How a Jewish-American boy from the suburbs decides to make Aliyah
This is the story of my life. All the experiences which culminated to me making Aliyah at age twenty two. I discuss grappling with the idea of being Jewish and developing a close connection to the state of Israel. I hope this blog will lay a foundation on which I can share my life with the world.
I made Aliyah six weeks after graduating from the University of Maryland. Personally, college had been underwhelming. In High School i learned how to critically think, question and ultimately, how to learn. In college, I learned how to fall asleep in large lecture halls, how to write decent response papers on material I hadn’t read and ultimately how to under apply myself.
I was thrilled to walk across the stage on graduation day, receive my diploma and drive away from UMD knowing it would be a long time, if ever, that I would return. My Freshman year was great, my sophomore year was decent, my junior year opened me up to another world entirely and my senior year was spent putting the pieces back together and ensuring my graduation (not an easy task).
While my college experience was not picture perfect, I have not the slightest bit of regret or remorse. I met some of my best friends at UMD. Wholesome people with a calling and a vision. Everywhere I go i am drawn to people with a plan, someone who has their sights set on what they want and gets after it. It was these people i tried to surround myself with in College.
From May 2017 until August 2018 was a transformative time of my undergraduate career which pulled away the blinds and showed me a glimpse of a life possible to live.
Here is the Sparknotes version:
In May and June 2017 I lived and worked in Jerusalem for an organization Rabbis for Human Rights sponsored by an Onward Israel program. I lived in Baka also known as Germantown, having originally been settled by German refugees. RHR is a lefty non-profit human rights organization. Their employees were dedicated and inspirational. my biggest takeaway from interning with them was human rights come first. Respect for each other’s god given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness cannot come second. I learned to look at issues through this lens of human rights, outside of the vacuum of left vs. right, conservative verses liberal. I learned some issues are not black and white and that no one should compromise their instinctual reaction of sympathy to others suffering to subscribe to any political ideology. Great experience.
After seven weeks I returned to America and for two months worked as a senior counselor at CYJ, leading a water skiing program and taking care of the Daled age group.
Two days after the summer ended I was on a flight to Florence Italy, where I studied at the International Studies Institute. That fucking sucked. I returned home slightly broken but optimistic that winter and geared up for my next big adventure.
I enrolled in Tel Aviv University for the spring semester 2018. Because my application and admission was late, the University had no more on campus housing in Ramat Aviv. They asked if I would be comfortable commuting and found me an apartment with other students downtown. What initially seemed to be a bummer, turned out to be a diamond in the ruff. For five months I lived in Sarona, TLV perhaps the nicest up-and-coming and expensive real estate in the city. That semester did everything for me. I had seriously been contemplating Aliyah and joining the IDF since May, and that plan seemed better and better.
In March 2018, I get a phone call from my camp directors, “we want you to lead the 2018 Gadna trip this summer.” they tell me. A dream of mine was coming true.
That summer, I got to reexperience Israel for the first time vicariously through the eyes of my campers. People who I have grown up with and whom I have developed lifetime bonds with. It was the icing on the cake of what had been hands down the best year of my life.
On our last Shabbat in Israel that summer, we welcomed in the sabbath at the western wall. As I reflected on the year i just had, i dreaded my approaching flight back to America. As the plane took off I was amidst a whirlwind of emotions. I knew I would be back, and I knew it would be soon. But it was all going to be different.
A chapter of my life was closing, and a knew one was opening. I had known Israel as an outsider, but when I would return that would all be different. I vowed to return, and test my will through the challenges of making Aliyah and joining the IDF. 11 months later I did exactly that.
End of sparknotes version.
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