Day 4: People to People
A wide-eyed, braided blonde stares up at me and says slowly, "Ah-ba."
I repeat, "Ah-ba." I know little Hebrew, but I know the word means father. I ask the fifth grader, "What, father?" She grabs my hand and holds it out and says in subtle English, "My father is your father. When you come to Israel to stay, you live with my family." I'd regret it if I didn't tell you that was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said or offered me. By the way, she's ten years old.
Today, our bus visited an elementary school in Lachish as part of Chicago's Partnership Together region with the Jewish United Fund which also includes Kiryat Gat and Shafir. Stationed in an agricultural town much smaller than Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, Lachish invited us to observe and interact with the students to teach us about their daily activities, the lifestyle, and the educational program. I can't speak for all 47 of us, but I know all I expected was a game of basketball. And we did do that, but there was so much more.
Our group split up into four and went into different classrooms to interact on a more personal basis with each student. The activities set up for us required both the Israeli students and the Birthright participants to answer a list of questions about themselves; in that we started to peel back all the walls between us. Each student seemed so enthralled by our presence and attention, the English, the big city we come from - the effect was intoxicating. Quickly, we started to laugh about our favorite shows, help each other learn words, and belted out pop songs.
The thing is I could continue to describe what we did, how we did it, and go on to tell you the Birthright mission but I'm not going to do that. I am going to tell you that these kids are brilliant and eager and that it is our duty to pay attention to them and the future of their town. It is our duty as Birthright participants, as young adults, as future parents, and as Jews to be involved with Israel, in each and every area. I was touched by the student's offer; the geniune extension of her home, the want for us to return, and the lust for learning of the world. The feeling is mutual and we have a Skype date next week.
Post by Melanie Kaufman
