On the Wings of Eagles

On the Wings of Eagles

By Rabbi Rich Kirschen, Director So much of our trip this summer is dedicated to experiential Jewish learning and Jewish identity formation. NFTY in Israel presents an itinerary that tells the epic, 3,000-year-old, story of the Jewish people; or what Israelis call...
Finding Connections from my Experience in Poland

Finding Connections from my Experience in Poland

By Maya Kendall, Bus 7 Participant My earliest memory of learning about the Shoah begins in fourth grade. I was nine years old, sitting in Hebrew School, watching videos of bodies being dragged and tossed onto piles of more dead bodies. I had no idea what I was...
Why I chose Mitzvah Corps Israel

Why I chose Mitzvah Corps Israel

By Melissa Hesse, Bus 10 Staff Last year, I was a Madrichah for Mitzvah Corps Israel.  As a full time teacher during the school year, I wanted to do something meaningful with my summer.  Through my home congregation, I learned about NFTY in Israel and of the amazing...
Why I Chose Gadna: An Israeli Defense Force Training

Why I Chose Gadna: An Israeli Defense Force Training

By Sloan Salinas, Bus 1 Participant I had never felt certain about doing the army. Some people are positive that they’re going to go into the navy or the air force or some branch of the military. While I hadn’t ruled out the possibility, I was never one of those...
The Warsaw Jewish Cemetery

The Warsaw Jewish Cemetery

By Noah Lipsitz, Bus 8 Participant This cemetery was very different than any other I’ve seen in my life. I noticed that the entire cemetery was in the woods with trees surrounding the grave stones and life all around. The cemeteries I’ve seen usually consist of an...