Having been a high school and college counselor for most of my career, I am an avid proponent that young adults learn to learn outside the four walls of the classroom.

Having had several students attend and having heard great things, I am excited for the opportunity to experience AMHSI firsthand.

I reflect back on what brought me to this point. I have been a school counselor in a suburban Philadelphia school district for the past 19 years. Our district demographics include quite a large Jewish population.

I hope to be take advantage of every opportunity I get to learn more about the Jewish Culture and the community.

As we drove away from the airport with 200 unfamiliar feeling shekels in my hand, I turned my head from left to right and back again making sure to take in all I could in my first minutes in Israel. I haven't traveled outside of the US since 1986 so the first thing that struck me was the Hyundai that passed our bus. And then the Ford, Chevy, Mitsubishi, Toyota, and so on. The world had certainly changed in a very tangible way...while the scenery didn't look as "shiny" as back home, the plethora of cars reminded me that we indeed live in a global economy. All of the concerns I had about taking this trip melted away as I knew then that at least on some level I was able to relate to Israel.

It has been nine years since I last was in Israel, which feels like forever. When I was last there (2007)I couldn't believe how much had changed in only three years, my previous visit. Now, nine years later I don't have the same expectations of what things will be like-what will be the same or different.

I hope to develop a deeper understanding of the opportunities and experiences that are available to students.

It’s been 24 years since my one and only visit to Israel. At the time I was a recent college graduate searching for meaning beyond the corporate world that awaited me back home. Up to that point, I had lived my entire life safely within an Arizona bubble, never seeking adventure for fear of popping.

Transmission of Jewish continuity and Israel connectivity does not take place in the formal classroom setting on its own. Israel and Jewish education must include an experiential component; it is through experientialism that our children explore and discover meaning that they can connect to.

Before coming to Israel, I would have identified myself as a Jewish American rather than an American Jew. I used to feel more connected to my nationality because I didn’t really understand how much my ancestors fought to remain Jewish and allow for me to be Jewish today. The Jews were constantly fighting Hellenism, both its culture and its reign. In Kislev during the year 165, the Jews reclaimed The Temple after fighting for it for many years. They won despite the odds and the candles of the menorah symbolize this miraculous military victory. The candles represent the Jewish people and the oil represents the Jewish energy that somehow managed to persist.