Day 2!

Borders, what do they look like? What do they mean in my life and in yours? Today I got to visit Mount Bental ("Har Bental"), right on the Israeli border with Syria, with my Birthright trip, a mixed group of American and Israeli youth touring around Israel for 10 days. Actually, for young Israelis, especially Israeli soldiers, Birthright is almost a rite of passage. Many Israelis take the tour, make friends and open their minds. Today, even a harsh cynic like me felt something special on a mountain top. When we got to Bental, we could see Syria right in front of us. I could almost imagine me running down the hill to visit, but a short history lesson brought me back to reality. War, politics, religion, Arab spring and refugees. As an Israeli, all these things have been a reality for 5 years now, but I rarely had the time to really think them through.

A really touching moment for me was the story of Yossi, our cool guide, who told us about his experience as a soldier in Yom Kippur war, back in 1973. As I said, war is a reality in Israel, and you got to remember I'm a cynic, I'm used to just getting along. But there, with my new American friends, I suddenly felt something different that I can't yet put in words. Luckily, I have another 9 days to find my way here. I didn't really think Birthright could change something in my mind, but maybe it could. We'll have to see.