On June 16, the CAJE Israel Study Tour departed Denver with 45 participants and 4 counselors. In Poland, Rabbi Levi Cooper, the tour’s educator joined them along with a physician, an Israeli madricha, and a Polish tour guide. For 5 and a half days they toured Poland visiting sights of the former Jewish civilization. As you will read, the teens view on life was changed forever. IST left for Israel on June 22 to the rousing singing of Am Yisroel Chai! Watch this space each week as students “write home” to Colorado.

Index

• June_23_
• June_30
• July_1
• July_5
• July_13
• July_21

• July_22

• July_23

July 23

Amanda Rosenholtz-Witt

Today was our last Shabbat together. We had a glorious wake-up of 8am. Morning services were led by different family groups, each person had a chance to say a little something about the trip and how its changed them. We had a lot of time to rest and I caught up on some much needed sleep. We then had a chance to get to know our family groups a little better. During dinner we received some very sad news. Our dear friend Ben’s mother had passed away the previous day. It hit us all very hard since Ben is a part of our IST family. Havdalah services that evening were dedicated to her. Ben nand his family will always be in our prayers. Knowing that Ben wanted us to make the best of our last days, we continued on with our talent show. We had a chance to make fun of the counselors and they had a chance to make fun of us. It was an amazing last Shabbat and the memories from this trip are ones that will last a lifetime. We love you Ben and you are in our hearts.

Noah Keller

In the beginning there was a plane and an ocean
A bus full of kids and a staff with devotion
A country of sorrow, full of food that was shitty
A lifetime of knowledge from a Rabbi who’s witty
A tour of camps surrounded by fences
A blow to our spirits and a shock to our senses
But stay sad we would not, for we had no time to waste
We packed up our backs and flew to Israel, post haste
To a country that’s lacking in size and population
But is brimming with joy and was the start of creation
A place where Jews flourish and have nothing to hide
Where they laugh and they smile and are overflowing with pride
We made it our business to tour this land
From water to fire and from forest to sand
Now what’s left to say that hasn’t been said
What more can I read that had nor yet been read
I can tell you just this and I hope you remember
Until we meet up and chill this December
If there’s one thing you take as Dan says “to your dome:
Its that all of us here have this place as our home

July 22

Shauna Diner

Today we went to Yad Vashem, something that had been looming at the end of the trip since we got to Israel. While this is a place that I think everyone who visits Israel should go, it is especially hard for our group after having traveled to Poland for 5 days. Seeing a picture of Birkenau and having stood in the spot the picture was taken, seeing a section of railroad and walking down ½ a mile of it, seeing reconstructed bunk beds and seeing the actual beds the Jews slept in are some examples of the difficulties of visiting Yad Vashem. The part of this museum that affected me the most, however, was the Hall of Names. It is a circular room filled with binders full of testimonies. Every page in each binder has only one name on it and there are only half, 3 million, names there. The fact that only ½ were there was overwhelming simply because of the sheer volume and how impossible it would have been to imagine all 6 million. This was an experience that will stay with me forever and one that I better understood because of my time in Poland.

July 21

Amy Leszman

As my trip begins to draw to a close, I begin to think back on my adventures and experiences. It occurred to me that on IST I have been blessed with the opportunity to connect with my family in so many wonderful ways: my family’s history, present and plans for the future. IST was supposed to be a study of Israel and Poland in general, which then turned into a more personal journey of studying how my family grew into what and who we are today.

My journey begins in Poland when I mention my family’s history there. My father’s father and his family grew up in a small town outside of Krakow. When told that I would be able to visit the town I became ecstatic. I would be the first person from my family to visit the town in years. The chance, the blessing, to return to my grandfather’s home town was completely overwhelming. When I arrived I felt shock come over my body. The idea of me walking around the area where my grandfather and his siblings once played, learned and simply lived was almost too much for my mind to grasp. Walking to the synagogue, I became engrossed in the beauty around me. Everything was so lush and full of life. Upon reaching the synagogue I noticed that the roof had caved in and the floor was now covered in grass and weeds. The ark lay empty, barren and girl sat against one wall smoking a cigarette. How prominent the Jewish influence must have been in this place before the war. I visited a school which had been turned into some sort of factory and I Walked around the yard where their house once stood. I wanted to race back in time and watch my family grow, but those memories were stolen from them by the Germans. I went up the road to a small memorial to those Jews lost in the town. I lit a candle and prayed silently, simply wishing that what was once, would be again. Sadly, I left but I felt wonderful that I could return to my family’s footsteps. Upon leaving however, I did not realize that I would once again be presented with a surprise opportunity to connect with my family.

Once settled in Israel, having been there for over two weeks, the group headed up north. When the group made a stop to learn about the area, I was greeted by my second cousins who live right up the road from where we were. Tears of happiness sprang from my eyes as we sat and hugged and talked. It was truly wonderful.

Finally, I was presented with the last opportunity to meet my family. On a family weekend I visited my grandfather’s brother, my great uncle. The whole weekend was filled with stories of my father and grandfather. The weekend was also filled with terrible recollections of the Holocaust. When he spoke, such a sadness came over his face, and my eyes would water to the tattooed number on his arm. Although painful to recall, he regurgitated stories in agony, but relief, as if lifting the heaving boulders off of his chest. However, when he didn’t speak about the Holocaust, he was so full of life and tenderness, always giving me a warm smile, or a reassuring rub on my arm. I was amazed that a person who had experienced so much pain in his life could still be so gentle, kind and happy. I must admit, I did not want to leave and I was truly sad to go.

A trip meant to learn and discover about Jewish history, somehow turned into the study of my history. The valuable connection between my family and me proved to be the best and most influential experience for me on IST.
 

Kacy Behrend

This morning we woke up at 4am after a night in the Bedouin tents in order to climb Masada. After expecting a long, exhausting hike, we were pleasantly surprised when the expected grueling hike took a mere 10 minutes. At the top of the mountain we were joined by many other groups and we watched the sun rise together. After the sun rose, we are breaking and did morning prayers and then did a small tour of the ruins atop Masada. We saw bath houses, the meeting area, the palaces and heard story upon story of the history of Masada. We then started our decent down and after what seemed like hundreds of stairs and 100 degree weather. We reached the bottom and realized it was only 9 in the morning. The staff then convinced to fo a “stroll” to some refreshing waterfalls at Ein Gedi in order to cool off and to ligten our moods. After that we had lunch and got ready for the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea brightened our moods even though many of us realized we had cuts that we didn’t know existed. After a small float in the sea, we covered ourselves in mud, took pictures, cleaned off in the sea and then showered. After that, we made our way back to Jerusalem but not before a stop at Zalman’s house. We ate and drank tea made from freshly grown herbs. After arriving in Jerusalem, we showered once again, ate dinner and then were lucky to have vendors from Ben Yehuda Street come to us. They brought jewelry and shirts and we all seemed to be able to find something to buy with our reaming shekels. After a long day with high and low mood point, we were able to come together once again and end the day in high spirits.

July 13

Jocelyn Handleman

When I thought about Gadna, all I could think about was the pushups, the uniforms and the cute army boys, but walking out of the Army base, I realized that the IDF was so much more. 35 ISTers were pushed (and punched) to be the best that they could be. At one point I had to do 40 pushups and I did every one. Part of Gadna was not about being pushed around by people who are only two years older than us, but just to get through it. Each of us had to push ourselves to meet our own expectations and the expectations others had for us. On the first day of Gadna, we were told that the group from Colorado was always the best group every summer at the base. We saw how other groups acted; they were immature and don’t take our superior officers seriously. We realized that we were the strongest group and the most respectful.

Before Gadna, I was told that I would never make it out alive. I was told I couldn’t do it. After the 5:30am wake up calls, the crawling on the gravel, the gun stained uniforms and foggy water; I realized I could do anything. I felt that if I could make it through Gadna, I could do anything. Mentally, I knew I could get through it. Physically, I thought I might have problem. On the last day of Gadna, I had to do 40 pushups, and right after finishing, I knew that I was physically and mentally ready for anything.

The best part of Gadna, honestly, was the cleaning. When Natalie Brown and I got stuck squeegying the floor of the dining room, I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. We named our squeegee “Chevra” which is friends in Hebrew. While Natalie and I were pushing the dirt around, we were singing random songs and some original stylings of Natalie Brown and Jocelyn Handleman. When our commander heard us sing and asked if all of us liked to clean. With a lot of energy and pep, we all nodded yes. We all had a conversation about how gross the showers were, so all the girls planned not to shower. When our commander found out, she laughed. While Natalie and I were singing, Tania Katz was washing the dishes and her hat fell into the dirty water. With smiles on all of our faces, our commander said “Well at least something got a shower.” Gadna made me realize that there is more to Israel than just hot boys, amazing boys, and which flavor of tobacco I still have to buy for my hookah. The pride and strength it takes to be in the IDF is what it is about, and I would never take back that experience, to see the purity and peacefulness that the Israeli flag gives off when it’s flying in the wind. Gadna was the most amazing part of my trip to Israel…except for the incredibly gorgeous officer that got me weak in the knees. Oh yeah, we shot an M-16 too.

July 5

Natalie Brown

Last night we had an army woman come and tell us about Gadna. I’m terrified. Am I really going to survive it? She was a cute girl but had one tough attitude. I think I really underestimate how hard this army boot camp will be. I guess we’ll just have to see.

Anyways, today we did my favorite hike of the whole trip, and I think most others would agree with me when I say that today was awesome. However, this fantastic story started with an early wake up at 6am this morning. Oy Vey! But little did I know how worth it it would be putting on a swimsuit that early in the morning. The hike down to the first waterfall was easy going and woke us all up. When we reached the bottom of the hill we ate breakfast in front of a beautiful waterfall. This is the kind of waterfall that little girls dream of getting married next to. Or maybe that’s just me. After breakfast, we did some very jungle-like hiking, in which a few of us commented on how it felt like we weren’t in Israel, but in Costa Rica etc. After doing a little bit of hiking we reached the destination of the highlight of the hike: the ladder waterfall. Not knowing what we were about to complete, all of us sat there waiting patiently (or rather impatiently) for an hour and a half for it to be our turn. When we got up there we were told to hold on tight by Zalman, and not to look down. Sounds easy until you actually do look down and see you are at least 30 meters above some deep water. Jumping off that ladder into the deep water was gross, cold but sooo worth it. and once again as a team or a chevra, everyone helped to float our backpacks across the water on rafts. It was a smart system until a few of the boys decided it would be funny to freak the girls out, pretending to have a water snake. After we got over the cold shock of the not so clean water, we once again all waited to go down the next set of waterfalls and pass down our bags, and while waiting to do so, a few of us girls broke out into song with a tune from the Little Mermaid. For surely only because it fit the moment. Then of course, we dried off, changed and pulled an IST- and hiked of course! I’m not gonna lie, the hike up really kind of sucked. It was some hard crap we did. But as usual, we got a great sense of accomplishment afterwards, which made it worthwhile. Hoorah!

When we got back to the kibbutz, the rest of the day was sweet. We had “rest time,” aka hookah, music and sleep. Finally, at the end of the night, we watched the movie The Incredibles, which I’ve never seen and got to eat some delicious Israeli pizza. I guess some would say that as usual, I got a little too into the movie and actually cheered on the cartoons. Later, some of us stayed and watched the movie while others “went to bed early” and a few of us girls who shall remain nameless indulged the remaining pizza. I must say the sight of corn pizza was the first for many of us. By the way, we hung out and watched the movie in the Kibbutz’s bomb shelter, which was as scary as it sounds. It was under the ground, cold and fortified, but of course, for the Israeli staff this was nothing out of the ordinary. Once again that was another day in the life of an ISTer.

P.S. Today was so awesome, we all got laundry done!!

July 1

Jeremy Gelman

This week I participated in my first mikveh. The look on each man’s face was priceless. When we were told we had the opportunity to essentially get naked with each other and other strangers, everyone’s eyes instantly found the nearest piece of ground. Yet as I, and 10 other ISTers will tell you, the purification of ourselves at the Mikveh in Tsfat was one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. The actual pool of natural spring water is no bigger than the area of two rows on a bus and is maybe 4 feet deep. But as you emerge from the ice cold water into the humid changing room, it is as if your body is covered in an impenetrable film of purity. The infamous nakedness of the scene disappeared from each of our minds. Before we entered the cleaning room, our Israeli guides spoke of the Mikveh being a small window to our original purity at birth. When we reappeared with the rest of the group at the youth hostel, only had to run our fingers over our arms to recall each of our individual reclamations of our pure beings; the exact ones Hashem blessed us with.

Ryan Bernstein

You don’t know true pain until you have ridden 52 kilometers while a bike seat is being pressed into your body. Today was the bike ride for Alyn hospital and it was by far one of the hardest things I have ever done. What made it even more difficult is that no matter what direction we went, the wind was always against us. It was incredible though, because two people who couldn’t ride bikes before learned how to. The group definitely bonded because we all shared a common pain. Overall, the bike riding experience was definitely a pain in the butt, but now looking back it was obviously worth it.
 

Ilyse Gidan

Try new things, you’ll be better for it. Had you asked me 3 weeks ago to write a journal entry on the Alyn Bike Ride, I would have told you “no way.” Before we left for IST, I thought I would be riding on the bus because I didn’t know how to ride a bike. The day began slowly because I knew what was going to be going on and I, unfortunately, was not going to be able to be a part of it. I was so upset that I couldn’t ride because I had raised money and strongly believed in the cause. So we arrived at the starting point and everyone began to stretch and get bikes and helmets. I told everyone that I wanted to learn to ride and everyone looked at me like I was crazy, but Steve Zerobnick took me seriously and got me a bike and helmet and I started learning. Surprisingly, I learned really fast and no time I was able to ride pretty well. We began by doing 28km and then stopped for lunch and a quick look at the vultures. Then we all went back and started riding the last 32km. We were able to stop at any time, so whenever someone felt done, you could just get on the bus. Some sang the Birkat Hamazon over and over as well as the Havdalah blessings to get themselves through the pain and heat of the bike ride. Everyone worked together to finish. There was a lot of team work and friendly motivation to help everyone finish. In the end 26 IST 2005’ers finished the entire 60km bike ride. In many ways this ride helped to bond the group because of what an amazing accomplishment it was to finish. We finished by taking some group photos and then traveled a short distance to the Kinneret for an amazing dinner and free time. I speak not only myself, but everyone in the group when saying today was completely worth it. Even though I didn’t do the entire ride, I’ll take home an amazing and worthwhile experience.
 

Jenna Gerschwaben (Jenna Schwab and Jenna Gershen)

When we got to the Naot factory we hurried to be their first to shop. We turned around to see 43 other kids stampeding down the road. That’s when “Schwab threw Gershen through the window” to grab her shoes. Shoes and bodies were flying everywhere. Lots of money later, the Jennas were satisfied with their 12 new pairs of Naots; we’ll get back some money from the VAT refund.

Our next adventure involved navigating the Jordan River. As the Jennas scrambled for life vests that did not fit, they were shoved into the river by two hot Israelis. It took 5 minutes before we finally let them go. With that, we were off. Schwab and Gershen were going down the river all alone, escaping the water snakes and scorpion kings. Our paddles were synchronized: right, left; double right. We still managed to run into every tree along the way. It wasn’t long before we were chasing our kayak down the river. About an hour later we found our kayak and reached the end. However, being us, we fell out of our kayak again and had to be saved by another hot Israeli. It was awesome.
 

Tania Katz

The third Shabbat of our wonderful journey in Israel came and passed yesterday. For me, the Shabbat was extremely beautiful and meaningful because I had the opportunity to spend it with my family. Yehuda Katz, lead singer of Reva L’Sheva, a religious band here in Israel is my uncle. He and the whole family, his wife and 6 beautiful kids, came to spend all of Shabbat with us at the Youth Hostel in Tsfat. In the morning we woke early so we could go all around Tsfat to different shuls. Then we visited Sarah-Leah’s friend from high school to learn about life as a haredi woman in Tsfat. Afterwards, we went back to the youth hostel for five beautiful hours of rest. I slept and then visited with three of my cousins. I learned a lot about them and about life in Israel. When rest was over, Yehuda gave us a very educational, inspiring and uplifting lesson about making choices and living life correctly. I felt extremely honored to be able to learn such beautiful things, especially from such an important figure in my life. After dinner, we had a wonderful Havdalah. The most meaningful point of my day was the visit we had to the Kabbalist artist in the Old City. He started to explain to us about Kabbalah and the hidden meanings of everything in Judaism. We bought some of his paintings and books and I plan to teach myself so much about the mysticism and the spiritual side of Judaism. The day was filled with learning experiences and everything was beautiful because it was Shabbat. Hopefully, we will experience many more meaningful days like yesterday.
 

Becca Levin

Waking up at five in the morning for the second day in a row was a struggle, but it was totally worth it for the experience that followed. We hiked to the edge of a plateau and looked down into a massive crater before the sun has fully risen. We had our morning service there, looking out past the crater to the Dead Sea. For some reason, everyone thought that because it was the last day, that the hike would be easy. These people were mistaken. The first part of the hike was going down into the crater. Some people were afraid of heights and falling. But everyone pulled together and helped with encouraging words or a hand to hold. After getting in the crater, we split into our family groups and had a contest to see which group could find the best color of sand with which to paint their faces. My group decided we would just go fast and take the least amount of breaks we could in the hot crater because the longer it took the hotter it got. We found purple and gold sand and painted each half of our face one color. By the time we reached the end of the desert, we were ready to get back to air conditioning and a shower. It was definitely a strenuous day, but brought everyone much closer together.
 

Molly Abelman

We woke up early again for our last day of the Desert Experience. After another delicious breakfast, we walked up above our campsite for morning services. The view was absolutely incredible. It felt like we could see the entire Negev, spread out below us. Davening was much more meaningful that day when we could actually see G-d’s creation. Once we finished praying, we got on our way. Before we began the descent down the mountain, we could see the path we would be taking. It was incredibly intimidating and humbling to see the steep and rocky path spreading all the way across the valley. They hike was challenging and required lots of teamwork and support from all the chevra. After we finished the downhill portion, there were still a couple of miles of mostly flat land until the place the bus would pick us up. We split up into family groups to finish the hike. I don’t think I’ve been happier to hike with a group of 10 people. We acted like a true family, helping those of us having a more difficult time, waiting to make sure everyone was walking together and sharing water although the heat was unbearable. The family groups were also participating in competitions with each other to see who could make the best face paint out of clay and sand. We got really into the competition, stopping to completely cover our faces, half in purple and half in gold. Although it was a long hike (especially since the clay quickly dried on our faces, forming a hard, cracked coating), our group pushed ourselves hard and ended up finishing first. It was an amazing day that ended the most unique outdoor experience of my life.

Nate Reaven

Today on the excitement chart of 1 to 10 it equaled absolutely fantastically amazing. You will not believe all that happened. We hiked down to a waterfall and swam in the icy water to the waterfall and went under it, sat behind it, looked at it and took pictures around it. Then all of the sudden we noticed the sun, it was bright orange. In the next moment we smelled smoke and noticed ash falling from the sky. A park ranger came and told our guide, Tal, that we had to leave immediately. We didn’t really know any details. All of the sudden there were successive bomb-sized booms. We left quickly. We started to climb out as fast as we could. There we were ascending up this cliff when we saw smoke. We had a lot of adrenaline rushing through us and were ready to get to the top. When we got to the top 20 minutes later, we got right on to the bus. From the windows, we saw the rapidly approaching fire. The fire was about 100yds away from us as the bus doors closed. We counted off to make sure no one was left behind, the fire got closer; it seemed to be right on top of us. As we neared the end of the count we looked out the window at the fire in horror and fascination. It was so exciting and fun. Oh, and just so you know, the booms that were going off were old Syrian land mines being triggered by the heat. The staff and the group did a great job on the evacuation, and now it’s just a story to tell.

June 30

Cori Lindeman

I’m disappointed in Auschwitz. To put it lightly Auschwitz I is a tourist attraction. It is no longer viewed as a concentration camp by the people who visit it. There were tour groups all over the camp. Easily hundreds of people go to the camp everyday to visit it. It is nice to know people have not forgotten the death and destruction of the Holocaust, but because of Auschwitz I, I don’t feel they are being taught the whole truth. Auschwitz I is very Hollywood to me, the barracks are clean and painted and windows have been added to every building where there were none before. A Holocaust denier could easily go into the camp and use it as evidence to prove their point. I think that if we want to educate people about the horrors we need to keep everything as original as possible.
Although Auschwitz I was disappointing, going to Birkenau (Auschwitz II) was a totally different experience. Birkenau was so enormous that it can’t even be put into words; the pure size of it was enough to make me cry. When you see the hundreds of chimney stacks from the former barracks coming from the ground, 6 million people suddenly seems possible.
Altogether, Auschwitz I and Birkenau were an experience that I am glad that I have, but I would not like to experience it again.
 

Becca Wiener

This morning we made the journey from the land of pain and suffering of our ancestors to the land of hope for the Jewish people (Hatikvah). For many years I’ve been dreaming of visiting Israel. When we landed the feeling of excitement and joy overwhelmed us. I couldn’t stop smiling. The excitement kind of died down as we waited in the parking lot for the airline to get luggage together. The drive from the airport was thrilling. I could not get enough of looking out the window. At the hotel we ate ravenously because we had not seen good food in ages. Afterwards, we walked to the Kotel. We closed our eyes and opened them to the site of the beautiful Kotel at night. It overwhelmed me with its beauty. I finally felt as though I’d arrived. It was hard to imagine how far I’d traveled in the last day. Leaving Poland and heading to the center of Jewish spirituality made me realize how many more amazing moments we have in store for the rest of this trip.
 

Joey Curtiss-Lusher

Waking up in Israel for the first time was incredible. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Knowing that our group had escaped the horrors of Poland and that we’d made it to the Promised Land was a feeling of accomplishment unrivaled by anything else. The most enjoyable part of the day was walking under the City of David through the water tunnel. The 500 meter walk in complete darkness connected the group both spiritually with the past people of Israel and physically with everyone else. Everyone was making sure everyone else was comfortable and we made sure no one fell. By the end of the tunnel, we all stepped out into light and everything was lit in a way that it hadn’t been when we first went down. Maybe it was because we hadn’t seen light in over an hour. Or maybe it was because we caught the full majesty of the city of David at dusk. Whichever reason, it was spectacular. Hopefully our trip will end as beautifully as that sunset. Incredible!
 

Melanie Rottler

Today we got down and dirty at an archaeological dig.. We found some shekels that the madrichim planted to fool us, and a few bones and pottery shards. That afternoon we went to the Hasidic section of Jerusalem, Ge’ulah. This experience was amazing. We finally got our first taste of real Israeli falafel which was so delicious! Also, the culture was so interesting to watch, and I truly cherished the experience of watching them prepare for Shabbat. Our own Shabbat was absolutely beautiful and going to the Kotel was indescribable. There was a great sense off unity when we all were praying, signing and dancing together.
 

Nate Reaven

Today we went to an archaeological day where we looked through a lot of work that was excavated from the Temple Mount. After that we got some of the best free time you can have in Israel, walking up and down one of the busy streets in an orthodox neighborhood of Jerusalem, eating falafel and candy. We walked up and down and witnessed an outstanding culture filled with life and vibrancy, beggars and sexism, majestic beauty and an unselfish love for everything. The paradox that the Jewish people have is outstanding and truly worth looking in to, but that is beside the point. It was an amazing experience and falafel has officially replaced Chipotle until my return to Denver.

This day was also our first Shabbat in Israel, and more specifically, Jerusalem. Our services were held on a patio overlooking the Old City. It was such a beautiful view; I couldn’t take my eyes off it. One of my friends said my gaze looked goofy and silly. But that view, on a scale of 1 to 10 was absolutely amazing and I would do it again in less than a heart beat.

We went to the Kotel for additional services Another ISTer and I joined a circle of men singing and dancing and praying. It was an energetic, spiritual, fantastic experience. Can I do it again please??
Later at dinner we had a fantastic meal that rivals anything my parents have ever made. After dinner, during the Birkat hamazon, during a section where everyone usually sang a tiny little Nigun, but this time it kept going and going and was a fantastic blast. Some would say that it was a frenzied bonanza!
 

Dan Friedman

Today was the most amazing day thus far. Today was our first Shabbat in Israel. This experience was an eye-opener for us all. Whereas many of us felt in Denver that we were surrounded by Christianity and only a few Jews, today we were just a tiny dot on the Jewish sonar of the world. We had a little bit later wake-up and then we had a choice of which shul to attend. As we each chose the appropriate service we were all immersed into the community that felt so foreign, yet at the same time comfortable. As is tradition, we walked everywhere. We had no exchange of money and had a day of rest. After our IST Havdalah, we had a concert with Yehudah Katz. He was an amazing guy and is Tania’s uncle. We all danced for hours on the roof overlooking our beautiful homeland. Having our first Shabbat in Israel was not only an amazing day as a whole, it was also a cultural experience none of us will forget.

Mimi Feiler

Today we went to an archaeological dig. It was a lot of fun. We first climbed through a cave. It used to be a place where pigeons were kept. The people used the pigeons to eat and sacrifice. After that we went and dug in another cave. We found a lot of interesting things such as animal bones, seashells and pottery. We lifted the dirt out of the cave and sifted through it. It was a really fun morning.
After the dig we went to a beach. The waves were really huge and we couldn’t go out that far. The water was really warm. Everyone went in and had a blast. The boys played sports and the girls laid out and tanned. It was so much fun and so beautiful. For dinner we went to a Kibbutz. It was the first Kibbutz that any of us had entered and it was really interesting.
 

Ryan Bernstein

Today definitely was the most depressing day we’ve had while in Israel. It began by visiting ALYN children’s hospital that cares for handicapped kids. The combination of stories and pictures were nothing compared to the effect that a smiling 7 year old, whose whole body, except his face, was covered by burn marks. After the hospital visit, we were dropped us off in the middle of the desert and you could feel civilization drive away with the bus. These sad emotions of the hospital visit were overcome as our focus was turned to getting down a steep mountainside. It was one of the coolest hikes I have ever done. What really made the day, though, was how everyone came together and worked together. IT was beautiful. The desert overall was amazing and was made it even better was that no one was left behind. We really showed them who IST ’05 is. Finally, camp was great and a needed relief. Just like all other good things, the bad came. The mosquitoes had a blood fest, especially on Mike and Sara Leah. Despite that we conquered and came through.
 

Molly Zwerdlinger

Struggle is more than an 8 letter word. It is a 45 person attempt at hiking the Negev. The second day approached as our bodies awoke to the cold chill outside our sleeping bags. The all day hike lay ahead of us. The morning was silent and still as we hiked to a shaded cave for breakfast. The road was muddy and rocky but soon dried from the pounding sun. The shade became scarce but still sheltered our 45 bodies from the fast rising sun. We stopped to discuss Tanakh, and we exercised our minds, as as our feet rested.. We continued on for what seemed like hours, swimming in our own sweat. The high sun approached as we finish scaling the cliff. A long sleep in the humid shade rejuvenates our bodies, but makes us sweatier. We continued the rest of the day through the rocky terrain, each one of us helping the person behind. True teamwork is not helping because you know everyone else needs help, it is giving a helping hand because you truly care about everyone in front, as well as behind you. All of us learned the meaning of help and teamwork by rescuing each other from feeling alone the second day. We finished our day with dinner at camp, when we finally arrived not as a group of individuals, but as one team who would give anything for each other. Long live the Negev. (ed.: Molly Zwedlinger hiked all day long with a sprained ankle)

Ryan Yourtz

Day 2 of the Hike. We got up at sunrise and got cereal and made breakfast. We were all swollen from the bug bites. You could already feel the sun heating up like an oven. We hiked and saw amazing sites. Around noon we got to a huge rock. The rock provided us with a good 3 hours of shade. The shade was very useful at the peak hours of the hot sun. Once at camp, we stretched, ate dinner and set up our sleeping bags. There was not a lot of wind and barely any bugs. The starts were beautiful and unreal. It was a great experience and I loved falling asleep underneath the stars.

Mike Miles

I have davened 5 times in the past 5 days of which 5 of these experiences especially stand out. But why does the environment of prayer matter for a Jew? Every time I daven I feel the distinct importance of what I am doing. I feel the strong connection to G-d through my kavanah and spirituality in my prayer.

These past 5 days I have davened on Shabbat at the last remaining shul in Warsaw, Mincha at a mass grave from the Holocaust (Lupachowa Forest), Shachrit in the hallway of a Lublin hotel, by the graveside of a great Hasidic Rebbe, Rav Eli Melech, and Shachrit alongside the rest of the group in Krakow. On the other hand, I davened with the group twice so far – Kabbalat Shabbat and our very first morning service in Warsaw. What I have found from praying by myself versus praying with the group is that when I pray before Hashem with the group, I do not take as much out of it as I did when I davened by myself. My intention is not to detach myself from the group as a whole – my full intention is to achieve the highest level of spirituality from prayer that I can reach. If this means davening separate from the group, this is what I will do, but at the same time, I know that all of them understand.

My original perceptions of this trip have changed. At the beginning, I felt that IST put an emphasis on the group as a whole. As I sat alone in a barrack that the Nazi used to hold Jews, I felt a friend’s hand placed on my shoulder. It struck me that IST is what you want it to be – we are a group but we are all individuals. When my friend saw my head dig into my hands in the barracks in a time of utter anger and confusion, I felt the warmth of another individual – we are all linked together. We closed out our time in Majdanek in a small room within the crematorium – a cohesive group of individuals. Emotions were high, and as one individual became emotional, to the point of tears, the rest of the unit quickly consoled the individual. As I sat next to a good friend of mind on a 1.5 hour bus ride, I knew that as a part of a cohesive group, I have someone to fall back on.

Back to prayer: These few days in Poland we have learned the importance of individuality. To pray as an individual, as taught by our guide and spiritual leader Rabbi Levi Cooper, is the first step for towards achieving a meaningful davening experience. Our people who were slaughtered were robbed of their individuality and killed en masse. Therefore, while we must become an integrated group, supporting one another, there is still a need for that individuality to survive. I have learned from my teachers at RMHA that in Judaism, Hashem influences and we act. We were taught at the graveside of Rav Eli Melech that achieving t’shuva, or repentance, from a friend is equally as important as individual prayer, because real kavanah in prayer cannot be achieved without forgiveness and having a clean slate. This directly relates to the theme of an individual. Hashem influences and we act – an individual acts upon the influences of the omnipresent. A person can choose to daven 3 times a day if he wants to – it is up to the individual to act. Even though there are some people in our group who are not thoroughly excited about the davening aspects of IST, I still know that I have two more chances in of all places, Poland, and while it might be extremely important for me, I think they all understand the importance of davening here as well. We have survived. Whether I daven Mincha on the outskirts of the Lupachowa forest or in a hotel hallway, I have taken so much out of being an individual in a united crew.

My experiences in Poland were amazing, but nothing tops my first experience at the Kotel. Words cannot express the feelings and emotions that I felt at the Kotel the first night in Israel. As we rounded a corner to view the Kotel for the first time with our eyes closed, a bright light permeated my consciousness. We were told to open our eyes, and as I immediately saw the Kotel, I wept tears of pure joy. I had never cried this way in my life. It was the most joyful, spiritual and fulfilling experience that I had ever had. Studying Jewish texts at school this year has taught me the importance of the Kotel and standing there in the presence of our ancestors, I could not speak, but my tears spoke for me. I have davened twice at the Kotel and numerous other places in Israel in the past week: the Negev desert, the Beit Knesset of the Ariel Hotel and the synagogue of the Ein Zurim kibbutz. Praying in Israel means so much more to me than davening at other places. I still wonder why this stays true. My connection with G-d is much stronger here in Israel, thus praying to G-d is more meaningful. I have had debates with friends about our Holy Land and the Jewish right to Eretz Yisrael which have strengthened my faith immensely. This land is ours and ours to keep. My two davening experiences at the Kotel have been mind blowing: whether davening with black hats or Birthright students, we are all Jewish and our differences do not matter. This group, despite the occasional flaws, is cohesive and will not wither away.
 

June 23

Seth Cohn

It’s our second day in Warsaw and we are all plagued with jet-leg., but it’s Shabbat and we have to pray. So the forty-nine Americans drag themselves to the only remaining synagogue in Warsaw (which is amazing because just before the war Warsaw was one third Jewish and was covered in synagogues). As we sat in the small, but incredibly beautiful synagogue, most of us fell asleep. As the service progressed one of the most amazing experiences of my life happened, I was called upon to do the Kohane Aliyah. I nervously walked past the pews, and up the B’mah. The rabbi directed me where to stand, and I recited the ancient prayer. After the service was finished, a head of Jewish affairs in Warsaw told us that the synagogue rarely has someone to do the Kohane Aliyah. I was touched that I could make a small difference in the community. In reflection, it is very sad that the Jewish community has been reduced to such a small family. Warsaw is apparently missing a piece of culture and economy that only the once vibrant Jewish community will ever be able to fill.

Mark Gutman

As we started out the day leaving at 8:00 in the morning, no one really knew where we were going and what we were going to do. The first stop we learned about the Jewish population in Tikocyn, and how before the war, two thirds of the population was Jewish and now it is zero. After visiting the shetyl, we rode the bus for about ten minutes and arrived at the Lupachowa Forest. The forest was absolutely incredible, huge green trees, small green bushes, and lush pine trees full of green leaves. As soon as we got off the bus EVERYONE was silent for we all knew that this forest was a cemetery for the entire Jewish population of Tikocyn totaling about 2,000 people. As we wandered deeper into the forest, the small green bushes faded away, as if they could not even be near the cemetery where so many people were killed. We walked on and finally saw three areas that were fenced off, each of them a mass grave. Surrounding the fences were candles of mourning and remembrance for the people who perished so many years ago. Right before I left, I borrowed a lighter and lit one of the pre-existing candles. As I walked away from the cemetery I looked back at my candle and felt like I was truly part of the Jewish community. The next stop was Treblinka, which was one of the three death camps set up by the Nazi’s to exterminate the Jews. Even though the entire camp was destroyed the presence that was left behind by the death camp was still very strong. No one talked or made jokes, we all just walked in silence through the 18,000 stone memorials. The last thing I did at the Treblinka memorial was trace the English words “Never Forget” and as I traced the last “T” chills coursed through my body as I thought about how much pain, death and destruction had happened on the very earth on which I stood.

Erinn Bernstein

Majdanek. It was so real. As we arrived at Majdanek we walked up the Memorial to learn more about the camp. After Rabbi Cooper spoke of what had fully happened at the camp, we descended the memorial and entered the terrible fate that had met our ancestors only 60 years ago. We walked down through the field and the first place we entered was the gas chamber. As I walked through the field with my eyes closed, I could picture the camp 60 years ago. I didn’t feel like I was Erinn in 2005, I honestly believed I was Erinn in the early 1940’s at the real, working camp. When we were entering the gas chambers I began to cry because I didn’t see my friends around me; instead, I saw the people who REALLY entered the gas chambers. All I wanted to do was to tell them of what was going to happen. But, I couldn’t. They couldn’t hear me. I walked through the place of death in horror, seriously believing I was in the gas. I saw the terror of what had really occurred. I saw the “showers” and the blue stains.

As I exited the chamber I saw light. With my friends on my arms, I felt weak, yet empowered: weak because of the death that had invaded my body and empowered because I knew that although I entered the gas chambers with those who died, I exited alive. We continued through the camp, looking at the empty barracks, abandoned shoes, and the massive pile of human ash. The entire time we walked through the camp I felt sad and confused; confused about why G-d would let this happen, but as we walked I realized there was a purpose. There was a purpose for why I was there. I was there and needed to experience this because it changed me, changed my life. I walked through the camp knowing and fully understanding that never again, never again will people be treated like this. I knew that the sole reason that the Holocaust happened was hate. Hate comes from the smallest thought of discrimination. So, I decided through my journey that I will do my best to not let hate exist around me. Hate will never be a part of me and I will never give in to the hate of others; I will always come out alive.

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