The Charlotte Jewish News - January 2016 - Page 3
Partnership 2Gether 2016 Summer
Israel Teen Trip - A Life-Changing
Experience
They rode eamels in the Judean
desert, floated in the salty water of
the Dead Sea, hiked to the top of
a mountain in the Negev, watehed
the sun rise from the top of
Masada, walked through the nar
row streets of Jerusalem’s Old
City, daneed and prayed at the
Kotel, and perhaps most impor
tant, spent five nights in the
homes of Israeli families in
Hadera.
As mueh fun as it was, the five
Charlotte teens who travelled to
Israel on the 2013 P2G Summer
Teen Exehange trip will tell you
that it was more than just a great
adventure. It was a transformative
experienee that ereated enduring
eonneetions to the land and people
of Israel - and to their own Jewish
heritage. This summer, the Jewish
Federation is again sponsoring the
2016 Summer Teen Trip to Israel.
Jewish teens will have a ehanee to
personally experienee getting to
know Israeli teens in our Fladera-
Eiron Partnership eity as well as
tour the land through meaningful
moments in Israel.
The Jewish Federation asked
teens from the 2014 P2G trip to
talk about their experienees and
how it affeeted them. Read to find
out first- hand aeeounts from Joey
Kelso, Katy Smith, David Rabi-
novieh, Ari Rabinovieh and Jes-
siea Soto about what they learned
on this vital journey.
“I had sueh an amazing experi
enee. I loved experieneing the eul-
ture of the Israeli teens and seeing
how they live their life and show
ing them how we live ours.” —
Jessica Soto
“I had an amazing experienee
with the Tikkun Olam program. It
was my first time in Israel, and I
had a warm weleome from my
host Dolev, and his entire ex
tended family. They said I was
like their Ameriean son. The food
was delieious and there was al
ways plenty of it. We hung out
like normal teenagers, shopping.
going to movies, everything we
do in Charlotte. Israel is small
enough that we got to see just
about everything, from Masada to
Jerusalem to Masada. I felt a re
newed sense of my Judaism when
I saw how it’s observed in another
eountry.” - Joey Kelso
“My experienee in Israel
started the moment I met my new
friends at Ben Gurion Airport. At
first it was a little awkward but as
we began to bond at the Bedouin
tents, we grew more eomfortable
with eaeh other. We started the
bonding experienee with eamel
rides. They were bumpy and wild
but fun at the same time. That
night we all slept in the same tent,
whieh was awesome, we all got to
know eaeh other better, I even
found out more about the Ameri-
eans I was with. After only a few
hours of sleep we woke up to
elimb Masada. The sunrise on top
of Masada was like nothing I had
ever seen before, it was prieeless.
This exehange program has
ehanged my vision of Israel and
Judaism beeause I am now really
eonneeted to our Flomeland, to the
people there, we are very differ
ent, our eultures and way of living
but at the same time we are so
alike, it is eool to diseover that.”-
Ari Rabinovich
“Wow, just wow, peo
ple always eome baek
from Israel and say ‘It
was so amazing!’ and ‘I
ean’t wait to go there
again!’ Cliehes that are
not only true but fall
short of the feelings and
emotions that surge for
ward after spending time
in the Holy Land. Israel
is all the more endearing to me
knowing that I have now a per
sonal eonneetion to it. I know that
I will always have friends there
and I know more about the plaees
and history of Jews and Israel. It
is my belief that, given the oppor
tunity, all Jews should visit Israel
on programs like this one so that
they ean experienee the beauty of
Israel’s land and people.” - David
Rabinovich
“Partieipating in this teen ex
ehange program was one of the
best deeisions of my life. Not only
did I get to travel to Israel for two
weeks, I got to stay with an Israeli
host family and truly experienee
Israeli eulture. Swimming in the
Dead Sea, watehing the sunrise on
Masada, and visiting many other
amazing sites in Israel was just in-
eredible. But, eating a Shabbat
dinner with a family of over 20
people was an extraordinary expe
rienee that not everyone gets on
their trip to Israel. I also got the
ehanee to see Ameriea through the
eyes of Israelis my age.” - Katy
Smith
Summer travel dates are: June
28-June 13 to Israel; July 18-July
31 to Charlotte. The Jewish Fed
eration offers subsidies for travel.
For more information or to sign
up, please eontaet Tal Stein, Di-
reetor of Community Relations
and Israel Affairs at The Jewish
Federation of Greater Charlotte at
tal.stein@jewisheharlotte.org or at
704-944-6751.^
Participants are still eligible
for Taglit Birthright Israel Expe
riences.
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