I didn’t expect this.
I didn’t expect that each person on the trip would become a new friend and that we all would find common interests and hilarious sayings that would bond us together. I didn’t expect that I would develop new views on Israel advocacy, and that I would change my views on the current conflict as a result of what happened within these 10 days. I didn’t expect that I would eat delicious new flavors, while learning about Israeli teen and family society. I didn’t expect that I would come back from this trip wanting even more. But I do.
This trip convinced many of us to make Aliyah sometime in our life, or to join the Israeli Defense Forces. This trip bonded our separate group into a cohesive whole, one that learns, educates, and leads together. This trip taught me that things truly aren’t as they seem.
I remember one particular moment in the trip. I was taking a bite of delicious freshly fried falafel in Sderot, smothered with tahini sauce, various salads, fries – or, as Israelis call them – chips, and spicy Harif. Others around me wanted to try. Without hesitation, I gave them my sandwich, and we passed it around, everyone eating some. In that moment, we were all together, trying this essential piece of Israeli food. We were one.
To say that we didn’t have any conflicts would be a lie. We are a different, separate group with different, separate preferences. Still, there was never a time I saw anyone in our group purposely excluded for the personal reasons of others. Even those of us who had entirely opposing views, some left and some right, found ways to connect.
In the end, that’s what it’s all about, right? If we form positive memories that we connect to Israel, we connect with others and tell them about it, and this forms a positive and bright view of Israel and Judaism that we will hold onto throughout our adulthood.
With that, it all makes sense. The sometimes frustrating seminars. The crazy logistics. It’s all about connection. When we connect ourselves with others that have views different or similar and focus on connection, things can happen. When we connect people with personal memories of joy, we can understand them truly, and start to become one, connected.
That’s what makes icnext amazing. We are so different. Some religious, some secular. Some of us love USY, while others love NFTY or BBYO. Some of us lean politically right when it comes to Israel, while others are more left. Some of us will stay in Israel for longer, while others travel home. Somehow, with the special odd magic created by icnext, and, inherently, Israel, we can become one. And that, really, is what Israel is. An assembly, a connection of Jews, different but the same, with some mistakes, ready to face the world. Icnext doesn’t create a Cohort. It creates an Israel within itself.