By Sophie Friedenwald-Fishman, NFTY in Israel Participant, Bus 2
It was only the second full day of the NFTY in Israel trip when we set out on a 4-day hiking and camping trip through the Negev. The point of this was to start our chronological journey through the history of the Jewish people beginning with 40 years of wandering through the desert. We spent 4 days of climbing across craggy peaks, scaling down tiered cliffs, and conquering mountains with dazzling views. I was apprehensive at first about hiking in the desert. To me the desert has always been something ugly; a dry and lifeless place with monotonous color and unbearable heat. I was excited to be proven wrong and I was not disappointed.
True, at times the Negev was unbecoming. Giant mounds of dull, brown rocks go on for miles, and from far away they resemble piles of gritty sawdust on a rundown playground. Craggy and unclimbable hills with jagged edges and unbecoming shapes jutted out of the ground and tore up the landscape. Thick dust coated the ground and the unrelenting sun shot deadly rays of heat and pain down upon us. However, I quickly came to realize that there was much more that was beautiful than that was hideous. There were brilliant rock formations, indescribable views of mountain ranges, blue skies, and sculpted ground that took my breath away. At night you could sit in your sleeping bag and stare up at the stars for hours as a warm desert wind cradled you to sleep. Besides this though, I was pleased to find a completely different beauty in the Negev that I was not at all expecting. It came out on the most treacherous climbs and the most intense moments, and it was simply the compassion and trust that each NFTY in Israel participant seemed to have for each other.
It was only day two when we started this journey throughout the Negev, and although many people on our bus are from a camp in Indiana and have known each other for years, many of us had never talked in person before meeting in JFK and might not even have known each other’s name by the time we started on our desert excursion. Yet time and time again I witnessed people helping each other through the most difficult ascents. Sometimes they were simple: “watch your step here, it’s slippery” or “let me give you a hand, balance is hard.” But often they were of a selfless nature. Taking and carrying the extra water bottles delegated to the students when the kid carrying it was having a hard time, knowing it was an extra several pounds. Waiting with another person while they stopped for a break, even as their friends pulled ahead and they wanted so badly to scale the mountain. Offering to carry another kid’s entire backpack (on top of their own) when they saw that kid was struggling. These actions caused the person doing them to have to work harder, and sweat more, and indubitably would make the hike more difficult, yet rarely was there hesitation to help each other out.
The Negev is brilliant. Nothing emulates beauty quite like the simple rawness and untamed grandeur that is the dessert. Yet these pale in comparison to the humanity shown by my peers towards each other during this trip. Yes, going on intense hikes that lasted hours in the unrestrained desert heat up steep and difficult inclines is harder for some than others. But, we all were living through it together. No matter how easy or difficult it was for an individual, we were able to come together in shared experience and form a connection.
I am glad that this is how we started the NFTY in Israel trip. Not only did it expose me to the natural beauty of the Holy Land, but it created a bonding experience unlike any other. Even if you were trembling and terrified because you were holding on to tiny rock ledges with only your fingers and your foot stared to slip, sending a mini-avalanche of rocks tumbling down a rocky incline hundreds of feet long foreshadowing eminent doom, you could always looks to your side and see a friend ready to catch you if you fall.
