Virtual Israel Experience

Mariya Tavrovsky

Every year, at the end of the Pesach Seder, we say "Next year in Jerusalem!" Yet, for many Jews this seems to be just a hopeful phrase, said out of tradition, because in reality very few people can afford to travel to Jerusalem. A year ago, though, something happened that turned these words into reality for many of Cincinnati's Jewish teenagers. The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati gave out numerous grants of $4,000 to teens to travel to Israel over the summer. I was one of the lucky ones to receive such a grant. This was going to be the summer when my dream would finally come true.

The excursion that I chose was BBYO's Classic Europe and Israel Trip. Even before I left, I had many expectations for my voyage, yet everything I saw and experienced surpassed anything I had hoped for. My group consisted of 31 Jewish teenagers, eight of whom were from Cincinnati and had received grants from the Jewish Foundation. The first nine days of our month together were spent in Europe (England, Holland, Belgium, and France). We visited Shakespeare's birthplace, the Portuguese Synagogue, the Louvre, Versailles Palace, and a Jewish museum in France. For me, though, the most memorable place that we saw was Anne Frank's Secret Annex in Amsterdam. We got to see Anne's room and hear the creaking of the floorboards. We saw her diary and imagined feeling what she had felt when the Nazis came to take her family away. Out of all the other museums in Europe, this one was the most emotional.

Then, we were off to Israel. For 21 days we traveled the country. We stood near the borders of Lebanon and Syria. We rappelled down a cliff in the Golan Heights, took nature walks, and climbed up waterfalls. Our first camping experience was on the shore of Lake Kinneret, the only fresh water source for all of Israel. When I saw how small this lake is and how much of it is gone every year, I realized that if Israel ever gave up the Golan Heights and a part of the Lake there would be complete dependence of Israel on its Arab neighbors. This would be a tragedy for this country.

The ultimate Jewish experience in all of Israel was my visit to the Western Wall. This seems to be the one place on earth where every Jew feels the presence of G-d. It is beyond description and was probably the most religious experience I have ever had. We also visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. My heart broke again and again as I looked at the blown-up photos, the remains of the Nazis' inhumanness and brutality. That same day, right after Yad Vashem, we went to the Mr.Herzl National Cemetery. There we saw the graves of fallen warriors who have fought and died to create a Jewish state. Hearing about these brave people made me very proud to belong to the same culture and religion as them.

Our adventure was not over yet. We got to sleep in the desert and climb Massada to watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea. We swam in the Dead Sea and coated ourselves in its mud. We rode camels in the desert and got a taste of Bedouin hospitality. Our last week was spent near Jerusalem. This was the week we got a chance to relax and visit Ben Yehuda Street, the popular hangout for Israeli teenagers. This was also the saddest week because we all knew that our trip was coming to an end and that we would have to leave Israel, a country that for some had come to feel like a second homeland. On the twenty-fifth of July, we were back in the States.

Now, as I reflect back on the trip, I feel as if I haven't left Israel completely. There is a part of me that will never be the same. A part of my heart now belongs to Israel, the Jewish homeland. My wish is that more Jewish teenagers will get to experience this trip of a lifetime and I hope that the Jewish Foundation will keep making it possible through their generous grants. This year I was in Jerusalem!

Mariya graduated from Sycamore High School this year. She will attend Northwestern University in the fall. She was a volunteer at Cedar Village where she talked with Russian-speaking residents. She also was a volunteer at the Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati. When Mariya was a young girl she lived in Russia. She went to the Jewish Sunday school. She learned Hebrew, Jewish dances, and stories about Israel. When she was nine, she went to a Jewish summer camp. At the camp she had a counselor from Israel. Mariya learned a lot from her Israeli counselor including that every true Jewish girl should try her best to visit Israel. When Mariya was ten, her family was getting ready to immigrate to Israel. Two days before their departure a letter arrived stating that if they waited a year they could immigrate to America instead. For Mariya's parents this was a blessing; for Mariya it was somewhat disappointing. However, Mariya's parents always promised her that one day she would have a chance to visit the holyland. Yet, in reality, her parents could not afford to send her. According to Mariya, it was the grant from the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati that gave Mariya her chance.

Copyright 2008 The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise