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SAFE AND SOUND
By Alum of the Week Brad Shafran
A month ago I sat in my room, silently continuing a debate that raged in my head for several months -- should I cancel my trip to Israel scheduled to leave the next day? My flight was leaving in about 18 hours and I was still undecided.
Three days earlier the bombing at a Tel Aviv nightclub pushed me towards staying home. However, it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Israel through Taglit-Birthright Israel. A free flight and 10-day adventure will probably never be offered to me again if I pass up this opportunity. My best friend who was supposed to accompany me already decided to stay home, but something was pulling me towards going. My ultimate decision proved to be the best of my life-- I went to Israel and I came home a better person for doing so.
Before this trip I had only left the country once and that was to visit Canada. The prospect of flying for 10 hours was daunting, but also exciting. I was flying into the unknown; a fragile cease-fire existed but was constantly under pressure. Would I set foot in a peaceful land or one prepared for war?
That question was answered throughout my 10 days in Israel-- I never felt uneasy or in any danger at all. Once I adapted to the fact that all members of the Israel Defence Forces carry guns on them at all times (in the streets, in the malls, in restaurants) I was thrilled that I decided to continue with the trip.
My nearly non-stop quest for news in the days leading up to my departure proved only that the American press wasn't reporting the whole story. Not once in Israel did anything out of the ordinary happen to me or anyone in my group. We traveled through the entire country from the Egyptian border to the Golan Heights to the Lebanon border and while floating in the Dead Sea I was looking straight into Jordan.
Maybe my avoidance of newspapers (or the fact most were in Hebrew and I have one word in my Hebrew vocabulary -- Shalom) kept my head in the history of this great land and not in today's headlines.
The most emotional moment of the trip came on the second day. There I stood, drenched in sunlight, head bowed, one hand on the Western Wall, silently praying for all my family and friends. Considering I am not a very religious person, I did not expect this moment to affect me so profoundly. As the tears flowed down my face, I was clearly moved by the moment. After a few more minutes of silent reflection, it was back on the tour bus heading towards another exciting place.
Everyday was quite similar-- see one of the world's most historic sites, file back on the bus, see another site and then have some food before setting out again. The country is simply packed with history at every turn.
The itinerary was comprised of more than just historical sites. I zip-lined off a cliff 100 feet in the air, I ran across an old wooden bridge hanging 50 feet over a small river and I ran down the many steps of the Snake Path on Masada. The people in my group bonded immediately considering the situation we voluntarily put ourselves in. While I was on a trip that will last a lifetime, I was making friends that will always share the laughs and stories this trip produced. Many vacations are fun, some are educational, but I can't imagine a better trip than this one. A 25-year-old New Yorker who had just once left the country in a land set for war while it yearns for peace.
Now I am home but my head is still in Israel. I have not "found" religion all of a sudden, but I have become more aware of my personal history. I also have newfound knowledge of world politics and world history. At one point on the trip we stood on farmland overlooking a city. Not just an ordinary city, we were standing a mere 2 miles from the Gaza Strip looking into the hotbed of the Middle East crisis. I noted in my journal that we might be the closest US citizens to this area at this moment. While my friends and family back home were worried about me, I was staring at the area making headlines throughout the world.
Money cannot buy what I just experienced. This gift will last a lifetime and even more because my stories will be passed on within my family for years to come. As I sit and look at pictures from my trip, they do not do justice to the experience. My eyes are now open to the world and I look forward to taking more of it in. Thank you to IEEI and Taglit-Birthright Israel for the greatest experience of my life.
Currently, Brad is back home on Long Island, teaching tennis full-time and working as the Internet specialist for EAC Gallery, an auction house of historical autographs and fine art located on Long Island.
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