As we walked through the great stone doors of Yad Vashem a great sense of familiarity swept over us. It has been 4 weeks since we journeyed through the horrors of the holocaust in Europe yet the wounds of our ancestors of which we learned still seemed fresh. Each document of deportation, each death certificate; every bit of evidence of the atrocities creates another void of anguish within us.

Now that the NFTY in Israel journey is about to end, another journey is beginning. Your teen’s will soon disembark from the airplane very tired, but nevertheless very fulfilled. It is without a doubt the NFTY in Israel summer is a challenging summer and ultimately it is a summer of growing up. These young people who were so far away from their homes needed to work together in a group experience that was often demanding and frequently called upon them to harness their inner resources.

For the last four weeks these teens have been living in an environment where the dominant culture is Jewish. Israel is a unique country because the national language is a Jewish language – Hebrew. The overall rhythm of time is Jewish because each day of the week is named according to its relationship with Shabbat.

Last week in the Chavaya, Gadna, I spent 4 days learning what it meant to be part of the IDF. Every Israeli teenager has to join the IDF when they turn 18, and as a 16 year old I was given a small taste of their reality.

I want to cry and be sad, but part of me doesn’t feel that way. When I think of home some piece of me, a piece I don’t want to admit, is happy. I love many things about NYC and I don’t feel wrong to miss it, but I don’t want to. I would stay with the Eisner people here until the end of time, creating new stories and memories each and every day, but I know that can’t happen.