During my Birthright Israel Experience, I Fell in Love
by Jacob Greenbaum, Birthright Israel Summer ’22
February 14, 2024 – In the summer of 2022, I was lucky enough to secure a spot on a Birthright Israel trip with five of my best friends. We had heard from past participants that it was an incredible experience, but words cannot prepare you for the feeling you get when you touch down at Ben Gurion airport for the first time. Not knowing anyone else on our bus, we departed excited for our adventure. It was obvious from the second we arrived at the airport that this was going to be a life changing experience.
Our first stop was at Kibbutz Ami’Ad. I had never stayed on a Kibbutz before, but it was nothing short of magical. Nestled in the northern part of Israel, the community at Ami’Ad took us in with open arms and made us feel at home. We were immersed in the daily life. We connected with local youth similar in age and heard about where they work, where they live and that all they had known was life in the Kibbutz. Meeting the residents and learning about their dedication to sustaining the community through various jobs and roles was truly inspiring. The food was delicious, the hiking trails were beautiful and the people were incredibly kind… and, boy, do they know how to party! It was truly the perfect way to begin our trip, and brought my bus closer together as we prepared for the next leg of our journey.
After Ami’Ad, we made our way to Tel-Aviv. It is a diverse and vibrant city with beautiful beaches and amazing food. The people there truly love life and live it to the fullest. You really feel that. After Tel Aviv, we made our way to the desert and met a Bedouin community. This highlighted how so many different walks of life survive in Israel.
Visiting Masada and The Western Wall, in addition to white water rafting and more, were other highlights of our time in Israel.
Visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum was arguably the most necessary part of our journey. The museum served as a reminder of the importance of preserving the memory of the Holocaust, and the reason why Israel is so important. As I sit here writing this testimonial from the comfort of my bedroom in Toronto, it is even more apparent why Israel is so important.
Since October 7th, our brothers and sisters have been protecting our Jewish state and fighting against Hamas and other neighbouring terrorist organizations. It was the most violent attack against Jews since the Holocaust. There are still Israelis young and old who are kidnapped in Gaza. Having been to Israel, having seen its beauty, having met such incredible people, and having visited Yad Vashem, I know in my heart that there has never been a more important time to send Jews in the diaspora to Israel. Our brothers and sisters need help, they need support, and they need people to understand how the people of Israel live. Israel, as the only Jewish state, holds a profound significance in safeguarding our history and ensuring a secure future for our people.
Perhaps the most impactful aspect of my journey was the opportunity to connect with Israeli Mifgash soldiers who joined our group for several days. Sharing this experience with these young men and women, who are around my age, was a humbling experience. Their stories of dedication and sacrifice, defending our homeland from terrorism and hatred, underscored the gravity of their responsibilities. While they have similar interests (we bonded over music, Mergui, sports, etc), our day-to-day lives could not look any different. One soldier, Amit, became a very close friend of mine throughout this trip. At the time, she was only 19 years old but was in charge of her own unit in the IDF.. Having graduated from the army in the spring of 2023, she was excited to plan her travels and see the world before starting university.
Once October 7th happened, her entire life turned upside down. Her travel plans were cancelled and she did not know if she would be serving in the reserves. Amit, being the warrior she is, offered to come back and help the IDF, like many other reservists. She was the first person I reached out to that Saturday morning and I was relieved to hear that she and her family were safe. She explained to me that the community in Israel is so close and so small that you will not meet one person who does not know someone that was murdered on October 7th. It is the heartbreaking reality of what we are witnessing right now.
After a few months in Israel, I am happy to share that Amit was finally able to fulfill her dreams and travel. She stopped in Canada and visited Montreal and Toronto. She is now travelling around Europe and from all of the pictures and videos I have seen, it looks like she is having an incredible time. These are real human beings. They are just like you and me. They have dreams and aspirations. It is only for the fact that they are Jewish and call Israel home that they face threats on a daily basis. It shows why Birthright Israel is such an important experience. It is not just so that young adults can see Israel, have fun and go home. We meet real people. We make real, life-long connections. We see the heartache that Israelis have felt, and we see the triumph of the Jewish spirit. I am so proud to be Jewish and I am even more proud to say that I love Israel. I am immensely grateful for this transformative experience, made possible by the generosity of the program’s supporters. We need your help to ensure that more young Jews can experience what I was able to experience.
I do not want to tell people younger than me about this trip; I want them to experience it for themselves. Thank you [to all the donors] for investing in the future of Jewish young adults and for creating opportunities for us to forge meaningful connections with our homeland and its people.