The 2nd Half

The history here is something I find the most amazing about this country. Today we climbed through a tunnel that water came out of that was around 4,500 years old. Each day we turn on the faucet and never stop to think where this water is even coming from. Taking the time to go through a tunnel that was crafted specifically for the purpose of receiving water really makes me think how easy we have it. Besides all of that, it was a REALLY cool experience. We literally got to our hands and knees and climbed through a small opening in a mountain that was used for a whole community’s water supply. Sure we got a little wet in the process, but it was definitely worth it.

-Kayla Worker

So we have been here for about 5 days already, and the moment that has impacted my outlook on Israel the most has been when we stopped in this very small park to learn what the “Hatikva” (the national anthem of Israel) really means. For some, a country’s national anthem represents many things from the people that make up the country, to the struggle for independence, but the Hatikva to me, represents something else all together. When I read the translation of the first verse “As long as deep in the heart, the soul of a Jew yearns, and forward to the east , to Zion, an eye looks”, I feel a special connection to Israel that I don’t necessarily feel to my home country, because instead of talking about internal strife Israelis have had to go through to become an independent state, they instead choose to talk about how this country in which countless Jews have sought to defend, belongs to every Jew around the world, thus showing the true character of the this beautiful country. The only conclusion I can come to as of right now is that Israelis are not the only citizens of Israel, we all are.

-Dan Feinberg