GADNA Option by David Reiman

(Standing Straight Up, Hands behind his back)

Forgive the somewhat formal posture, three days of this kind of grows on you.  For a total of three days, my American tourist friends and I found ourselves, often uncomfortably and unwillingly, part of the Israeli Defense Force.  Up at dawn or before, marching, running, leaping through tires, crawling over weeds and under fences, forming in two lines, in “chets” – Achsev Ha-mifaked!

The week (or half of one) was, for most, not at all what one would call “fun.”  While the work wasn’t entirely grueling, it was overpowering psychologically and a burden physically.  While it wasn’t all cheery, it was a great experience.  It was good learning what kind of training mere kids – just a year older than we – must receive for three months or more.  It was also out only chance to see what an army is really like without joining and risking the dangers inherent in warfare.

The end of the entire experience really left its mark on me.  Our commander, for these long days so harsh and demanding that my team believed him inhuman, took off his hat and introduced himself.  He was twenty years old and he had really personality.  He actually smiled and we realized that everyone just like us who lives in Israel has to become like him for the safety of Israel.  It was touching that in the end he turned out to be a young man like us with real hopes and dreams, a family, an age, and a name; that he kept his humanity through the harsh perils of the army.  It was all in all wonderful.

Sea to Sea Hike By Sara Schaffe

For our 4 day long option week I chose the Sea to Sea Hike.  We were to hike from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret).  The hike is about 50 km or 35 miles.  There were 17 ISTers and 14 Ethiopian Israelis as well as 5 counselors.  While hiking from The Mediterranean to Kinneret we crossed from the Upper Galilee to the Lower Galilee.

Chelli (an IST counselor) said today may be the hardest day of hiking.  This is because we are going to be hiking in a rocky, dried up river bed.  We were told there would be reliefe from the heat wave today, a break from the 100-degree weather would be nice.  It really won’t make a difference if it’s cooler today because the humidity is unbelievable, everything feels hotter.  Once you start to sweat you don’t stop or dry because of the humidity.  I hate humidity!

Our hike was not strenuous yet the heat made it difficult.  Hiking in the river bed was an adventure because I have never hiked through a dried river.  There were rocks of all shapes and sizes, walking on them wasn’t very tough from me, sure my ankles rolled and slipped, yet that added to the adventure.  Then there were the encounters with the prickle bushes, they were far from pleasant.  I managed to draw blood from the se encounters.  Ah, it’s good to be me.

Today we finished our sea to sea hike.  I have never felt so proud of myself,  I hiked across a country – well, most of it.  The bus drove us a little more than we would have liked, but what can you do?  The scenery in the Upper Galilee has more mountains and cliffs, the Lower Galilee has rolling hills. Yet both are the same heat, and have similar vegetation.  I would do the hike again in a second, preferably not in the summer, because of the heat and humidity.  Avner and Yigal (two IST counselors) told me that the spring is the best time to do the hike, the trees are greener and it is not as hot.

Arts and Culture Option by Dana Litt

Although this experience was not exactly what I had imagines, I’m glad I took part of this freshman endeavor.  Since it had never been done before, some experiences were not what we had expected.  But what I gained out of this experience is a greater appreciation for Israeli artists and their work.  Through the Israel museum, Yad Vashem and the Tel Aviv museum, we were constantly viewing different forms of art.  The best parts of the option were the hands-on experiences.  Taking part of the T-shirt making, drama and creative writing workshops, and the free time to draw, I felt I was able to get in touch with my emotions and reflect on the trip thus far.  It meant a lot to take part of this option because we are the ones who can help shape this option for the future.  Yes, I thought we were slightly rushed in the museums, but we were at least exposed to Israeli art.  What I learned is that Israeli art is very mixed due to the blended cultures that all are intertwined in Israel.  But perhaps that is what is so beautiful about Israel.  There is no one single culture.  It is constantly changing and evolving and it is impossible to exactly pin down what culture it is.  I’m glad I took part in this because of everything I learned and gained.