Hi everyone, this is probably one of my last blog posts, and I thought this pretty much sums up my experience for people at home. It's an article that I wrote for my school newspaper so unfortunately its a bit short to be able to describe how amazing EIE has been. As this semester is coming to a close, I thought it was important to gather my thoughts together, so I hope everyone enjoys this!

Studying Abroad...In High School?

As many of you know, for the past four months I have spent the spring semester of my junior year in Israel. Over the course of the semester, I learned more Jewish History and Hebrew than I thought was possible. I had Jewish History every day for  three hours and Hebrew for two hours every day. I took  my “general studies”, otherwise known as the classes that I took at HPHS, which met four times each week. Even though I had a very rigorous academic schedule, that went from 8:15 A.M. to 7:15 P.M., the things I learned the most about myself were learned outside of the school day. This experience felt similar to what a college experience might be, and I feel more prepared for the next chapter in my life because of it.

For the past four months, my parents have not been telling me when to go to sleep, what to eat, or making me do my homework. I became really independent on this trip. At first, I thought it was awesome because I thought that it meant that I could eat ice cream whenever I wanted and buy whatever food I wanted, but then I had to realize that it was not in my best interests to do that. Having an eleven hour school day requires good time management and organization. Writing my required blog consistently took a lot of discipline as well. I had to learn how to make my own decisions about many things.

One of the things a lot of H.P. friends probably identify me with is sports. One of the main reasons I did not want to go to Israel for four months was because I knew I would be missing a large part of the basketball season, along with all of the track  and spring soccer. Despite this, I decided that it was important to come anyway. For four months I played virtually no sports (sorry to all my coaches). Nevertheless, I think that not playing sports and not being identified as the athlete was really beneficial to me. There was no pressure of whether I wanted to exercise or not, and in all honesty, I went on one run my entire trip. (Don’t worry Ruck, I still play soccer sometimes) It was really nice for me to get out of a competitive environment. My teammates may be laughing, because it would not have even seemed possible to me a few months ago. I found a way to be competitive with myself in other areas, such as being the best student and friend that I could be. I really liked being identified as something other than “the athlete.” Instead of going on a run on a Saturday afternoon, I would go on picnics with friends. While I am a big believer that sports bring people together, I was so happy to get to know people in other ways.

EIE has helped me become a better student. My general studies classes ranged from five people to just me. This intimate learning environment helped me get involved and ask questions. It made my classes more interactive and beneficial for obtaining more information. I developed personal relationships not only with my peers and counselors, but also with my teachers. We call all of our teachers by their first names and overall, there is a more relaxed vibe.

Israeli Culture/Society:

When going out into Israeli society and past just the tourist spots, there are stark differences between Israel and America. At first, it was beyond weird for me to see armed soldiers walking around the markets with their M16s. It made me really uncomfortable, and over time I grew accustomed to it. After spending a week in the Israeli Military simulation, Gadna, and learning how to shoot an M16, I felt so much more comfortable and safe around soldiers. I learned the values of the Israwli Defense Force, which gave me so much respect for them. In Israel, there is much less pressure to decide what profession you want to be at the age of eighteen like we do in the U.S.. In Israel, mandatory military service or national service is required for all citizens. Usually before service, Israelis will do a year of community service, and after, they will go on a trip to another country. I think this helps expose Israelis to different options and it does not set an educational or career path set in stone for them. Israelis tend to be very direct in expressing their opinions which is a change from what I have seen in the U.S..

How I’ve Changed:

It’s hard to tell what’s changed about me, but I am aware of some things.As I mentioned earlier, my traditional competitiveness took a back seat. One morning, we woke up at four to climb Masada, a very important mountain in Israel. In any other setting, I would probably try to get there as fast as I could to prove to others that I was athletic. This time though, I stayed back so I could walk with a friend. I realized at that moment that it wasn’t about who could walk faster, but it was about the relationships that people formed with each other. Another example of how I have changed is how I feel about germs (I hate them). You may be surprised to hear that I went without a shower or bathroom for five days while on a hike. Even though I brought a liter of hand sanitizer with me, I have gotten much better about germs in general, and sometimes I let people drink out of my water bottle! I think the way that I have changed most however, is that I am really interested in current events and politics now (at least Israeli politics). For an hour every morning, my Jewish class covered current events going on in Israel and we learned a lot about the complex Israeli government. Along with this, I feel like I have a well-rounded understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other issues that are frequently discussed amongst Israelis. I love reading articles about what is happening around the world, whether it be political, social, or economic issues. I have become more in touch with my religious identity. We have services twice a week, and I have learned a lot about the meaning behind prayer. I have also been exposed to differences in how other Jews practice their Judaism.

I could go on and on about everything I have gained, but overall this experience has benefited me in ways that I could not have imagined. I hope to bring the essence of this experience  and enhance the rest of my time at Highland Park High School.

What does it mean to be a part of Am Israel

Being part of Am Israel means more than buying a shirt with a camel on it or one that says coca cola. Being part of Am Yisrael is about the cultures and the traditions that we have carried on for generations. It never mattered if we had the land of Eretz Yisrael or not, because the people of Israel have made any place where they are special, as seen with the Kehillah Kedoshas in Poland. Being a part of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael has its own significance. Being in Israel makes me feel more “Jewish” and it makes it easier to be Jewish. I don’t have to worry about keeping kosher or not taking advantage of Shabbat as a day of rest. There is a different feel to being Jewish on Shabbat, or going to the Shuk. There is nothing that you can compare being in a state that has a majority of Jewish people. 

  Every time I hear about Israel helping a country in need or a Jewish person doing something good for the world, I get a sense of pride. Israel, especially Jerusalem has the feel a small, tight-knight, community. When we go to the Shuk, Ben Yehudah, or any other public place, it is so comforting to see see how nice people are to me and each other. Am Yisrael means having a loving community and a safe home.Being the part of Am Yisrael means having discussions about politics at dinner and whenever you can find the chance. It means having chutzpa and not being passive aggressive, because there is no passive aggressive in Israel. Its a place where any Jew can go and believe in the continuation of the Jewish people. 

Tikun Olam vs. Tzadaka

Today I did a Ted Talk presentation for my English. My Ted Talk was about the importance of volunteering and I thought it would be important to mention our Jewish connection to giving back to others. Something that has been passed down for generations in family and also something that i learned in religious school is that to make the world better, we have to help people that are less fortunate than ourselves. I sometimes mix up the terms tikun olam and tzedka. Tikun olam being repairing the world, and tzedaka literally translating to justice , but more broadly translated to charity or giving back. I think that the terms sort of merge because for me, it is an obligation of us as jew to repair the world and we do that by helping others. When we are doing justice, we are repairing the world. I think that the values that we learn in the Tanakh teach us how to give back to others and appreciate what we have. 

This is the script I used for my Ted Talk which was about the Importance of Volunteering:

From a young age, my family has stressed the importance of volunteering. My dad sits on the boards of 8 non-profit organizations and my mom is also very involved in various non-profits. And even when I talk to him about volunteering, he still thinks he hasn’t done enough. Their ideas of giving back to the community have stuck with me from a young age. There was never really a choice of whether we wanted to help or not, or and I wouldn't have it any other way. From the time that I was 10 years old, I had been introduced to people with disabilities whether it be mental or physical, (whether they be)3 years or 65 years old. By working with people with disabilities I began to understood what it was like for people not as privileged as I am. My parents never were into giving gifts to us and for my Bat Mitzvah project and my both my brothers bar mitzvah projects, we asked for donations to start a program that teaches sports to special needs. We were able to raise a combined $38,000 that would go towards all of the costs that it takes to run the program for the next 20 or so years. Something that has been passed down for generations in family and also something that i learned in religious school is that to make the world better, we have to help people that are less fortunate than ourselves.

I sometimes mix up the terms tikun olam and tzedka. Tikun olam being repairing the world, and tzedaka literally translating to justice , but more broadly translated to charity or giving back. I think that the terms sort of merge because for me, it is an obligation of us as jew to repair the world and we do that by helping others. 

something amazing about Israeli society is that it is normal for Israelis to do a year of community service before entering the army. This helps expose Israelis to other people that may not be as fortunate as them and it also makes them more empathetic. If I could make it mandatory for all students to do some type of service before they graduate I would. Buddy Ball is a program that I run in my town that teaches sports to special needs children.I partially accomplished my goal by convincing the coaches of my high schools’ football team, both the girls and boys soccer team, tenis team, and the cross country team to make buddy ball a mandatory part of their Saturday mornings. All of these teams have changed their practice schedule to make sure that their athletes are attending buddy ball before practicing or going to a game. Because of this, the majority of the best athletes in my school participate in teaching sports to children with special needs. For the children with special needs, they feel really cool when they get to work with these big shot, football players or goalies. Then, when the “Buddies” go to a sports game and see their “Pal” playing they get really excited. For me personally, it is incredible to see these top athletes who can be vicious in a competitive sports setting can turn into gentile and compassionate role models when they work with the children with special needs.  It helps them realize that they are not these mighty, varsity athletes but that they really work on the same things that these children do, which humbles them. Watching the teenage volunteers, or "pals" grow is also incredible. It so satisfying to watch the teenagers in my school grow more accepting of the buddies. We have seen this in so many aspects. We recently had a group of buddies come to our high school and they were openly welcomed by the “popular” athletes who would sit and eat lunch with these children to help include them.

Something that we make sure to address at the beginning of every season is that Buddy Ball is not something for everyone. It requires patience and kindness above all. For me, what is evident is how much my volunteering has effected the people I am helping, but I don’t think that these people especially the children realize how much they are helping me. Buddy ball has made me more compassionate and understanding, and I have definitely developed a sense of patience. When I came on EIE, leaving my program behind was one of the hardest things because I knew I would miss seeing the bright faces and obviously I wanted to make sure that everything would be run perfectly. 

Volunteering isn’t about the recognition you could get. You shouldn’t care that anyone sees but its about how it makes you and the other person feels you don’t need recognition you know you’re helping, the person you’re helping

One of the criticisms of volunteering is that people can use it for alternative motives. It is said that many people volunteer because it makes the volunteer feel good about themselves, not because the work that they are doing is helping others. At times, I agree with this statement. The time that volunteers put into Buddy Ball count towards community service hours This past year, we saw that many people tried to exaggerated the number of hours that they said they did just to get into the national honors society, and then stopped showing up. If I was home right now, I can assure you all that they would be participating every weekend. At the same time, this issue makes me feel conflicted because I only want the people that want to be there participating, but  I want people to get to know the children with disabilities. A lot of the times what will also happen is that people will not always start off participating with the best intentions, but then over time they will grow to love the program and be active participants.

 Sometimes, the way that volunteering makes you feel helps spread it to others. One of my favorite memories from Buddy Ball was watching my "buddy" make his first basket. I had been working with this four year old for about a year and a half, and he was always too short and not strong enough to even hit the rim of the basket. Finally out of nowhere one day, he made it. We both started jumping up and down, screaming, and high fiving. I remember seeing this huge smile spread across his face and I just remember feeling so accomplished. For me, seeing the expressions on the faces of the "buddies" when they succeed is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. 

I want to tell you guys about a very special boy for a few minutes. His name is Marc Anthony and he is fourteen years old. I first met Marc Anthony five years ago on the first day ever of buddy ball. The moment he walked into the gym, he started sobbing and screaming that he didn’t want to be there. Eventually, everyone was able to calm Marc Anthony down and since then, he has barley missed any buddy ball sessions in five years. When Marc Anthony spends an hour and a half with us every Saturday morning, thats one more hour that his mom can spend working at rite aid to support their family. Lizbeth is Marc Anthony’s mother and she works two jobs so she can support her severely autistic son and very sick mother. Her husband was shot and died, so the only income coming in for Liz, Mark Anthony, and “Grandma” as I call her is what Liz makes between her two jobs. The state denied her application for social security many times. I know that when Marc Anthony comes to Buddy Ball every weekend that its making her life easier because he is happier. 

When I was writing my ted talk, it was so hard to choose from all of these amazing stories about all of the children with disabilities that I know. All of the mountains that they climb every day astonishes me, but the true stars of Buddy Ball are the volunteers who wake up at 9 AM every Saturday to work with children, who refer to some of them as their best friends. Even though the work that the volunteers are doing might not sound that big, in the case of many children like Marc Anthony, even the little things count. Volunteering is important no matter what the scale is and everyone should know that even the smallest acts can make a difference in at least one person’s life.

Ethiopian Jews

I know it sounds incredibly naive, but prior to coming to Israel, I had not heard of the majority of the internal affairs in Israel that do not have to do with religious matters. I always thought that Israel was a place where any Jew could go and take refuge. It turns out, I was wrong. In the face of persecution in Ethiopia, Ethiopian Jews feed to Israel for freedom. Instead, they were not greeted as kindly. As I saw in South Tel Aviv, there are many communities that are solely immigrants. A similar thing happened in the US in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Different ethnicities moved to the same places and because of that, they were often persecuted. Because of this, the cultures of these different groups of people were limited. What is the difference between the Ethiopians in Israel and the European or Asian immigrants in the US? The difference is that the Ethiopians and the Israelis are all Jewish. Especially if we all have the same customs and beliefs, we should all be treated equally. It should not matter if one Jew is black, one is white, or anything else. The fact that Ethiopian Jews are being discriminated against is horrible. 

How then can we integrate them into society? I think that there need to be more programs that teach Jews from abroad Hebrew. More than just Ulpan though, I think it should also be teaching about the Israeli culture and helping immigrant jews adapt to a very different society. I think a program that could be helpful would be a program that is inclusive to all Israeli immigrants. They could all have programs together that help them understand Israeli culture and are helped integrate by other Israelis. By being introduced to Israeli society together, all of the immigrants are introduced to each other and create an understanding of the culture in other places around the world and each other. It would be a great way to learn other languages and cultures.

TYG Board

Tonight, I am running to be the president of my temple youth group board, at 1 am.  All of my high school career, I have been on my temple youth group board. However, in my speech that I will post the link to, I mention that I did not join my youth group board by choice. To be clear, I hated everything about temple, until I was forced into being on the board. Once I joined the board, I started really enjoying going to the events and hanging out with the people. I don't know what made me give in to the pressure and join the board, but I can honestly say that it was one of the best decisions I have made. In my speech I talked about how my temple youth group taught me how to love and appreciate being Jewish. By going on EIE, that has only enhanced my connection to Judaism more. I feel like now that I have learned the history of the people, that I can properly advocate for a Jewish state and for the Jewish people. Hopefully the internet is working at Tzuba tonight, but if not, here's a link to my speech that I'll be making tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw_j1Q5E8BI

ARZA

Over the past few years, my temple has been raising awareness about an organization called the Association of Reform Zionists of America. ARZA is a group that was formed to have a Reform view in the Wold Zionist Organization. They believe in making Israel sacred for Reform Jews. My Rabbi, Bennett Miller, is the chair of this organization. For the past few years, I have heard him talk about registering to vote, but only now do I truly understand the meaning behind it. The goals that ARZA has are very similar to many of the topics that we discuss in class. One of the issues that we talk about a lot in our class specifically is the marriage equality law. Only 20% of the Jews in Israel are Orthodox, however marriages in Israel are only legal if they are to Orthodox standards. Another issue is that the Israeli Government pays salaries for Rabbis in Israel, but only a very small percentage of them are Reform. After my experience at the Kotel last week, I believe more than ever that women should have more space to pray. By voting to make ARZA a part of the World Zionist Organization, Reform Jews can get more of a say in gaining equality in Israel.

Am I even Jewish?

As my time here continues, I question my Jewish identity more and more. Do I consider myself Jewish?- Absolutely. But unfortunately, not all Jews  think I’m Jewish. On this Reform Jewish program, the vast majority of people think that I am Jewish, but still, it’s unsettling to have others tell me that I’m not Jewish during a lunch conversation. In my opinion, I would not be here if I were not Jewish. My parents made the choice to raise me Jewish and I feel like even though my mom is not Jewish that I have not been brought up any differently because of that. 

Of course, I would love to be accepted by the Jewish community as a whole. It makes me feel so bad about myself whenever people tell me that I’m not Jewish. In a way, it reminds me of transgender people. In no way whatsoever am I an expert on transgender people, but I think that I can draw a few similarities between myself and them. Transgender is defined as “denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.” People that are transgender are the gender that they believe they are, but in the eyes of less liberal people, they are not always seen in the same way. In the case of transgender people, they are always referred to with the pronouns and by the name that they choose. I don’t see why it can’t be the same for Judaism. If I see myself as a practicing Jew, why can’t religious people also acknowledge that I’m Jewish.