I attended a JHP Birthright trip during my senior year of college and had one of the most amazing experiences of my life and couldn’t wait to return this year. I knew the itinerary was much different than my previous trip and was thrilled to experience new parts of the country.
There are no words to describe this trip- only emotions that I felt and will remember from each experience. It has been a life changing and spiritual journey for myself. Whether we were climbing down a waterfall in the Golan, singing the Shema, lighting the Shabbos candles, or out on Ben Yehuda Street- each moment will be something that I never will forget. JHP allowed a group of Jewish professionals from Philadelphia to experience this country in a way that will be life changing. Our group developed a sense of friendship, community and an identity of what it means to be Jewish today.
For me personally, I was overwhelmed with such a sense of pride and comfort of being a Jew. The part of the trip that affected me the most was when we visited INTRA and spoke with the Israeli veterans who were suffering from PTSD. To hear a young man at the age of 28 who has gone through over 120 surgeries and to be so positive and upbeat- really gave me a new perspective on life.
As I sit on the bus writing this on our last day, I keep hoping that I will have just one more day or even just a few more hours with these people and in this country. On the whole, I felt a strong connection to this country and am looking forward to returning and hopefully one day to possibly make Aliyah
- Becky Waxman
