Kol od baleivav penima,
nefesh Yehudi homiya.
Ulefatei mizrach kadima,
ayin letsiyon tsofiya.
Od lo aveda tikvateinu,
hatikvah bat shenot alpayim,
liheyot am chofchi be'artseinu,
erets tsiyon viyrushalayim.
When I was younger, we had to sing the Hatikvah at camp and I never really understood the meaning. I said it bearing nothing in mind; I simply did it for the sake of tradition.
Before I went to Israel, I did not have any strong feelings towards Judaism. I didn?t have much faith in God or the religion. I said the prayers, but they were empty. I celebrated the holidays, but I never really found it that important.
Then, I went to Israel.
My favorite moment of the trip was our first Shabbat. We started out on the rooftop of a building and we could see the sun setting over Jerusalem. I looked across the vast land and it took my breath away. We started praying for Shabbat; it was then that I realized I didn?t mind praying. In fact, I found it soothing.
Later, we went to the Western Wall. I witnessed a woman crying and praying for peace in Israel. Her husband had been lost during a terrorist attack. I saw other Jewish women from all over the world, with a common goal. They had all come to pray in Jerusalem. I finally felt connected to my religion. My estranged feelings completely diminished when I realized that my religion keeps this important group of people together.
It does not matter where you are from or who you are, Israel welcomes you with open arms. I started to cry for all of the people who could not make it to Israel. When you feel like hope is gone and there is nothing left, Judaism is always there for you. I felt a strong bond with those people, whom I didn?t even know, for we all shared our faith, which is stronger than anything else.
From that moment on, I felt forever changed. I wanted to be more Jewish. To this day, I am continuing attempts to keep kosher and I even say a couple of prayers every morning when I wake up. I want to strengthen my everlasting connection with my religion.
After my trip, one of my friends even noticed that I was so much happier. I have never felt this way before and every time I either reflect back on my experience or I look at pictures, I remember all that I went through. I loved the environment. I became really close with a lot of people on the trip to Israel and I felt that Judaism connected us.
While there, I wanted to assure my parents that I felt safe in Israel. My parents, as well as many others, were scared for their children to go to Israel, and they have every right to be scared. But the fact of the matter is that I felt safer in Israel than I do in big cities in the United States.
Now, when I see the words of the Hatikvah, I do not just think of them as the words of the Israeli national anthem, rather, I think of them as words of hope. One day, Jewish people will be able to pray freely, without worrying. One day, Israelis will see a time of peace. All we can do is come and help. I feel that it is not only a duty, but also a responsibility to see where we came from and where it all started.
In short, my experience in Israel was haval al hazman!
[This article was adapted from a speech delivered by Ms. Greenberg at Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, upon her return from an organized trip to Israel by synagogue youth in December 2003. The program, called Nachshonim, brought 38 American Jewish high-school students to Israel. The trip Ms. Greenberg participated in has, like the Biblical Nachshon, inspired many more area residents to start planning their trips to Israel.]
nefesh Yehudi homiya.
Ulefatei mizrach kadima,
ayin letsiyon tsofiya.
Od lo aveda tikvateinu,
hatikvah bat shenot alpayim,
liheyot am chofchi be'artseinu,
erets tsiyon viyrushalayim.
When I was younger, we had to sing the Hatikvah at camp and I never really understood the meaning. I said it bearing nothing in mind; I simply did it for the sake of tradition.
Before I went to Israel, I did not have any strong feelings towards Judaism. I didn?t have much faith in God or the religion. I said the prayers, but they were empty. I celebrated the holidays, but I never really found it that important.
Then, I went to Israel.
My favorite moment of the trip was our first Shabbat. We started out on the rooftop of a building and we could see the sun setting over Jerusalem. I looked across the vast land and it took my breath away. We started praying for Shabbat; it was then that I realized I didn?t mind praying. In fact, I found it soothing.
Later, we went to the Western Wall. I witnessed a woman crying and praying for peace in Israel. Her husband had been lost during a terrorist attack. I saw other Jewish women from all over the world, with a common goal. They had all come to pray in Jerusalem. I finally felt connected to my religion. My estranged feelings completely diminished when I realized that my religion keeps this important group of people together.
It does not matter where you are from or who you are, Israel welcomes you with open arms. I started to cry for all of the people who could not make it to Israel. When you feel like hope is gone and there is nothing left, Judaism is always there for you. I felt a strong bond with those people, whom I didn?t even know, for we all shared our faith, which is stronger than anything else.
From that moment on, I felt forever changed. I wanted to be more Jewish. To this day, I am continuing attempts to keep kosher and I even say a couple of prayers every morning when I wake up. I want to strengthen my everlasting connection with my religion.
After my trip, one of my friends even noticed that I was so much happier. I have never felt this way before and every time I either reflect back on my experience or I look at pictures, I remember all that I went through. I loved the environment. I became really close with a lot of people on the trip to Israel and I felt that Judaism connected us.
While there, I wanted to assure my parents that I felt safe in Israel. My parents, as well as many others, were scared for their children to go to Israel, and they have every right to be scared. But the fact of the matter is that I felt safer in Israel than I do in big cities in the United States.
Now, when I see the words of the Hatikvah, I do not just think of them as the words of the Israeli national anthem, rather, I think of them as words of hope. One day, Jewish people will be able to pray freely, without worrying. One day, Israelis will see a time of peace. All we can do is come and help. I feel that it is not only a duty, but also a responsibility to see where we came from and where it all started.
In short, my experience in Israel was haval al hazman!
[This article was adapted from a speech delivered by Ms. Greenberg at Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, upon her return from an organized trip to Israel by synagogue youth in December 2003. The program, called Nachshonim, brought 38 American Jewish high-school students to Israel. The trip Ms. Greenberg participated in has, like the Biblical Nachshon, inspired many more area residents to start planning their trips to Israel.]