You can't share the experiences we've shared on this trip and NOT feel like family. Over the past six days we've been traveling all over Israel together. We've hiked up mountains, swam in the Dead Sea, sang under the desert sky, held each other and cried at the Western Wall, explored Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, bore witness to each other's bar/bat mitzvahs, listened to countless dramatic monologues from our resident comedian/tour guide Jeremy, and the trip is only halfway through! The things we've done and the emotions we've shared have brought us so close--not only to each other, but to something even bigger.
This trip has brought me closer to my Jewish heritage. The sites we're visiting and the conversations we're having are connecting me closer and closer to a family I never realized I had before: all Jewish people. Everyone here keeps saying "Jews don't have history, they have memory," and that idea is making more sense the longer we're here. The things we're seeing and doing and learning about are things that millions of other Jews have experienced throughout time. It's a powerful feeling to think I'm connected to such a strong culture, to think I'm a part of such a rich history, to think my family is so much bigger than I ever thought.
I'm so glad I have this opportunity to get to know the family I never knew I had and I'm so excited to see what else this trip will bring in the next few days. But for now...the Maccabis are up by two in the final quarter, so I have to go cheer. :)
-Roxana Gamble
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