probably the Negev. We stayed in this cool Kibbutz right in the desert and had the opportunity to listen to interesting speakers. I loved hiking in the desert canyons. We went on a night hike when the stars were out and the moon was full, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Something I especially loved about my trip, BBYO ILSI (International Leadership Seminar in Israel) was that rather than being only with teens from the United States, I met people from all over the world. Sixteen different countries were represented on our trip, and I now have friends from Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Canada, and many more countries. We all shared the common thread of Judaism, and it was a special feeling.

Not only did we get to experience important Jewish landmarks, but we all engaged in discussions surrounding issues with Israel itself. I remember when we all traveled to the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip (under the control of Hamas), and we sat in a circle discussing the conflicts between the two very divided nations. This conversation was extremely moving and definitely changed my perspective on the serious issue.

We also talked about anti-Jewish sentiment in the United States and the issues we face in our everyday lives as Jews. Having the opportunity to bond in our shared problems was really compelling and made me realize that I wasn’t alone. This discussion took place at Yad Vashem, one of the largest existing Holocaust museums and made me emotional to see all the evidence of the Holocaust. It was difficult but it is important to see these parts of Israel because it helps us understand who we are as Jews.

The last few days of the trip were some of my favorites. We climbed Masada, which was difficult, and I really did not think I could get to the top, but I did. We ended our journey at the Kotel. I loved going to the Kotel because I got to pray at the holiest site in Judaism. Overall, Israel was a phenomenal experience and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping to make my BBYO ISIL Israel trip possible.

Caption: Stella and other BBYO ISIL (International Leadership Seminar in Israel) participants from around the world enjoyed visiting historical landmarks throughout the country. Her trip was made possible in part with support from Teen Israel Experience Grant from Memphis Jewish Federation.

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