Page 5-THE NEWS-March, 1986
Israels A Most Fascinating and Touching Expericncc
By Joanna Kornhauser
On June 27,1985,1 embark
ed on the most interesting ex
perience of my life. With about
two hundred other teens, I
departed for Israel on the
Israel Summer Institute (ISI),
sponsored by B’nai B’rith
Youth Organization.
Even with all the anticipa
tion beforehand, I did not
realize I was going to Israel
until the plane leuided at Ben
Gurion Airport and “Hati-
kva” played on the loud
speaker. It really touched me
when tears came to people’s
eyes because they had reach
ed the Promised Land.
I expected Israel to be an
ancient, religious land. This
was not true for the entire
state, especially in Tel Aviv
and downtown Jerusalem. My
whole group realized this when
we saw the streets of Jerusa
lem lined with pizza places, ice
cream shops, and dancing
places. On the other hand, one
would just need to take a taxi
to be in the old city, where the
only remaining part of the se
cond temple stands, the Wall.
Parts of Israel were very
much affected by Western in
fluence. The music, many
brand names, and styles of
clothing were the same. Imag
ine how surprising it was to
see a Carvel ice cream shop in
the middle of Israel! In the
midst of all the modem in
fluence, however, reminders
that I was indeed in Israel
abounded. First of all, it took
some time to become ac
customed to the Israeli money
system. We tourists had to be
careful not to be cheated out
of shekels by an Israeli ven
dor. It also took us a while to
get used to not being able to
read signs. But a few in our
group could read Hebrew so
they helped us along. Our
group also had to get used to
Israeli ways of eating. A nor
mal Israeli breakfast consisted
of cheese, eggs, bread, cucum
bers and tomatoes. Comprised
of many courses, lunch, was
the big meal of the day. It was
strange to eat soup when it
was over ninety degrees out
side.
Hiking was the favorite
pastime of our Israeli group
leader and she was determin
Joanne (R) with friend Jill at Yad Vashem.
f
Joanna (L) with ISI friends at The Wall.
ed to make it ours. We hiked
the Golan Heights, among
many other places. We even
hiked with camels in the
desert. Though many hikes
were long, tiring, and almost
scary, we all felt a sense of ac
complishment when one was
completed.
Masada was not our hardest
hike, but it was by far the
most meaningful and fulfilling.
We woke up at three in the
morning to reach the top of
Masada to see the beautiful
sunrise over the Dead Sea.
Then we saw the remains of
what was a stronghold of the
Jewish people almost two
thousand years ago.
On the second week of our
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journey, our group was split
up between Nazareth and
Haifa. We were to be home-
housed by Noar Lenoar
families, Israeli BBYOers. At
first, we felt very awkward
and apprehensive. What if we
could not understand them?
Luckily, most of the Israelis
knew at least some English.
We ended up making some
good friends. Every night they
put on a dance at their com
munity center and we spent
one day sociedizing and swim
ming at their pool. Although
we were basically the same, as
teenagers worldwide are, there
were some differences. They
could not comprehend going
to school and mingling with
non-Jewish people. Some could
also not understand why we
were Jewish but did not live in
Israel.
One of the last experiences
our group encountered was the
Moshav. It showed us what
communed living involved. We
lived and ate together; we
worked side by side with
Israelis, helping to cultivate
the land. A moshav family was
assigned to each ISIer. We got
an inside look on Israelis’ opin
ions and their style of life.
Most were completely satis
fied.
Yes, these experiences were
fulfilling. However one of the
greatest feelings I en
countered was the closeness
and friendship in our group.
Never before have I seen
thirty-seven people share such
a bond. Everyone made close
friends. Being Jewish and
sharing Israel together made
us even closer.
My trip to Israel was the
most fascinating and touching
experience I have known. I
would like to thank the
Federation for the scholarship
money. Without them, this
trip may not have been possi
ble. I owe many fond and
touching memories to them.
(Editor's note: Joanna was
one of four high school stu
dents who received Federation
Scholarships for trips to Israel
last summer. Dalya Mas-
sachi’s and Tracy Josephson’s
reports appear^ in Novem
ber’s issue of the “CJN. 'V
Teen Israel Sumiiter Scholarships
For the third year, the Federation is offering scholar
ship assistance to teens participating in summer progreuns
in Israel.
In the summer of 1985, four Charlotte teens received
grants. They were enrolled in 6-week-programs sponsored
by BBYO, USY and NFTY.
Application forms are available by calling the Federa
tion office, 366-5007, or by writing the Federation at P.O.
Box 13369, Charlotte, NC 28211.
Applications are reviewed by the TISS (Teen Israel Sum
mer ^holarship) committee headed by Larry Gerber. An
interview is part of the selection process.
In order to be eligible for a Federation Scholarship the
applicant must:
1. Be a rising junior or senior in a secondary school
in the Charlotte area. (Charlotte area is defined as
the area served by the Jewish institutions and
organization in Charlotte).
2. Have resided in the Charlotte area one (1) full
school year prior to departure.
3. Remain in the Charlotte area for at least one year
after their return.
4. Plan to participate in a cultural, fratemal/sororal,
religious or educational prc^am in Israel of six
(6) weeks or more.
5. Share their exp^ences, upon their return, with
the Federation Board and other groups, and the
community through the Charlotte Jewish News.
6. Reside with a family who are members of the
Federation (membersMp is defined as contributing
to the most recent campaign).
Scholarships are available in amounts of $5(K)-1000. The
scholarships will be awarded primarily on merit based on
the applicant’s background, achievements and motiva
tions as measured by the response to the questions on the
application as weU as personal interviews by the Selection
Committee. Financial need wiU be considered a factor when
necessary.
A letter of recommendation from someone other than
a memb^ of the applicant’s family should be included with
the application. The person selected should be know
ledgeable about the applicant’s ability to participate in
such a program, basing comments on past performance
in the Jewish community and knowledge of the iq>plicant’s
objectives.
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