Matt Miller

I know that in the past I have said that something was the greatest experience of my life. But out of the past 17 years I can now honestly say with the up most certainty that my trip to Israel this summer, the summer of 2000, was the greatest thing I have ever done. It was not just the itinerary or the people, but it was the way I was able to connect with the people and with the land of Israel. At the end of the trip we all wrote in each other's journals. After reading all of my newly acquired friends' entries, I knew how much I touched their lives and how much they cared about me. I have been back in town less than four days and I have already talked to ten of my friends from the trip.

The itinerary was also amazing. We were in some of the oldest and most historical places in the world. One day we were in Piccadilly Circus in London and the next day we were taking a bus ride through the old city of Amsterdam. For four days we were in the most romantic city in the world, Paris, and in Belgium none of us could stop thinking about the best waffle we had ever eaten.

By the time we traveled to Israel, we were not just a group of kids, but a tribe, as we liked to call it. I am not sure about the girls but all 11 guys on our trip were like brothers when we arrived in Israel. We had experienced so much together in Europe and yet the trip to Israel was just beginning. In Israel, we only got closer.

Being in the holiest place in the world, with a group of people you have no problem-calling friends, is one of the greatest feelings possible. At night we would sit down, usually 8 or 9 of us, and just talk about all we had seen and done that day. We would talk about religion, life, and girls. There were times when we could have talked for hours about a subject but curfew forbade that.

One of the most memorable moments from the trip was when four of us stood at the Western Wall and said the Mourner's Kaddish. We were all wearing tefillin and it was the closest I have ever felt to G-d.

The actual trip itself was definitely amazing. I actually was standing in places I had only read about in history books. However, the best part of the entire experience was being able to make so many close friends and to share our feelings about all that we saw. It was truly a memorable summer.

Matt Miller will be a senior at Cincinnati Country Day School. He is a congregant at Adath Israel Synagogue as well as a member of BBYO.

Home	The Library	About Us	Bookstore	Contact Info	Feedback	Glossary

Israel & the States		Links	News	Publications	Search	Sponsorship