Lauren Miller

ISRAEL. That one word, which one-month ago meant nothing to me, now means everything. I boarded the El Al Flight to Israel with such low expectations. I am going to hate it here, I won't make any friends, and it will be too hot. Now, such a short period of time later, I wish I could go back, even if only for a little while. Israel was definitely one of the best times of my life. I never in a million years thought I would spend the night at the foot of Massada let alone climb it the next morning. Of course you learn about all of these historical places in Sunday school, but I never expected to be going to them. While in Israel I faced challenges I would have never had in Cincinnati, such as hiking up a steep cliff with no handrails so if someone would slip, they would fall down the mountain!

Even if a person is like me and does not like physical exertion, then he or she should go to Israel to say, "look at the 40 new friends I made in the course of one month". These wonderful people, whom I have met along the way, Americans and Israelis, will end up being life-long friends. I know if I ever have a bad day, I can call any one of them and they will cheer me up right away.

Israel absolutely had some unpleasant moments i.e. the drivers or hiking without water; but the good definitely outweighed the bad. When in Israel I felt at home just to be able to look around the streets and know that 90 percent of the people you see are Jewish. That was an unbelievable feeling. There are not too many times in Cincinnati when I can feel that Jewish or that much a part of a majority. I am so happy that I ended up going to Israel and not allowing my fears to get in the way.

Lauren is a junior at Sycamore High School. She is a member of Temple Sholom and a student at the Cincinnati Reform Jewish High School. She is also active in several Jewish youth organizations.

Home	The Library	About Us	Bookstore	Contact Info	Feedback	Glossary

Israel & the States		Links	News	Publications	Search	Sponsorship