So I just returned from 16 UNBELIEVABLE days in Israel. Along with my best friend, Yaniv, and 37 other participants, I left JFK Int’l airport on August 1st, for my second venture to the Jewish Homeland. The program I went on, Hasbara Fellowships, is an pro-Israel advocacy training trip. Hasbara Fellowships, focuses on training students to effectively advocate for Israel against vehement anti-Israel propaganda. Over two weeks in Israel, our madrichim (staff) along with guest speakers, honed our skills and gave us new tools to stand up for our beloved nation.
We landed at Ben Gurion Airport at 5:00PM on August 2nd, dealt with the red tape of customs/immigration, received our luggage, and boarded our bus to head to our home base. We would be situated in the Sephardi Center Hostel with the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem for most of our trip. Once settled into our rooms, we had some dinner and then headed out for our first night of partying and fun. Traveling outside the gates of the Old City, we headed down to Ben Yehuda St, the center of tourism in Jerusalem and settled at Zolli’s, the bar that would become our haunt for most of our stay. Taking over the place, we settled down with our 1/2 liters of Goldstar Israeli beer and complimentary shots, and slowly settled into the peace of our home. Surrounded by the aroma of Nargilah, and Zatar, we all began to feel a great sense of togetherness. Within 24 hours, our group had clicked and we all knew how lucky we were to be around such wonderful people…
16 days in Israel is a lot to remember. When I get a copy of our itinerary, I will try to remember more and add it to additional blogs. Stay tuned…
