There are so many elements to being Jewish: religion, community, culture, friendship, experience, food, etc. My Birthright Israel trip with URI Hillel let me experience each of these different avenues, helping me define what being Jewish means to me.
I was initially intimidated to go on a Birthright Israel trip because I didn't have a very strong Jewish background. I very quickly learned that many of the other students on my trip shared my intimidation, but the experience we had together in Israel and the trust we developed with each other led to a collective Jewish self-discovery. We brought each other a great sense of comfort as well as a new confidence that allowed us to ask questions and embrace the newness of the journey we were on. I never expected to feel such comfort being halfway across the world with a bunch of strangers, but the dynamic of spending an immersive 10 days with a group of peers built this strong feeling of community and family. We together established ownership and strengthened our own Jewish identities through the strong community of friendship that we created.
I think the most fun part about the trip is how much we as a group accomplished in a single day. Birthright allows you to get the most out of your sight-seeing expectations with tours, adventures, and information sessions. You're also able to personalize your trip with designated free time given during the day to shop the markets, walk the streets, and absorb everything you’d personally want to. As a whole, this was my favorite aspect of the trip. I loved being able to wake up in the morning and do a hike with the entire group, then at lunch-time have one of the Israeli soldiers guide me and a few friends to their favorite shawarma or falafel stands in town while we haggled with the vendors in the markets.
The most meaningful part of this trip for me was having the opportunity to have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony. Growing up I felt this was a huge missing piece of my Jewish identity, as I had never had a traditional celebration of maturity. Ten of us on the trip had a beautiful ceremony in front of all of our new friends, who helped us celebrate this new chapter in our lives.
I am so grateful for the experience Birthright gave me this summer, and I’m even more grateful for the new people in my life that I can genuinely call my friends. Moving forward, I hope to discover more about my Jewish faith, and plan to return to the land of Israel as soon as possible.
- Gabby Levy, Class of 2023
I was initially intimidated to go on a Birthright Israel trip because I didn't have a very strong Jewish background. I very quickly learned that many of the other students on my trip shared my intimidation, but the experience we had together in Israel and the trust we developed with each other led to a collective Jewish self-discovery. We brought each other a great sense of comfort as well as a new confidence that allowed us to ask questions and embrace the newness of the journey we were on. I never expected to feel such comfort being halfway across the world with a bunch of strangers, but the dynamic of spending an immersive 10 days with a group of peers built this strong feeling of community and family. We together established ownership and strengthened our own Jewish identities through the strong community of friendship that we created.
I think the most fun part about the trip is how much we as a group accomplished in a single day. Birthright allows you to get the most out of your sight-seeing expectations with tours, adventures, and information sessions. You're also able to personalize your trip with designated free time given during the day to shop the markets, walk the streets, and absorb everything you’d personally want to. As a whole, this was my favorite aspect of the trip. I loved being able to wake up in the morning and do a hike with the entire group, then at lunch-time have one of the Israeli soldiers guide me and a few friends to their favorite shawarma or falafel stands in town while we haggled with the vendors in the markets.
The most meaningful part of this trip for me was having the opportunity to have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony. Growing up I felt this was a huge missing piece of my Jewish identity, as I had never had a traditional celebration of maturity. Ten of us on the trip had a beautiful ceremony in front of all of our new friends, who helped us celebrate this new chapter in our lives.
I am so grateful for the experience Birthright gave me this summer, and I’m even more grateful for the new people in my life that I can genuinely call my friends. Moving forward, I hope to discover more about my Jewish faith, and plan to return to the land of Israel as soon as possible.
- Gabby Levy, Class of 2023