It was a memorable first week on TJJ Midwest, NCSY’s summer experience in Israel for Jewish public school teens across the region. The trip began in Israel’s north, where the teens hiked on Mt. Hermon, rafted down the Jordan River, visited the mystical city of Tzefat, and so much more.
The teens also celebrated their first Shabbat in Israel and began to connect to the Land and its people – and to each other.
Several teens share their highlights of Week 1 on this transformative summer experience.
Dani Krider (left) is an incoming junior at Maple Grove High School in Minneapolis.
Dani says her first few days in Israel were a new and exciting experience. She loved riding the cable car – the steepest in the world – down to the sea caves at Rosh Hanikra; enjoyed a refreshing water hike; and “had some really great pizza.”
But most of all, Dani says, “Being in Israel makes me feel at home.”
For Gabe Goldstein, an incoming junior at Shawnee Mission South High School in Kansas, being in Israel has opened his eyes to Israel’s precarious security situation.
“We went to the Israel-Lebanon border and learned about Hezbollah and how they are a really big threat to Israel,” he says.
Gabe adds that he also experienced something else unique to Israel, what he calls a sense of “togetherness” that he’s never felt anywhere else.
“We went to a Jewish wedding and it was very fun and we danced,” Gabe says. “Even though we’re Jews of different backgrounds, it felt almost familial. It felt very close.”
Aidan Dougan is a recent graduate of Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis.
So far, Aidan says he’s enjoyed the raft building on the Kinneret, the chocolate making at the De Karina chocolate factory in Tzefat, and the panoramic view of Syria from the top of Mt. Bental. Most memorable, though, has been the visit to Tel Saki, home of one of the fiercest battles of the Yom Kippur War, where the teens participated in a bunker challenge.
“In the bunker we had to walk around in the dark and rely on our teammates to find the exit,” Aidan says. “I really liked the teamwork aspect of it, and how we had to really trust our teammates to lead the way out.”
Sandy Levin (center) is an incoming sophomore at Deerfield High School on Chicago’s North Shore.
For her, one of the week’s highlights was what seemed like an insurmountable hike, three hours down the Zavitan Stream in Israel’s unrelenting heat. But three hours later, Sandy says, there was a great sense of accomplishment – and lots of fun. “At the end of the hike we got to go swimming in this cool cave-like, rock-like thing. It was so worth it,” she says.
Exploring Israel’s north – and just being in Israel – has given Sandy an opportunity to think more about her Jewish past and her Jewish present. “Being in Israel has just made me feel more Jewish and more connected to my family’s history,” she says. “I just loving being in Israel.”