Traveling with Alexander Muss High School in Israel has transformed my Jewish identity and allowed me to embrace my connection with the homeland. Throughout the last two weeks, the Muss program has expanded our curriculum from classroom content to real-world, immersive experiences.

This week, we explored entrepreneurship, Jewish history, the Israeli military, new cultures, and more. On Wednesday, July 30, we traveled to Be’er Sheva to visit Ben Gurion University and spend the day as entrepreneurs. We had the opportunity to meet a successful graduate of the university who shared valuable strategies and methods for becoming an entrepreneur. We immediately put his lessons into practice by dividing into groups to form startup ideas and mock companies, creating our own Shark Tank competition. The winning team created the idea of a browser extension designed to limit internet misinformation and biased thinking. The girls were inspired by recent events in the Israel-Hamas war and the amount of backlash Israel has faced in America, largely due to falsified information. One student was so inspired by the project that she actually began coding a real version of the web extension and has been working on it every day to make her vision a reality.

On Thursday, July 31, we drove to Gan HaShlosha, passing religious landmarks along the way and hearing ancient Jewish stories surrounding them. Gan HaShlosha, with its stunning natural pools, offered a perfect setting for the Muss students to swim, relax, and enjoy the area’s natural beauty. After lunch, we visited the kibbutz where Adi, one of our madrichim, grew up. There, we met her father, who shared a powerful story about his experiences in Israel and how he uses photography as a form of expression. One photo that deeply resonated with me was of a beautiful sunset with crows flying by. At first glance, it seemed like just a pretty picture, but Adi’s father revealed its haunting significance: those very crows had led him and his team to the site of fallen civilians from October 7, helping identify missing individuals and bring closure to their families.

On Friday, August 1, students excitedly packed for our first open weekend—but first, we had to attend early morning electives. We chose between a course on marketing or one on Israel’s enemies. I chose marketing and met Benji’s wife, who spoke about her experiences in the field and even led us in a mock competition to apply our new skills. At 11am, students began leaving for the open weekend, with plans to return Saturday night. I personally went to Haifa with the Golan family and had an amazing day visiting gorgeous beaches and the Baháʼí Gardens.

On Sunday, August 3, Muss took us to Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. We began the day by hearing the powerful story of a Holocaust survivor, allowing the human impact of the Holocaust to fully sink in before we toured the museum. The visit was shocking and heartbreaking, but it reminded us of the importance of remembering our history and honoring each victim. Before leaving the museum, we entered the Children’s Memorial—a dark tunnel filled with mirrors and candlelight. A speaker read the names and ages of children who perished in the Holocaust, including some who were our age, making the experience feel even more personal and profound.

On Monday, August 4, we went to the beach—but rather than just relaxing at Nave Yam, Tom and Reuven used the setting as a learning experience. They continued our Holocaust studies by teaching us about Jewish refugees after the war—many of whom were unwelcome in other countries and even prevented from returning to their homes. For many, the dream of a Jewish state became a necessity. Because the British controlled Israel at the time, Jewish immigrants often had to sneak in by swimming to shore, risking capture and deportation to detention camps. Israelis would often wait at the beaches to help them. To help us understand, we acted this out: half of us played the immigrants and half played the helpers, while Tom and Reuven were British guards. Later, we visited Ussefiya to meet a Druze family, enjoy a home-cooked lunch, and speak with a Druze woman about her religion and culture. We wrapped up the day by watching Palmach Rising and meeting one of the screenwriters. We also learned about the new Israeli streaming platform Izzy, and every Muss student received a free subscription to continue watching Israeli content from anywhere in the world.

On Tuesday, August 5, we visited Tel Aviv to learn and shop. Tom and Reuven taught us about the city’s founding as the first modern Jewish town in Israel and how it became central to the creation of the Jewish state. We enjoyed free time at the Tel Aviv markets and then headed to the beach for a surfing lesson at Al Hagal, a nonprofit that uses surfing as a therapeutic tool to help trauma victims, including those affected by the events of October 7.

I hope you can see how the Alexander Muss program has been a transformative journey into Judaism and has inspired me to make aliyah in order to fully connect with my culture. Being in Israel has taught me the values of true community and the power of unity. I truly wish I could stay in this program for years, not just weeks.

Sophia Mittelman is a 17-year-old student from San Francisco.