Jacobs in Israel – Bus 4

Today, Wednesday, the teens concluded their Chavaya Experiences. These are four-day activities during which the teens explored an interest with a likeminded group of friends. The choices included; Gadna, an Israel Defense Force immersion; Tikkun Olam Social Justice projects; Indiana Jones in Israel, an archaeological dig; and Yam l’ Yam, a hike from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea.

My bus, Bus 6, had just gotten to the camp site we would be sleeping at. We dropped off our bags, got our hats and water bottles and we went to meet our guide, Yarden.

When I met my bus at JFK Airport for NFTY in Israel, I had no clue what to expect. I am not your “typical” kid on the trip, as I have never been to a URJ overnight camp and in another month, I will be a college freshman.

It’s so surreal to me that a month has flown by so quickly and that in just a few short days, we will be leaving. I remember looking at the itinerary before the trip and asking myself, “Would all of this be fun?”

Last week we split into our Chavaya groups and I was in Tikkun Olam. The word Tikkun Olam means repairing the world and through the four day I had with this group I learned that Tikkun Olam is not only the physical act of doing community service but also making connections with people and learning about the issues to help solve them.

If I had to think of every moment from this trip and pick out my favorite moment, it wouldn’t be the desert, or Jerusalem, it wouldn’t even be seeing my friends for the first time in a year, it would be singing with them. As we hiked up the enormous, rocky Mountains in the Negev desert, I was terrified.

By Mya Levin, NFTY in Israel Participant, Bus 3 Hi, my name is Mya Levin and for my chavaya I chose Yam l' Yam, also known as Sea to Sea, which is a four day hiking trip from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean. We literally jumped right in! We took a very...

By Max Nemoy, NFTY in Israel Participant, Bus 3 Last week our group separated into our preferred Chavaot. I chose to participate in Gadna and I can truly say that this experience changed me and my perspective of the IDF. I thought it would be very difficult and it...