May 9: In the Galil

Rabbi Mordechai Soskil
The nature of the senior trip is such that there is always so much going on that the days blend together. Without taking some time to talk about what we did and what it meant, it’s hard to remember everything. Tonight was an early night in, at our hostel in the Galil over looking the Kinneret. We broke the kids up into groups and asked them to share a bit about how the trip is going. 

We have three sets of goals on this trip:
1. To deepen the student’s connection to Israel, not just as part of our national story but as part of our religious story. 
2. To help the students grow connected to each other and to the grade as a whole. 
3. To add to the students reservoir of positive Jewish experiences.  

So we asked the students questions from each domain:
1. What have you done that feels like it’s deepened your connection to Israel?
The answers ranged from shawarma to the majestic grottoes in Rosh Hanikra to a first ever experience at the kotel. 

2. What have you done that that feels like it was an important Jewish experience?
Some students pushed back on the distinction saying that every experience in Israel is a Jewish experience. Enjoy this gorgeous view of the Kinneret is Jewish. Spelunking in a cave in Israel is Jewish. Other students talked about their “off Shabbos” at a friend’s family that observes Shabbos much more strictly than they do, and how that “full” Shabbat in Israel was so powerful. And again, davening at the kotel was mentioned as a truly powerful moment. 

3. Did you have a chance to interact with someone outside their typical group?
They talked about powerful experiences during their time camping in the desert and memorable conversations on the plane from Poland to Israel. They are genuinely concerned about how people will remember them when time marches inevitably forward and how they can make the most out of the time left. 

For me, it’s often hard to see the greatness of the moment when so much attention is put into genuinely sick kids that need to see a doctor (strep), kids trying to opt out because of social anxiety who need support and encouragement, and naturally whiny kids who complain about everything who need to be managed so they don’t bring down everyone’s mood. And managing curfew with 65 teens and wake up each day, and the 50 questions about laundry. It’s hard in the middle of that to see the big stuff.  

But then today we had a minyan at Shacharit made up of our Madrichim and tour guides and medic and our BT teens and in that minyan we had children of Russian emigres and a young man whose family came from Australia, one young man who has never left Israel in his life except when on duty for Tzahal in Syria. We had American Jews and Israeli Jews and a lot of different backgrounds and levels of observance, but when we got to the right point, everyone said Shema Yisrael together and it felt like a really common but very big moment. And I’m glad I didn’t miss it.