A question I’ve been asked repeatedly leading up until this trip: Am I excited? Am I excited to develop a greater sense of Jewish Identity in a place that fosters learning and creativity? Am I excited to create tighter bonds with outstanding Jewish teens? Am I excited to learn more about the holy land, in addition to learning more about the 25 Jewish leaders grateful to go on this trip? Am I excited to dive into Israeli food culture, and create a new sense of awareness about comparisons to American culture? Am I excited to develop my own opinion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and new ways to foster peace and kindness in such a controversial place?
Yes. If that’s not a statement of readiness for icnext Cohort 4’s Israel mission, I don’t know what is. I’m ready, and I hope everyone else in the group is as well, to learn, discover, teach, and create. The program isn’t perfect, and the trip won’t be either. But I can guarantee something after learning a lot about it: we’re ready; we just have to be ready to embrace it.