Atara Berkower - Week 8 - Home of Israel

 Home of Israel

Traveling to Israel this summer was extremely important to my Jewish identity because it brought me closer to my home of Israel. I usually go on an annual trip to Israel with my family, although I have not been in a long time because of Covid. I went on a five-week program to Israel with 500 kids and stuck with a 40 person bus that became my family. It was amazing and an experience that I will never forget. We traveled all over Israel, toured many museums, and hiked over historical monuments. Now that I am older, I understand my Jewish values and was able to connect it to the state of Israel. I became more Zionistic, and, now, want to eventually move to Israel. The next time I travel to Israel with my family I will be more educated about its history and will know my way around, feeling at home. After high school, I am excited to spend a year learning more about my Jewish values in a gap year program. My favorite part about Israel is Jerusalem, where all of the tourists travel to because of its significance to the Jewish people. I also enjoy Eilat because it reminds me of Miami because of the city and the beaches. 

When in Israel, you cannot forget to bring home a bag of candy, jewelry, and Marzipan. I came home with gifts for everyone in my family that I bought at the shuk of Machane Yehudah in Jerusalem. I brought back a gigantic bag of candy filled to the top, which was gone minutes after setting it on the kitchen counter. I brought back Marzipan, which is a famous dessert that you cannot miss in Israel. I bought it for me to eat for the week, although it was gone the same day I brought it home! Lastly, I brought back jewelry for me and my sisters. I had an amazing time and Israel and got close to the place that I call home.

Have you ever been to Israel? Do you feel like you can call it your home?

Comments

  1. AnonymousNov 9, 2021, 10:20:00 PM

    I got to go to Israel for the first time with the school in 8th grade, and it felt like I was home. Israel is one of the most beautiful countries ever, and I would love to return again sometime soon. It's one of the only places that we can feel safe practicing Judaism. How did Israel change because of Covid?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Atara BerkowerNov 10, 2021, 11:51:00 AM

      They do not let people enter their country if you are not travelling with a group. Additionally, they require vaccination, a negative covid test, and a positive antibodies test. It is a whole process to enter the country.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousNov 10, 2021, 5:50:00 PM

    I've only been to Israel on the 8th grade field trip. I would love to go again, but I would need a reason to go, like meeting family. I definitely recommend that everybody goes if you haven't already.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNov 16, 2021, 7:29:00 PM

    I have never been to Israel, but I have always wanted to go. I know a lot of people who have gone, and they say it is amazing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ben Nikpour - Week 10: Oscar Viewers are Dropping

Image
     Before a few days ago, I did not know much about the Oscars. I knew it was an award show, but besides that, I was basically clueless. It wasn’t until the Will Smith and Chris Rock situation that I spent the time to look into what the Oscars are.       For some background, the Oscars, properly known as the Academy Awards, are awarded to artists in the film industry. The first show was in May of 1929. At its peak, in 1998, the Oscars brought in over 55 million viewers; that same year was the release of one of the biggest movies of all time: Titanic. Since then, viewers have been dropping. In 2020, the Oscars had their lowest amount of viewers with only 24 million people watching the event. In 2021, the Oscars broke their 2020 record of lowest viewers by only bringing in less than 11 million people. This year the Oscars brought in close to 17 million viewers which is an improvement but not by much. Award shows like the Grammys, Emmys, Golden Globes, ...
Read more

Noah Bard Week 1 - The Misunderstanding of our Modern-Day Gladiators

Image
   When I hear the word gladiator, I Immediately think of the Colosseum and humans being eaten by lions. However, times have changed, and so has the term gladiator. I’m talking about the sport of MMA, and more specifically, UFC fighters. Besides the few million crazed fight fans out there like myself, the current consensus about MMA is that it’s stupid. At face value, it’s a very sensible conclusion to make. Why in the world would anybody want to risk their lives on national television, or in that case at all? Well, here’s why.      Every day before that bell rings, these men and women are mastering the art of fighting. It takes much more than just supernatural athleticism; it ultimately comes down to the fighter's mental fortitude. Every slight move in the eyes, feet, and hands of your opponent must be taken into account to win. It’s a common stereotype to think that fighters aren’t very smart and not only because of what they do for a living, but oftentimes it...
Read more

Ariella Green Week 7: The Airport

Image
  Ariella Green Week 7: The Airport      Don’t ya hate going to the airport?       I absolutely can not stand going to the airport. As I’m sure most of you know, I am very organized and like to plan out everything. When things don’t go according to the plan, it stresses me out.       Thursday morning, I assumed I would have an easy experience flying from PBI to JFK on JetBlue airlines. Little did I know, there would be many little bumps along the way that I had to deal with while trying to catch my flight.       First, we arrive at the airport at around 10:30 for our 11:45 flight. I personally believe that you should always give yourself enough time at the airport, so you don’t have to rush at the gate or if you want to make a purchase. We also had to face the challenge of finding somewhere to park, which is nearly impossible sometimes. After searching for a while, we found...
Read more