Pardes In the Press
Marissa Feinman Lands in Tel Aviv!
By Marissa Feinman, Jewish Community News
What is it like to step off of a plane in TelAviv's Ben Gurion Airport? The experience generally involves some level of exhaustion mixed with excitement. During the summer months, the airport is especially crowded with Taglit-Birthright Israel participants. This past summer approximately 35,000 of these young Jews disembarked from their international flights and entered the land of Israel for the first time in their lives. The trip, according to Taglit co-founder Charles Bronfman, is geared towards unaffiliated Jews, many of whom are the first in their family to touch the land since their ancient ancestors.
Some of the Taglit participants expressed that they would never have come to Israel if it weren't for the free trip. One student, a fellow UC Santa Barbara alum originally from the San Gabriel Valley, told me that after 36 hours of traveling he was so exhausted he couldn't comprehend the trip. As each day passed he felt more connected to the land as well as the people and by the end of the trip he felt a deep sense of appreciation for Israel. The trip offers a "taste of Israel" with an itinerary that covers the country's major sites in just 10 days. Just over a week of experiencing the Jewish homeland with Jewish peers creates an invaluable Jewish identity building experience that participants often identify as life-changing.
So where do I fit in? Besides making sure that they stay hydrated and know the schedule, I get to spend 10 days as a positive Jewish role model for 40 unaffiliated participants. I get to push them by asking them about their lifestyle choices and their beliefs and then I get to say "come back and visit me, I'll be here all year!"
My decision to study in Israel for the year was influenced by my previous experiences living abroad, my involvement in the Jewish community both personally and professionally, and my desire to spend a year of personal growth and exploration.
One of the most difficult challenges of living abroad is getting started. Thankfully I had two months to acclimate myself. Unfortunately, I spent the entirety of the 2 months in a perpetual state of stress over an extremely important question: Where would I live come September? The process is quite different in Israel, which had me nervous right up until the end, when I signed a lease the week before my year program began. In between the frantic housing searches I attended an Ulpan or intensive Hebrew language course and acquainted myself with Jerusalem. I'm currently sitting in my empty room, the night before I move into my new apartment, and I feel more than ready to embark on this year long journey, and I'll extend my invitation to you all at home- come visit, I'll be here all year!
Marissa Feinman is studying at the Pardes Institute in Israel. She received a scholarship from your Jewish Federation for this program. She will be one of two guest Israel correspondents, reporting from Israel, both her experiences and what she sees going on there, until her return in Summer 2009.
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