How a Semester in Israel Changed My Life - An Alumna Spotlight
In January of 2024, I left everything and everyone I knew for a semester abroad in Israel thousands of miles from home. Little did I know how this experience would change my life and turn me into the person I am today.
I was accepted into Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss) just days before October 7. After the horrific events that occurred that day, I was unsure if my semester would still happen. However, the second I stepped on that plane in January, despite all the nervousness, I was excited to embark on this once-in-a-lifetime journey.
The choice to come to Muss occurred because of my desire to deepen my Jewish identity further than what I have done in the United States, and I can truly say it was forever changed by the four-and-a-half life-changing months I spent learning and growing alongside my friends in my Jewish homeland. I had attended private Jewish day schools and a Jewish sleepaway camp for most of my life. I was able to learn a lot about my Jewish history and the Jews as a diaspora, but nothing from my past could have taught me and shown me what Muss did.
My Israeli studies teacher, Jon Duker, taught me and my classmates 4,000 years of Jewish history. Weekly on our tiyulim (trips), we had in-depth and fascinating class discussions while seeing the history we were discussing. The impact Muss has made on me has forever changed me and my Jewish identity.
Many of my friends and peers asked me how my parents allowed me to go during a war, concerned for my safety. But the reality was I never felt safer, in many ways even more so than in the United States. Yes, the sirens were scary, but seeing the IDF walking around and protecting everyone in Israel made me feel secure.
My madrichim were my best friends. They were like older siblings to me. Always there to answer any questions and help me through the ups and downs. When I needed help with my Hebrew homework, they were there.
The tiyuls on Muss still resonate with me to this day. When we visited an IDF soldier base and were able to sing and dance with soldiers, I felt the impact. The love and strength that occurred was like nothing I have ever encountered or seen before. Barbecuing a meal for the IDF and experiencing their strength and bravery through the ongoing war was inspiring.
Since returning to the United States, I have incorporated what I learned at Muss into my life every day. My Israel Studies class has shown me how to deal with certain antisemitic situations that may arise, and living alone thousands of miles away from home without my family has made me more resilient and independent. These skills will not only help me next year when I attend college but for the rest of my life.
More than that, Muss has helped me create an everlasting bond with my Jewish State of Israel. It taught me to stand up for myself, fight for my rights, and remain optimistic about the future. I now engage in conversations with my teachers at my public school and stick up for myself more to my guidance counselor at school. I am not afraid to ask and advocate for myself. I am involved in my BBYO youth group organization and attend synagogue along with Jewish events in my team.
Simply put, I am a different person now. Upon my return from Muss, it has not only been a goal of mine, but my obligation to continue to stay connected to Jewish National Fund-USA, the incredible organization that runs Muss, and explain the importance of Israel and the impact it has had on me as a young Jewish leader.
Muss taught me more than just the 4,000 years of Jewish history and my Jewish identity, but life lessons and qualities that I will need for the rest of my life.
Maddie Friedman is a 17-year-old student attending Highland Park High School in NJ. Spots for the Muss spring semester and summer sessions are still open. To learn more or to sign up for an information session, visit amhsi.org.