Israel: for thousands of years it has been the backdrop for the development of the Jewish religion, telling a story of trial, perseverance and tradition. Many Jews in modern America have only seen pictures and heard stories about Israel, but a group of 19 University students enjoyed the opportunity of a lifetime over Winter Break by experiencing this place of indescribable wonder firsthand.
Birthright Israel, which sponsored the trip, sent 6,000 youths, ranging from 18-26 years of age, to Israel last month. However, the foundation does more than organize flights, tour guides and accommodations. It also pays for them.
The project was founded, as well as partially funded, by two Jewish philanthropists, Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhart. Bronfman is the Co-Chair of Seagram Co. in Montreal, which also owns Universal Studios, Inc. Steinhart made his fortune in real estate and other investments, and is now involved in various Jewish philanthropic projects.
Deborah Schechner, a third-year College student and trip participant, was especially impressed with the project's origins, expressing her appreciation that "these two men had this wonderful idea."
Birthright Israel also receives assistance from the Israeli government, local Jewish communities abroad, and other philanthropists, so that each trip participant gets not only to discover Israel, but they also get to do so free of charge. The project covers everything from airfare to accommodations to meals to tour guides -- leaving travelers only to provide their own spending money and transportation to the airport.
Fourth-year College student David Z. Rose said he first heard about Birthright Israel through newspaper ads and through Hillel, the University's Jewish outreach center.
Over 120 other prospective students interviewed for the 20 spaces available for the trip, and the lucky few chosen were handpicked by Hillel Rabbi Joe Blair after reflecting upon what they believed the students would learn from the experience and whether they had traveled to Israel before.
The University students, as well as Rabbi Joe, left Jan. 3, and after a nine hour plane ride, reached Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv served as a meeting point for about 250 students from other colleges, including the University of Pennsylvania, Virginia Tech, the University of Maryland and Arizona State. Six buses shuttled the entire group to Jerusalem, where all 6,000 Birthright Israel participants congregated three days later at the Israeli Expo. In addition to American students, this group included many participants from South America and Canada.
Although Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak originally was scheduled to address the travelers, his participation in peace talks with Syria prevented him from keeping the engagement. However, the students did hear speakers such as the Israeli Minister of Defense as well as words from Bronfman and Steinhart.
The group continued on to Jerusalem, where they attended services for the Shabat Friday and observed the traditional day of rest Saturday.
Rose said that in America, a day of rest usually involves driving somewhere, such as to the movies, but in Jerusalem this involved "complete shutdown" throughout the city with empty shops and deserted roads -- a perfect illustration of the cultural differences which the trip strives to demonstrate to American Jews.
An especially touching event was the visit to Yad Vashem, a holocaust museum in Jerusalem.
It was "10 times more moving than the one in Washington," Rose said.
The museum houses the "Hall of Names," an attempt to document names and biographical information submitted by family and friends for the millions of Jews killed in the Holocaust. The museum also includes a special memorial for the 1.5 million children who died during this time.
Other trip highlights included a trip to the Wailing Wall, a community service project which involved picking oranges for a farmer, participating in an archeological dig at Beit Guvrin, exploring the ancient Roman city of Beit Shaan and a visit to the Golan Heights.
The group returned to the United States Jan. 14, and have since reflected upon their travels in the country from which their religion originated.
It was amazing "just being around so many Jews in one country ... it was kind of a culture shock," Schechner said.
Indeed, the day to day actions of the Israeli people, such as the constant speaking of Hebrew and the wearing of a yarmulke proved to be an overwhelmingly religious experience.
"Spending time there was far more religious than being in a synagogue in the U.S.," Rose said.
Although this was not Rabbi Joe's first trip to Israel, the experience of going with 19 college students proved to have a great impact upon him.
It was "really significant and wonderful to be there," said Rabbi Joe about his Israel experience with students.
Many of the trip's participants said they are looking forward to returning to Israel later this year.
Although Schechner had been tentatively planning a trip to Tel Aviv this summer, her experience from the Birthright Israel program affirmed her return.
Thanks to the January trip, fourth-year College student Lea Winerman said she has decided to spend a year in Israel after graduation, first attending an intense Hebrew immersion program and ultimately finding a job or internship.
Although Rabbi Joe said there were "19 different people and 19 different reactions" to the Birthright Israel Experience, he said it has proven to be an overwhelming success.
Over the next five years, an effort will be made to send from 10,000 to 50,000 more Jewish youths each year to Israel, bringing the project's cost to roughly $210 million.
Based upon Rabbi Joe's opinion, however, the cost seems to be worth every penny.
Rabbi Joe said the trip helped the students "recognize that they have ties and bonds between them and all students.
"My expectations were relatively high that the students would have a worthwhile experience ... my expectations turned out too low," he said.
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