The following is an excerpt from an essay written by Rabbi Isabel De Koninck.
Less than a month ago, I embarked on my most recent experience staffing a Taglit-Birthright Israel experience for Hillel, and my first time staffing for Drexel. It feels like almost every time I staff a Taglit-Birthright Israel experience, I end the trip confident that this was the best group I have ever journeyed with. This group – comprised of Drexel, Elon, and University of Virginia students – was no exception.
POSITIVE MEMORY
Taglit-Birthright Israel is, at its best, 10-days of positive Jewish memories. On this winter’s trip, several moments stood out for me as powerful examples of memories I hope will endure for our students (below you can see some of them described in the students’ own words). Of course the Old City in Jerusalem, Masada and the Dead Sea were grand highlights, but the moments described below were truly gifts from the group to one another, and to the staff.
The Desert
In the desert, I led the students on a short night hike. Flashlights fumbling in hand, they traversed rocky terrain, no trail, no knowledge of how far we would go or where our destination was to be. They knew only to bring their flashlights, as we would be going out into the desert. After a short while, we stopped at a place that resembled a u-shaped amphitheater, an effect created by the rocky dunes ...