To be completely honest, I never thought much about being an advisor on a Birthright trip before this past summer. The opportunity presented itself in what only could be explained as the hand of God. With my summer plans drastically altered last minute, I had ten free days in August—-ten days in which an OU Israel Free Spirit trip was scheduled to leave from Newark Airport. With utter amazement, I hastily made plans and found myself packed and ready to staff my first OU Birthright trip!
On the plane ride to Israel, I sat in incredulity—I was finally headed back to the Holy Land, a place where I have always felt most at home. But there was a sense of urgency that I was feeling–the majority of the participants on my trip had never been to Israel, and I hoped that I would be able to guide them through the holiest place on earth.
What I did not realize is that Israel is a land that speaks for itself even to those who don’t come to listen. The bigger issue hit me over the head about six days into the trip, in a cramped makeshift room in the basement of our hotel on Shabbat afternoon in Jerusalem.
To give some background, three days before Shabbat, seven secular chayalim and chayalot joined the program. Soldiers are invited to participate on these trips to break down the barriers between different groups within Israel that seem far apart but in reality have many commonalities. It was a real treat to see the soldiers and participants bonding.
Shabbat afternoon, I ran a program in which we gave participants cards that had various Jewish values on them: Marry A Jew, Keep Kosher, Learn the Torah, Have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Remember the Holocaust, Keep Shabbat, Serve in the IDF and more. The participants were divided into five groups and had to collaborate with each other to place the cards from most important to least important. Dispersed in these groups were the seven Israeli soldiers. Needless to say, the discussions were very heated.
The activity was painful for those leading the program, including myself. It was overwhelming to see how many of the participants felt absolutely no connection or passion for their Jewish identity. One of the soldiers was particularly emotional and came over to me after the activity finished, seeing his own emotions mirrored in my own. He said to me that although he considers himself to be secular, he doesn’t feel that it is hard for him to be a proud Jew–growing up in Israel made him proud of his heritage regardless of his observance level. He was taken aback by the lack of emotion the participants in his group had for their Jewish identity and was feeling a sense of despair.
I spoke to many of the participants after the activity about the choices their group made; many of them felt a new inner conflict they had not anticipated. I found myself praying for guidance–how can I help these participants, many of whom only recently discovered their Jewish identity, feel a sense of Jewish pride that until that very moment I myself had never truly appreciated?
The answer came on top of a mountain of graves–Har Herzl. Although Har Herzl has always been a very special place for me personally, I had no way of knowing how the participants would react. It was a serious day and our chayalim and chayalot dressed in their pressed uniforms.
The day began with visiting the Holocaust Museum. We then had lunch in Beit HaKerem, and ended the afternoon in Har Herzl. That Sunday was the last day in which the Israeli soldiers would be with our group.
Seeing the soldiers’ emotions by the graves of their friends who were just recently killed in the latest war, Tzuk Eitan, moved the participants to tears. After hearing the soldiers speak about their friends, I spoke about various soldiers (Michael Levin and Eliraz Peretz, z”l) who inspired my life as a Jew and ignited the fire of Jewish pride inside of me. I ended my speech saying that most of the time when leaving a cemetery, one often feels sad and overwhelmed at the idea of moving forward. There we stood among so many who were our heroes and brethren. I offered another emotion to add into the mix: Jewish Pride.
That Sunday, August 9th, was life changing. That night, the group traveled to the desert and spent the night in Bedouin tents. Before settling down, we led the group out of the camp under the light of the stars. The participants stayed lying under the bright sky. We were not allowed to talk during this time and instead used that time to think in silence for close to half an hour. Afterwards, we all shared our thoughts.
So many of the participants were explaining that the lives they were returning to did not necessarily foster feelings of religious pride. Many of them were moved seeing the young ages of soldiers who laid down their lives to protect the Jewish Nation buried atop Har Herzl. Many of the participants were concerned about their newfound respect for their heritage and did not know how to keep that feeling of pride. In fact, the main worry that surfaced for many that night was the realization that most, if not all, of their friends had no idea that, in the span of ten days, their views on their heritage were undergoing a change of appreciation. With this in mind, some participants felt overwhelmed by the idea of putting into words the experience they were having to their friends back at their universities and to their families who were under the impression that they were on a scenic tour of Israel–a state amid much controversy, no less.
That night, I realized, not for the first time, but in a way I never expected, how lucky I am to be returning to a university that encourages Jewish pride. I could not wait to go back to Stern, tell a friend that I did a trip to Israel on an OU Israel Free Spirit Birthright Taglit program, and see the knowing smile on their faces as they appreciate what an experience I must have had. These incredible young adults I had the privilege of spending ten days with were full of anxiety and sadness when thinking about returning to their lives before Birthright.
Since the start of school this year, I find myself marveling at the incredible privilege I have to attend Yeshiva University, a place bursting with Jewish pride. A university that has campus wide Shabbat programming. A university filled with an appreciation for the state of Israel. A university that encourages students to connect with their heritage, personal relationship with religion and faith is so many ways. A university that provides outlets for students to express their connections to Israel and the Jewish nation.