I have been at AMHSI for six adventure filled, educational weeks, and, inevitably, the unwanted end to my trip keeps moving closer as each day goes by. A week and a half—that’s all the time I have left in my home-away-from home. With that in mind, I have begun to wonder what I will do once I return to New York. I want to make an impact on my community. After undergoing this experience, I would find it hard to keep the important lessons I have learned to myself. I will start small by initiating conversations with friends about my experiences, but then, hopefully, I will move onto a larger scale. I plan to speak at my local synagogues, USY events, and maybe even at JNF meetings in order to impart the valuable knowledge I have gained from my time abroad and in particular the importance of taking the time to connect with Judaism and the land of Israel. Now, this doesn’t mean I think everyone should be a blind follower of Judaism or that everyone is obliged to support Israel. Rather, people should take the time to understand how they connect to Judaism and Israel, however that may be. During my time in Israel, through the thought provoking and introspective nature of our Israeli History class, I have come to question what Judaism means to me. I have come to the conclusion that I have no conclusion – and I am okay with that. Religion is a very personal matter, and understanding one’s relationship to it is a process, not a definitive event. I want to invite people to begin that journey because just by doing so, they can understand more of themselves and simultaneously grow as human beings.

Aside from the Jewish aspect of being in Israel, actually living here for two months has taught me so much which I want to share with others. Perhaps the greatest lesson I learned while studying abroad is that the world has magnificent depth. It has towns and cities that enchant us, sunsets and stars that shine their brilliant lights onto the Earth, and vast fields which are picturesque in their serenity. In addition, throughout these beautiful landscapes are villages full of people with stories to tell. In these gorgeous cities are cultures and traditions and lives being lived that are more important and profound than any materialistic item. For instance, a few days ago my group and I went to Sderot – a town on the border of Israel and Gaza. There, bombings are frequent. When a rocket is incoming, one only has 10-15 seconds to make it to a bomb shelter. It goes without saying that this is a hard life to live. When we visited Sderot, we got to glimpse some of the struggles that come with living in a border town as well as how the people there cope with the uncertainty of daily life. One amazing project was a playground with a built-in bomb shelter disguised as a kid-friendly, large caterpillar. This was made with the intention of allowing children to go outside of their homes and play in the sun without constant fear of an attack. While we were at this park, I saw a group of children who looked only a few years younger than me who had come to play. This was a moment of realization for me. So often had I done exactly as these kids of Sderot were doing and gone to the park to play with my friends. These were just kids living their normal lives, and I believe that this is one of the greatest forms of bravery – being brave enough to continue living daily life despite the threat of terror. I hope to make their stories heard, but more importantly, I hope to make the concept which they embody of being stronger than your circumstances heard. I will ask my community back home to take a moment to appreciate the value of others’ experiences and perspectives. One can find empowering narratives of resilience and strength in the lives of others.

All in all, I want to use my AMHSI experience as a platform to express the importance of the many lessons I have learned in Israel. By talking with my community and telling my story, I hope to foster others’ future explorations both physically, mentally and religiously. In particular, I want people to be receptive to the stories that the world has to offer and to look for new perspectives in order to broaden their mindsets. There are hidden life lessons surrounding us all. I am very grateful to The Alexander Muss High School in Israel for showing me where to look for them, and I look forward to promoting their message of introspection and exploration in order to enrich the lives of those in my community.