Day 8Apr 24, 2012
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| We arrived in Israel Tuesday morning at 4 a.m. Most everyone had a good nap on the plane! We found our luggage and boarded our buses to travel to Caesarea. We had the most spectacular breakfast among the ruins. Salad, cheeses, olives, shakshuka, omelet, zatar bread……it was amazing! It’s a beautiful sunny day, and the sky is gorgeous. We divided up into teams and participated in different games to build our abilities to work together. We played these “games” in areas where we could look at the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean. Words cannot describe it! After we finished, we were given free time to play volleyball, soccer, lay on the beach, whatever we wanted. It’s such an amazing juxtaposition from what we came from, but it really makes us appreciate Israel all the more! We then had lunch and started on journey to Jerusalem. We checked into our youth hostel, and are preparing for Yom Hazikaron. We will have a ceremony here to remember all who have been killed in Israeli conflicts. Traveling to Israel one or twice a year ever since I was a few months old, I never really realized how fortunate I really was. Israel was just a place where I visited my family, thus I never considered Israel having any other significance. It was not until a few years ago when my brother made an Aliyah and joined the army in 2009 that I truly began to appreciate Israel, my second home. As a little boy my brother was constantly building plastic airplanes and running outside every time he heard an aircraft outside. He would sit in his room and play in his flight simulator for hours and hours. At the time I never took into consideration that this was his hobby, he was absolutely fascinated by these planes and could not wait to fly one. Joining the Air Force was a dream come true to my brother. With this dream however, he was aware that he might encounter several difficulties and struggles. Unfortunately within his first year, he was released from the Air Force. This was not the end for my brother’s dream. He is currently fighting in another section of the army so that he can further reach his goals. Not only does this strive demonstrate his strength, but it also captures his love and dedication to Israel. He feels obligated to give back to Israel. Along with many soldiers, my brother fights in the IDF to not only pursue his dream, but to give back and fight for Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. We are all so incredibly proud of my brother as we watch him remain dedicated and strong. Regardless of the difficulties he encounters, he keeps his head up high and never gives up. -Romie Dagan While sitting on the sand in Israel, the stark contrast between the beauty of the beach in Caesarea and the bleak grayness of the concentrations camps we had just visited in Poland was overwhelmingly noticeable. On this trip we are continuously told that we are privileged to be having this experience, but it wasn’t until we landed in Israel that I truly acknowledged this privilege. We’ve spent the last week hearing the personal accounts of survivors and bearing witness to the horrors that took place during the Holocaust. The luxury and relaxation that we encountered this morning put last week’s experience into a greater perspective. By landing in Israel, we were achieving something that six million did not get to see fulfilled. We’ve been told this many times, but it wasn’t until I was physically on Israeli soil that this fully made sense to me. -Yael Glouberman Our last day in Poland marked the first time in my lifetime that I cried tears of utter devastation and tears of complete pride and joy simultaneously. Monday we toured the almost fully intact death camp Majdanek. Our time in the camp concluded as our group of 230 surrounded the unimaginable 7 tons of human ash. We listened to the recording of Jews singing the Hatikvah with absolute pride after being liberated. Our voices joined the recording of the Hatikvah as our hearts attempted to echo the joy and pride they felt with their first taste of freedom. This powerful moment was followed by each of us reading letters from our families. This could not have been a more powerful place to connect the devastating past of our people with the light and joy the letter brought to my soul. The letter from my parents was filled with love and reinforced for me the reason that I am on this trip – we must never forget our past to ensure a future for our people. Tears of sadness and tears of joys ran down my face as I read through the letter my family had written me while looking out on the chilling image of 7 tons of human ash from our people. - Talya Schlesinger |
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