Spending the High Holidays in Israel is something I will never forget.

Spending the High Holidays in Israel is something I will never forget. I loved being surrounded by a whole country full of people who celebrate the same holidays as me. The Madrichim gave us such an amazing opportunity to be able to hear about different ways Israelis celebrate Yom Kippur. During the High Holidays we had just enough programming to keep us engaged, but also had enough alone time to be able to reflect on the past, the present, and the future. We learned more about the reason behind why we fast, and dug deep into the story of Jonah.

After it got dark we were able to go walk through the middle of the street and see everyone else doing the same. I was looking around in awe seeing a bunch of little kids riding bikes/scooters and families going out for evening walks. Not a single car went by us that night. It was so crazy to me that we were able to just sit in the middle of the street without worrying about getting hit. It was like everything had stopped for one night. It was absolutely incredible.  You would never see something like this in America. I am so incredibly lucky that I got to experience being in Israel during this special time. Standing in the middle of the road made me feel so connected to the people around me, the land, and my Jewish identity.