Lindsay Shuller

Dripping with sweat, muscles burning with exhaustion, straining to keep my eyes open, I followed our train. Sipping the boiling water simply to stay hydrated. How did Moses do it? He went for forty years - we have only been hiking for ten hours. Some can't make it and have to ride on the camels. Others lead the camels straight towards a distant horizon where the rocks and sand meet the hot sky. The burning sun is setting, painting beautiful pictures in the sky; scenes from the past - our escape from Egypt. A connection with ancestors is weighing on our shoulders as the sun's height disappears.

This was the first of three days in the Negev desert for my group, BB-12 (BBYO 36-Day Outdoor Adventure). When it was through we slept and awoke the next morning feeling invincible. In contrast to our ten hour hike, the second day we went for about two or three hours. At lunch we split into groups and had the assignment to make a sculpture that would show our feelings towards the desert. After minutes of planning, my group came to the conclusion to build a cairn, a marker that hikers leave to show future hikers a path if a trail is not obvious. Our cairn was a marker of life. Everyone who has ever been to the desert and anyone who ever will go all have a common connection. They must work together to keep spirits up and energy going.

This idea of teamwork pervades Judaism, is a value that we treasure, and one that I learned this past summer. Whether we were hiking in the desert, crawling through caves, rapelling (or as the Israelis call it "snapling") down cliffs, or simply conducting a Shabbat morning service, this summer was about cooperation, learning, and understanding. Thanks to the peers in my group, my absolutely amazing counselors, and the Jewish Foundation, my trip to Israel was the most rewarding experience of a lifetime.

Lindsay Shuller is a senior at Sycamore High School. She is a member of Wise Temple and attends the Cincinnati Jewish Reform High School. She is an active member in BBYO. Lindsay went on the 36-day BBYO trip to Israel this past summer.

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