10 Day Break :)

Hi everyone!

So these last ten days I haven't blogged...I've been sort of busy...hiking Masada, repelling down mountains (ish), Bedouin tents, camels, being a soldier for 1 week, seeing four countries from one mountain top, snorkeling in Eilat. So just a little busy.

My favorite part of the week was definitely being a soldier for 1 week. We partook in a program called "Gadna". It's a week to give students a taste of basic training. The highlights of the week included learning how to shoot, and actually shooting a long M16, learning a smidgen of Krav Maga (a form of self defense), and getting to know more people in my program.

Before Gadna I had thought about joining the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). I was fairly sure I wanted to but didn't really have any idea when I would actually be able to do it. After one long, hard week of (sort of) being a soldier, I realized just how much I wanted to join the IDF.

The army will be hard. I'm very aware. But it will help my grow as a person, a friend, a leader, and a Jew. I want to take the future hardships and challenges and convert them into oppurtunities to grow and learn about myself. 

As well, all of my camp counselors, my dad, and my commander at Gadna have shared stories about how close they each became with their unit. Their bonds have  and will last years. My dad still sees his “army buddies” about every other year. It’s unfortunate that I have to risk my life to find these bonds, but I have always been envious of those relationships. These reasons seem slightly selfish, but oh well. 

However, I also do want to sacrifice my time and life for Israel. Israel isn't where I live forever but it is one of my homes. My history, my heritage, my friends, my family, and my religion live here. I know that I, as a Jew, will always have a place here.

This past summer, in Diller, we discussed the IDF as well. It was interesting because we got both the American and Israeli perspectives on it. One point that came up often was that the Americans felt like the IDF was protecting Israel for them, sort of as a safety net. But I don’t think that it’s fair that we just sit here while other people are protecting our home for us. If you want something done, do it yourself. Therefore if you want something protected, protect it yourself. 

Lastly, 

Here are a few pictures...one right after I shot the M16, one repelling down a mountain side near Masada, and one of me and a couple friends leading morning services on top of Masada (an amazing opportunity)

Thanks for reading!

Shoshana :)