The experience I have enjoyed most so far on our trip was celebrating Shavuot at the Kibbutz. Tuesday night, we went to the Shavuot tekes (ceremony) where everyone from the Kibbutz came together to celebrate. People of all ages performed dances and spoke about the Kibbutz and their strength. After the tekes, we went to have dinner with our host families. My host family made an amazing meal and we all enjoyed each other’s company. Later that night, members of the Cohort met again for a tikkun for shavuot and we got to see former shinshinim and hear about their October 7th experiences. It was so important to get new perspectives through people we know personally. Rabbi Roland then led us in learning some psalms and their connection to shavuot and the war. It felt very meaningful to be studying together, even though we were all pretty tired. To end the night, the shinshinim played games with us that were about home and our childhoods. It was an amazing opportunity to get to know each other a little bit more by hearing about memories from our childhoods. This whole holiday felt incredibly meaningful and special because we were together in Israel and felt the spirit and comfort from the community and each other.