Theme: Welcome and Introduction
locations: Neot Kedumim; Palmach Museum; Kibbutz Haon
overnight: Kibbutz Haon, Kinneret [ get map ]
Eric Goldstein: The first announcement I’d like to make in this, our first Satell Travelers blog, is that all Fellows are safe, sound, and jetlagged. So now all of our parents can go to sleep (including my own. Hi Mom and Dad!). After a long flight that included a few random moments of sleep and a bit of turbulence, we have arrived in Israel. I must say that the feeling is indescribable and my first time in Israel has started with much personal discovery.
 | | The welcoming bus where we'll spend the next 11 days. |
Today I have kissed the ground of my ancestors, and have stood atop biblical hills and gazed upon the ocean and the Jordanian border in one view. All of my Hebrew schoolteachers who described the smallness of Israel, and every map comparing Israel to New Jersey or some other state could not have prepared me for this. It is an incredible and unforgettable view – one which I have tried to capture on film so that I can show my parents and friends upon my return home. The problem is that it is not the same as the feeling of gazing across an entire country while barely rotating your head, while listening to gun shots from a valley beneath you (at an army base in the distance) and while still tasting the earth on your lips. I promised my parents that I would write one of these blogs, not thinking it would be something enjoyable or something I would find myself wanting to do. I am glad that I got to write about this moment. I am glad that I could share my feelings and emotions with all of you. I feel more connected to the land I stand on today then the land I have stood on most of my life.
 | | Fellows listen intently to a guide at Neot Kedumim. |
 | | Naomi draws water from an ancient cistern. |
Aytan Cohen: The rest of the group and I had the pleasure of going to the Palmach museum along with attempting to herd sheep. I would compare the Palmach museum to an American Revolution museum, if there were one for the entire United States. The roots of the country I find myself in were right in front of me. The sweat and pain of so many young men and women has made this country – and our journey – possible. What an experience to sit and discuss the transformation of the Palmach from underground fighting force to the modern Israeli Defense Force.
As far as sheep herding goes, I am personally not planning my future around this occupation. But as one Fellow described to me, getting back to nature, getting away from the mass tourist sights, and having the ability to do something out of the ordinary is why I came to Israel. While some of us enjoy the major cities and sights, others enjoy the quiet and peace a simple herd of sheep can provide.
 | | Who's leading whom? The guys try to corral some sheep. |
 | | Jordan makes a friend as she learns a leadership lesson. |
 | | The Fellows are congratulated, not sheepishly, by the Israeli shepherd. |
However, what the entire group has learned is that we are all part of each other’s Israel experience. For some of us it is a second or third visit to Israel, and the common sights to see have become a norm. For others like myself, every ancient ruin, every old temple, and every street sign is picture worthy. Every new sight provides new feelings and emotions. Everyone in the group described a different set of feelings while in Israel. It manifests differently in all of us, but it lives in all of us as well.
I would like to end this first blog with something personal. My grandfather never had the chance to go to Israel. I was very close to my grandfather before he passed away. I have always carried around his Magen David around my neck as a symbol of my own Judaism and my connection to him. I feel that though my grandfather never got to come to Israel, he is with me now. My journey here is not only for myself. It is for my whole family, past, present, and future. Everyone told me this experience would change my life and me. I’m really not sure about changing me, so when I get back I will let my friends and family decide that one. Change my life, I understand. I can walk around with a different feeling in my heart and in my mind. I can speak with even more passion about Israel when the occasion presents itself. I don’t know how my feelings towards life and Judaism will change on this trip. I do know that after less than twenty-four hours, I am a different kind of person. I am a different kind of man.
I encourage all of those who read this the first Satell blog to look forward to tomorrow’s, and the next day’s. With every new blog will come a different author. With every new author will come a different point of view. With every point of view there will be a new story to hear. With much happiness and joy in my heart, hello from Israel. You will be hearing from us again soon!
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The Service Learning and Leadership Institute, a division of the Jewish Community High School of Gratz College, is committed to educating and empowering Jewish high school students to become socially responsible leaders. Institute students translate Jewish values of education, spirituality, and service into a meaningful way of life and a powerful Jewish identity. |