Har Herzl

As an American, it can be difficult to empathize with Ha Matzav. I can read about it. I can turn on the news. I can even have discussions with my Israeli family and newly acquired friends. But it's difficult for me to connect with a country that has something called an Iron Dome while I sit in my Manhattan apartment eating Chipotle and watching Monday Night Football.

For me, this trip has been an attempt to walk a mile in Israeli shoes. I wanted to come here to get an authentic sense of Israeli pride that so many brave men and women fight to protect. I wanted to stand next to my Israeli brothers and sisters and feel what they feel when they sing Hatikva in front of the Flag.

Visiting Mt. Herzl was for me the most meaningful part of Taglit Birthright because it opened up that door. Standing beside the graves of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, seeing the faces of our Israeli friends as they commemorated the lives of their fallen comrades... I was able to see Ha Matzav like I hadn't before. I was able to understand how Israel has persevered over the years as the lightbulb in this dark middle eastern closet.

The people of this country aren't just citizens. They are family. Because they realize that to preserve Israeli life, they have to be willing to give theirs.

Those who rest at Mt. Herzl are the embodiment of this unbreakable Israeli spirit that I have had the pleasure of experiencing the last 10 days. They live on through the people of Israel and will never be forgotten.