I just got back from my birthright trip about a week ago and I still can’t stop thinking about my adventure. I keep joking that I have ‘Post Israel Birthright Depression’ but I think it’s true.

This trip was one of the best experiences of my life and definitely the trip of a lifetime.

My favorite part of the trip was the Western Wall because before the trip I saw pictures of my Grandma, Great Aunt and my Parents at the wall years ago so for me to actually visit the place that I had seen and heard so much about was pretty life changing. It was incredible to look at all of the people next to me praying at the wall and to see that everyone was of different ages, races and even religions. It was amazing to see how people from all over came to the holiest place which didn’t discriminate and brought everyone together for a singular purpose, to pray and feel connected in a safe place.

I miss the people I met on my birthright trip which included 8 Israeli soldiers with whom my group completely fell in love with! We realized that we really were not that different after all and it was fascinating to hear their stories and they loved hearing about what it was like back here in America. We all became so close and had incredible discussions back in Israel.

I saw the most beautiful sights I had ever seen in my whole life. It was like everywhere you turned was a different gorgeous sight, whether it was the overall view of Jerusalem or Safed, or a view of the desert on one of our hikes. We were always surrounded by beautiful mountains or countrysides that made the whole group say, “ahhhhhhh.”

Our tour guide Gil knew the best spot for us to see the sunrise at Masada which was breathtaking even though we had to wake up at 2:30 am but it was totally worth it! It was the best 10 days of waking up early, jumping on and off the bus and seeing, experiencing, and tasting the country of Israel.

Another fantastic part of this trip was that my best friend from elementary school went with me and we will have this trip together for the rest of our lives. I am so thankful that I had this trip and I finally got to fulfill my dream of visiting Israel. I know that I will return to Israel one day, I can feel in my bones and I felt it while I was there.

“Where we love is home- home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

- Bebe