Reflections From An American Participant

My name Seth and I am from Chicago. A quick intro to my pre-arrival to Birthright. I grew up as a secular Jew, only attending services on the high holidays. I had not even considered applying for Taglit-Birthright because I felt very little connection with Israel. After a coffee date with an Israeli friend in Chicago in July, I began to explore the different trip options. I attribute my attendance on this trip to the encouraging words of my Israeli friend. One of our first group activities at the kibbutz was a discussion about the three most important aspects of being Jewish. After discussing many aspects of Jewish life with my peers, I began to realize the importance of identifying as a Jew. This is not as much of a social identification as a self identification. I have come to realize the importance of feeling Jewish from the inside rather than simply following the customs of my parents. Growing up as an American Jew, I had not felt driven by an internal light. Our next meeting opened a discussion about Gilad Shalit‘s capture. From my perspective as an American who is not involved in the military community, negotiating with terrorists does not seem to be a good long-term political strategy. Israelis are, by law, fully integrated in military operations. Citizens in Israel are not as isolated from the military personnel as we are in the United States. The capture of a soldier is not only a political issue, but a strike against the national family. Israelis are forced to choose between taking a political stance and making personal sacrifices. How many Americans have to make that decision? I now understand the cause my new Israelis friends are fighting for. My experiences on Taglit-Birthright Israel have fostered a deeper sense of the importance of the Jewish State. As the Israelis who joined our group shared their country with me, I feel like I have been discovered my international brothers and sisters. When I return home, I will not return as a secular American Jew, but as an overseas member of the worldwide Jewish family. Thank you Taglit-Birthright Israel!