Israel With Israelis | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

Israel With Israelis

By Brad Cutler

I find it very difficult to connect to places. For a country that was 5000 miles away, Israel rarely ever crossed my mind. I would hear stories about the country on the news and we would learn about Israel in Hebrew school, but it never seemed to matter too much to me. Truthfully, I didn't come on birthright to look for any connection to this country, but yesterday, at Har Herzl, I found something-- something I didn't know I was looking for.

The IDF cemetery is more like a paradise then any other cemetery I've seen. On a mountain in the heart of Jerusalem lies an Eden of sunlit trees, bright flowers, birds singing, and a quiet wind that brings the landscape to life. I've climbed Mount Masada, I've sat under a waterfall in the middle of the desert, and I've seen all of the wonderful ancient cities of Israel, but this cemetery was easily the most breathtaking.

Over the past ten days, I've gotten extremely close with the Israelis my age on our trip. When you spend so many hours and days together experiencing this country by their side, it's hard not to become fond of them. It was here at this cemetery, where the Israeli friends I made on this trip truly didn't feel like they were my age and younger. My friends looked years older in in their military uniforms. One by one, these men and women, not kids, shared with us their stories about the friends and the family members they had laid down to rest. It was hard and it felt too real. As I walked around, I found a tomb stone of a soldier who was born on the exact same day as I was, August 2nd, 1993. The soldier passed away at the age of 19. I was in shock. One of the Israelis came up to me and told me the name of the soldier before he said "I have to go look for my friend." He walked away to read each of the names on the tombstone in the lot searching for his fallen friend.

It was impossible to imagine anything like this feeling before this trip. I felt the connection. I found it as they shared with me the stories no man or woman my age should have in the back of their mind. The connection is not necessarily to the mountains or the seas or the cities, but it is through my Israeli friends. Through the people I've met, I can't call them kids like I consider myself to be because they've been through far more than any of us have. Through them, my connection to Israel is made. Through these men and women, I was able to come to terms with my Jewish identity. I'm not very religious, but I value life and I value my community. It's a complicated place and I can only hope for peace, but we can't turn away from the reality. We can't forget what it means to be Jewish in the eyes of the evil in this world. Thank you my Israeli friends. I will always look up to your bravery and your heart and I wish you all to stay safe. Shalom, til next time my friends.