Reflections

If there is something that I already know I will have learned (even 5 days into this trip) it's how much the Jews of my generation take for granted. For all of our lives, there's been a Jewish state, Jews could pray at the Western Wall, and the list could really go on forever-- but those two facts stand out more than anything.

Visiting Tel Aviv, we stood in the room where just decades ago, Israel's Independence was declared. We heard the voices of the proclamation of Independence. Imagine being able to hear the founding fathers declare independence for the United States! I believe personally, that I've taken for granted the existence of Israel up until this point. But in the timeline of Jewish existence, Israel's age is a drop in the bucket. This idea became even more real to me upon visiting the Western Wall. For 2,000 years- an amount in itself hard to grasp- Jews could not pray at the Western Wall. Yet only in the past 45 years. we've once again gained access to the remnants of one of the holiest locations to our religion. The idea that 2,000 years worth of my family's generations were prohibited from praying at the wall, yet I was freely able to walk up to it, is a pretty amazing feeling.

If anything, I'll know I will leave Israel with a humble mind. These first few days of this trip would have been impossible only decades ago, or at the very least our lives would have been in obvious danger. But the experiences I've had already have left me with a sense of privilege but more importantly pride in being Jewish and the State of Israel

-Steven Heiss