Adam Reinstein
There were so many things I was taken aback by during my two trips to Israel. I went on the Birthright trip with URI and Rutgers Hillel, was an incredible first travel experience. I got to explore the culture of the Jewish state.
I then decided to go back for an even longer trip with Aish HaTorah, where I learned even more about the culture in the 14 days I spent there. I got the opportunity to apply what we had learned all over the state. Our activities were truly eye opening. We traversed the tunnels underneath the Western Wall and visited the separation barrier along the West Bank. We learned weapons handling, counter terrorism tactics and the values that guide the Israeli Defense Forces with Caliber 3, the leading Counter Terror and Security training academy in Israel. When I arrived back in the U.S., my first instinct was to tell people about my experiences and how Israel isn’t just what the news portrays.
I never would have guessed that six months after I got back from my second trip that I would be doing a research project comparing the U.S. to Israel on fronts such as resources, energy, political and legal structure, infrastructure, and the development stage-with all its overseas projects.
After my extensive research, I found that Israel is becoming a world leader, and has been a strong pillar of technological advancement for a long time now. If I had to say one thing about my Israel experience so far, it’s that people need to look beyond what is portrayed in the headlines and really take the time to explore and experience the country.
There were so many things I was taken aback by during my two trips to Israel. I went on the Birthright trip with URI and Rutgers Hillel, was an incredible first travel experience. I got to explore the culture of the Jewish state.
I then decided to go back for an even longer trip with Aish HaTorah, where I learned even more about the culture in the 14 days I spent there. I got the opportunity to apply what we had learned all over the state. Our activities were truly eye opening. We traversed the tunnels underneath the Western Wall and visited the separation barrier along the West Bank. We learned weapons handling, counter terrorism tactics and the values that guide the Israeli Defense Forces with Caliber 3, the leading Counter Terror and Security training academy in Israel. When I arrived back in the U.S., my first instinct was to tell people about my experiences and how Israel isn’t just what the news portrays.
I never would have guessed that six months after I got back from my second trip that I would be doing a research project comparing the U.S. to Israel on fronts such as resources, energy, political and legal structure, infrastructure, and the development stage-with all its overseas projects.
After my extensive research, I found that Israel is becoming a world leader, and has been a strong pillar of technological advancement for a long time now. If I had to say one thing about my Israel experience so far, it’s that people need to look beyond what is portrayed in the headlines and really take the time to explore and experience the country.