Trip to Jerusalem for Shabbat

This past weekend we went to Jerusalem for Shabbat, to experience a Shabbat in the holiest city to the Jewish people. We went to the kotel, Western Wall, and it was amazing. There were people dancing all around and having an amazing time. It was the first time where I had seen people celebrating religion with true and utter happiness, since the Bar Mitzvah ages, and it was so cool. People dancing and singing, and people praying their souls out on the holiest night of the week, in the holiest city of the world. This was an eye opening experience, and one that made me feel even more connected to my religion then I had felt since I got here. We went to the kotel with one of our teachers, Danny, and to see how important it was to him to be there, and to experience Shabbat in Jerusalem was amazing as well. He loved it so much, and was getting really into the dancing and singing. It was cool to see a grown man with kids having fun with a bunch of teenagers. This experience for me was one that I think that every Jewish person should have and I hope that they get the chance to.

Mubarak loses power... Israel uncertain of Camp David Accords

Today in class our teacher read the title of the Jerusalem Post front page, which talked about how a potential candidate for President of Egypt was saying that the Camp David Accords would not still be in place if he reached power. The Camp David Accords is a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that states both countries will not declare war against the other. If this treaty does fall, this could be a serious issue for the Israeli people, as the relations with Egypt would be uncertain and the country may not be safe from an Egyptian attack. This issue is one that is still unsolved and has the people of Israel in a state of panic wondering whether or not the next Egyptian president will abide by the standing treaty. Being a American citizen in a foreign country, I am a little bit scared to say the least. What if Egypt tries to attack Israel while I am still here visiting? Is it safe to stay in Israel? Of course all of our teachers and counselors are telling us that everything will be alright to make sure we don't worry about what's going on in Egypt, but how can we be sure when the people of Egypt don't even know what is going on. I hope that the next president of Egypt is one that has good relations with Israel and that the people of this great country can stop worrying about potential situations.

First Tiyul for AMHSI(Alexander Muss High School in Israel)

This week we went to Jerusalem for our tiyul. We visited Mount Gilboa, the Western Wall, and Ben Yehuda street among many other places. This trip was a very interesting experience. I consider myself somebody who is not very involved in religion, and for me, this tiyul made me seriously consider what, if any, parts of religion were important to me. One significant part of the trip for me was the trip to the Western Wall. When we got there, I was able to truly see what religion can be to people. For some it was so holy that they would spend hours upon hours at the wall, praying and crying their eyes out. For others, it was less significant, and these people would spend little time at the wall, doing what they thought was sufficient to their beliefs. When I arrived, I was not sure how I would feel about the wall and how I approach the situation on my hands. Would I pray and make this experience one that would enrich my religious beliefs, or would I do the norm and write a note, stick it in the wall, say a couple words and leave. When the situation came to be, I was shocked with the decision I had made. I decided that this was a important religious moment for me, and that I should take advantage of it as much as I can. Because of this, I had a Rabbi wrap me in T'fillin, and I said some important prayers. Then, I thought deeply to myself how truly lucky I was to be there, and how important it was that I was there. This moment was a defining moment in my life. Some of my ancestors before me did not have the opportunity to share this luxury, and to be able to be at the Western Wall became special for me. It became something that was more than religion to me, and something that would enrich my spirit. I felt closer to God from this experience, and because of that my religion has enriched as well. I came on this trip to figure out what religion truly meant to me, and today I felt closer to religion. I felt as if religion was a bigger part of my life than it was yesterday, and that is important to me. I have only been on this trip for a week now, and I am starting to feel closer and closer to my religion than ever before. This trip is a blessing, and I am so thankful to be here. God is becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life, and AMHSI is helping that happen.