Why I Chose Tikkun Olam
By Emmaleah Stapp
When it comes to picking a chavaya for the summer, you may find there is an obvious, “easy” option. Meaning, you wouldn’t have to apply effort or the actions involve less physical work. Tikkun Olam may fall under this category of “easy.” I found that many of my peers felt pressure in picking. Thinking “which one did my friends pick?” or “I don’t like the people choosing it,” This is where making any decision can go wrong.
What many NFTY in Israel travelers forget to consider is what they want to get out of their chavaya. I found that I wanted to understand Israeli culture, community, and people. I wanted something genuinely meaningful. This is the attitude which made choosing Tikkun Olam right in my case. I chose Tikkun Olam, not through the process of elimination, nor by peer pressure, but rather because I wanted to seize the opportunity to have an impact.
Throughout this trip so far, we have walked the steps of our Jewish ancestors, tracking the history of our people through their land. This includes the countless hikes in the Negev and multiple archaeological dig sites. During the hikes, we learned a ton about the desert climate, such as which animals and other life occupy the land like the ibex (in fact, we saw quite a few of those!). We have studied parts of the Jewish history through skits, walking, experience, and physical guides. But what we have yet to see is an in depth look at the remarkable people currently inhabiting the country. In the Tikkun Olam chavaya, this will begin to change, and my experience will be better for it.
Living in America, you often hear stories on the news about Israel on a pretty daily basis. It is obvious to say that there is some stigma behind visiting this country among certain people. The political climate here, while in some ways confusing, has recently been driving my curiosity. Getting out into the community will hopefully fulfill and make sense of the stigmas, stereotypes, truths, and untruths.
Overall, the people of Israel have enormous impact in the world. Choosing Tikkun Olam will allow me to interact with these people who live in such a diverse land physically and culturally. I am extremely excited to reach into the community and discover what it has to offer while helping to repair the world.
