Trip to Israel serves as an defining experience
Published October 28, 2011
Before going on BBYO’s Passport to Israel trip this summer, I, along with the other teen participants, had to fill out a survey about the kind of Judaism we practiced. The categories were Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and “just Jewish.” I was surprised to learn that many of the kids in our group put themselves in the “just Jewish” category and that much of Israel would perhaps check that box as well.
I expected Israel to be extremely religious, and in certain areas, it was. On our 11-hour flight to Tel Aviv, Orthodox Jews prayed as they read from the Torah and walked down the aisles of the plane insisting that the men put on tefillin.
The Western Wall is certainly a religious symbol of Israel and the country pretty much shuts down on Friday afternoon for the Sabbath. Some religious practices are unavoidable when in a holy land such as Israel. However, for some reason, I expected that this was what all of Israel, and what all Israelis were like. Once I experienced Israel for myself, my pre-conceived ideas were proven to be inaccurate.
During our three-week stay, we had several opportunities to meet and talk with Israeli teenagers. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip, as many of them talked about how they were secular Jews and only attended services on the high holidays. They were very much like us, not only similar in age but in hobbies. They didn’t look too different, either, and I was usually unsure as to who was an Israeli and who was a tourist. If I had not decided to go on the trip, my image of an Israeli teenager would have been one with a kippa, suit and tie in 100-degree weather, sporting a beard with long sideburns.
I think that Israel, as portrayed by the media and from how many of us perceive it, has a somewhat distorted image and is not, in fact, what the country is like. It is a place that cannot be explained, but instead must be experienced.
I thought that Israel would be an extremely religious country and that our trip would be based primarily around religion. Others, including some of my friends, think Israel is dangerous and a place to be feared because of media coverage.
Some may think that the trip is too expensive, failing to realize that there are scholarships out there to help fund the trips. No one should let these factors stop him or her from experiencing Israel.
While religion is part of what defines Israel, it’s only part of what the country has to offer. It’s comforting to go to a place where you’re surrounded by Jews, and Israel is the only place like that. I would encourage teenagers to venture to Israel while they are still young, and to find out for themselves what Israel is all about.