On the plane ride to Israel, I wrote down a few expectations for my experience during this trip. As I wrote down this initial journal, I realized that I knew far too little about the country that our people, the Jewish people, call home. In fact, the only mental images I had of Israel were either from tragic news clips about violence or ones I conjured from Biblical stories. Aside from my goals to learn more about Israel and its people, I wanted to learn more about Judaism and my role in the Jewish community. The past day has served as a great example of how both expectations have been met and maybe even exceeded.
Today, we woke up at 6:00 am to climb Masada, which is a fortified city on a mountain that is famous for its significance in the Roman era. On the way up the mountain to Masada, we followed the Roman ramp route. The city is unapproachable on three of its four sides due to steep cliffs, so the Romans built a ramp in order to reach the city. Once we made it up the mountain, we explored the ruins of Masada, including Herod’s Palace, Masada’s cistern, and a bathhouse. For a history buff like myself, this was an excellent opportunity to learn about the events of the Roman attack on Masada, most notably including the mass suicide by the inhabitants of the city. In addition to touring the city, we performed a Hebrew naming ceremony on an outlook of the city. The group would yell out one of our new Hebrew names, and, as Jake said, the names were accepted by our Jewish ancestors via echoes coming off from neighboring mountains.
After our climb back down Masada, we continued onto the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea, one of the wonders of the world, definitely ranked highly on all of our lists for what places we were most excited to visit in Israel. The first thing we noticed was the shrinking of the Dead Sea; the shoreline is now a half-mile from where it was in the mid-20th century, leaving once beachside spas far from the Sea itself. The group that I was with decided, with the help of one of our soldiers, that we would take a dip in the Dead Sea, cover ourselves with mud, and then return to the water. I can say without a doubt that it was one of the most unique experiences of my life. The feeling of bobbing back up in the water after falling backwards (and therefore breaking any law of physics I have ever known) is one that I will not soon forget. That said, a few of my friends and I are taking back special souvenirs in the forms of scratches and scrapes thanks to the salt crystals on the floor of the Dead Sea (Yes parents, Jake and Jenna did warn us about that.)
I can say without hesitation that Birthright has met my pre-trip expectations. Although we have logged some long hours on the bus, we have been able to see a vast part of Israel. What I think was most surprising to the whole group was the geographic diversity and beauty of Israeli landscapes. In one week, we have traveled from the hills of Jerusalem to the Mediterranean coast and then to the rugged desert mountains. We have visited numerous historical sites, each one bringing us closer to Israel and telling the story of its past and present. Our group has bonded through these shared experiences (as well as through the inside jokes that have developed). Although I doubt that I will become more religious from Birthright, I feel a stronger sense of what it means to be socially and culturally Jewish, which has strengthened my ties to the Jewish community at UVA and in Israel.
- Aaron Shroyer