Day 2: Hike at Gilabun

The moment my tippy toe touched the water, I felt it all go away. After hiking at Gilabun in the Northern part of Israel for almost three hours, I was finally relieved of my pain and frustration. The thing is, before we started our hike to "the waterfall," our tourguide Yossi warned us... he told us to use nature's bathroom -- after all, in Israel, it's legal. However, even with the thousands of gallons per second falling ever so consistently over the edge of that b-e-a-utful mountain we had just conquered as a group, I couldn't. And it wasn't the freezing cold waterfall water that stopped me, it was out of respect for my fellow Birthrighters that I held back. I think my point is that this is trip... no, this journey begins and ends with us.

Yoni, not be confused with Yossi, is one of our trip staff. He urged us to think about this experience critically. He said it was important to do so because so many before us have changed there perspectives on who they were as Jews as well as individuals by doing so. And, while going to the bathroom may seem irrelevant in comparison to the experience as a whole, it is an urge I would've never held back under normal circumstances.

What has made the beginnings of this trip an experience thus far extends beyond the waterfall we trekked to. It extends beyond the
games we played to get to know one another and the food and water we shared throughout the day. In all honesty, it is a feeling -- one that, at this point, is rather indescribable. However, it is relevant because it exists. The excitement of Birthright, at least for me, is knowing that this feeling will lead to change. Once again, I regret to report that this internal transformation is yet to be appreciated or even understood; but how exciting, how wonderful a feeling it will be once it finally comes to fruition and becomes a tangible difference in all of our lives.