I am a teacher at home, and my students ages range from 3 to 13 years old. Like the children I played with in the playground today, their noses are runny, they sometimes fall but always get right back up, they have beautiful, infectious laughs that warm every part of our soul, and they believe that the world around them is good.
"After just seven short days, the group mentality and energy is a strong one, proving to me that the bond of religion or of a shared history is a powerful one that draws us together, in times of need and in times of leisure too. Now, as I sit under the stars at our kibbutz under Masada, writing this blog post as my friends lay near me looking up at the sky, I understand the purpose of this Birthright trip. This is a lasting camaraderie."
Both of these communities that we visited live through a situation that is unimaginable for me. The strength that these people exhibit in the face of such fear and bloodshed is to me miraculous.
We enjoyed a guided tour of the museum, but we wrestled with emotions as we made our way through graphic and powerful exhibits. Our tour concluded with a debrief and reflection period where, in small groups, we shared our feelings of grief, sorrow, hope and optimism.