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Israel Birthright trips change student lives

Israel Birthright trips change student lives

During second semester, sophomore Nathan Kruger will embark on a trip to Europe that some people only dream about. He will start his four month trip in Israel where he will visit famous monuments and landmarks including the Western wall, Masada, and the Dead Sea. Finally he will top off the journey at historic European sites such as the Warsaw Ghetto and Auschwitz.

The North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY)-Eisendrath International Exchange (EIE) sponsors this trip so that Jewish students everywhere can have this experience. According to nftyeie.org, the program is an “intensive academic program and is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. All instruction is conducted in English with the exception of the Hebrew Ulpan (intensive Hebrew program).”

The program is a semester long trip offered to grades 10-12 where kids from the US can receive an interactive experience of life in Israel while still getting high school credits.

Birthright Israel works with the Israeli government to sponsor a trip, providing an opportunity for the Jewish youth to experience Judaism outside of the US. This trip is only offered to children with at least one Jewish parent in addition to single practice of the Jewish religion.

According to birthrightisrael.com, “[The trip] provides a gift of first time, peer group; educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults ages 18 to 26 from around the world. We want young Jewish people to come to Israel, see it, experience it, talk about it, and think about what Israel means for them and the Jewish people”

However, the trip that Kruger plans to embark on is not the Birthright trip but more of an independent experience through overseas travel that will introduce him to many new people.

“I think it’s going to be a cool life changing experience where I will learn what it’s like living in a foreign country,” Kruger said. “I also think it will make me more independent and give me a chance to meet kids from all over the country.”

“[The trip] combines classroom learning, lots of trips, social outings and opportunities to learn about Israel and make a personal connection to Judaism,” Kruger said.

Kruger first got the idea to go on the trip when his brother and camp counselors went and came back with nothing but good things to say about it.

The prerequisites include taking Hebrew classes in addition to the PHS workload and an Israel Land People and culture course. Kruger also went on a lot of field trips, and spent a week in Poland, a week in the Army, along with copious amounts of community service hours.

Juniors Matthew Gologorsky and Natalie Godfrey went on a different trip to Israel in the summer of 2012 for five weeks. It was offered through Let’s Go Israel (LGI), which gives teens from the Bay Area an opportunity to visit Israel, getting to know the country and people.

“I learned some Hebrew and also that life elsewhere is not like it is in the US,” Gologorsky said.

Godfrey decided to go on this trip because of her friends but also to experience something that is in the media consistently. She said she especially enjoyed being in the Israeli army for a day and going through boot camp.

“A few of my friends were going, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to travel with them,” Godfrey said. “Also it was a great way to see a country that I hear so much about on the news and from other people.”

There are also many lessons that Kruger hopes to bring back from his four months away.

“I hope to bring back a new perspective on Israel and a closer connection to Israel. I plan to make lots of new friends from all over the country and I think I’ll gain new perspectives on Piedmont and my life here too,” Kruger said.

Godfrey learned many lessons from this trip but not just about Israel, rather ones regarding how valuable experience is.

“I learned that to really know someone, or in this case, to know a place, you have to meet them, or experience it firsthand [for yourself], otherwise there is no way to know the full story and all the details,” Godfrey said.

 

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