CSL In israel is back!

We're back!!

What a summer.  When the CSL in Israel 2014 trip departed in June we had no idea what was in store for us over the next five weeks.  Yet despite the looming geopolitical challenges, it was an amazing, incredible, thought-provoking, life-changing, one-of-a-kind summer.  I am so grateful for the continued support of the CSL in Israel 2014 teens and their families who supported us through the unexpected. 

Over the past five weeks we did everything we set out to do and more.  We hiked, explored, tasted, learned about, and saw Israel from the inside out.  We traveled throughout the entire nation, north to south, east to west (although not always in that order).  We swam in all four seas - the Med, the Dead, the Red, and the Kinneret - walked in both the Judean and Negev deserts, camped out under the stars in the North and Negev, walked the ancient stone steps of Jerusalem and Tzfat, stood on the hilltops of the Golan and the cliffs of Rosh Hanikrah, Acco, and Haifa, experienced the culture of Tel Aviv and the spirituality of Jerusalem.  We stood on the borders of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt, and marveled at the diversity and complexity of this small Jewish nation in the midst of the larger Middle East. 

More so than on any other trip I've ever staffed, this summer also taught us about the realities of life in modern Israel in an up close and personal way.  It's hard not to be affected when standing in Har Herzl, listening to a mother mourn the recent loss of her son in Gaza.  It's hard not to feel a sense of belonging to the people of Israel when standing in a bomb shelter with whoever happened to be on the street with you at the same time thirty seconds earlier.  More so than during any other summer, this summer the teens got to learn about their history and heritage while truly immersing themselves in the present.

On the one hand, Herzl's dream, to build a Zionist Jewish state on biblical land, is alive and well.  On the other hand, can we truly say his dream has been realized?  What would he think of the Israel of today?  As we learn in my very favorite Israeli folk song, Omrim Yeshna Eretz, and as we saw in practice every day throughout the country, we cannot wait for others to build the nation of our dreams.  We are the holy ones, we are the Maccabis, and we must use our power to create the world in which we want to live.

A heartfelt thank you to the CSL in Israel 2014 families who supported us on this incredible journey, and to the teens who were willing to stick it out in spite of it all. 

Sincerely,
-Joy Getnick
CSL in Israel 2014 Trip Leader