10 Days in Israel Gave Me Friendships & Genuine Connections

I was raised Jewish starting from the day I was born. Both of my parents are Jewish and my mother is Israeli. I went to a Jewish preschool when I was a young child. I went to Sunday school and Hebrew school when I was a little older and I had a Bar Mitzvah when I was 13. My family has always celebrated all of the Jewish holidays. You could say that I lived a very normal, typical Jewish life. However, when I was a teenager, I started to lose a lot of my Jewish identity. I was constantly bullied when I went to religious school and when I was 14, I was assaulted by one of my peers at my synagogue. These events made me feel like I wasn’t welcome in the Jewish community, and I struggled with this feeling for a long time.

Before I went on my Birthright Israel trip, I was excited but also very nervous. I was excited to see the land of Israel and everything it had to offer but I was terrified that I wouldn’t fit in with the other people on the trip. Would I be bullied or hurt again? I didn’t know. Luckily, what happened on this trip was a huge surprise. Everyone on this trip was so kind, accepting, and open to being my friend. For the first time in a very long time on this trip, I felt like I was part of a Jewish community, and I felt like my Jewish identity had come back to me in the best way possible.

During the ten days of the Birthright Israel trip, I made so many genuine connections to other Jewish people and I had visited so many sites and experienced so many things that made me remember how important my Jewish identity is to me. Whether it was going to the Western Wall or exploring the Dead Sea, I experienced so many things in Israel that made me feel genuinely connected to the land of the Jewish people and to my Jewish community.

Ever since I have come home, I have reevaluated what it means to me to be Jewish. My Jewish identity is more important to me now than ever. These experiences on my trip have inspired me to get more involved with my synagogue, which has been very rewarding.

If I could tell the donors one thing, it would be that they are really changing lives and helping young people feel more connected to their Jewish identities. Without this trip, I may have continued to feel disconnected from and unwanted by my Jewish community.

I will forever cherish the gift of this experience. It was an incredible and rewarding experience and I hope that many other young Jewish people have the chance to go.