My Israel experience gave me a new outlook at the way I view the Israeli nation, and its people. It’s hard not to view a book by its cover. Honestly, before I came to Israel, I had a certain Idea of what an Israeli was, and how they acted.

Honestly, I had no idea what the other twenty-one Israeli ninth-graders were going to think of me. There were numerous questions running through my head before I met them. I was curious to know if they would like me, or if they were nice. These were questions that would soon be answered. Within the first few chaotic moments I spent with these new people I learned various, and astonishing things about them. I learned that my new friends were the most compassionate, and genuine people I ever met.

This “Mifgash” experience between the Israelis and Americans was once in a lifetime. Not only did I get to know the amazing people of Israel, but I got to discover and learn about the land which they live on.

The first time I met my new friends there was an instant connection between me and each Israeli. To tell you the truth things were quite hectic. There were so many new faces, and every person was extremely anxious to meet as many people as possible. If that wasn’t disordered enough, there was an immense language barrier between the two groups of teenagers. We were getting ready for the long journey ahead of us.

One of the most amazing experiences of this Israel trip was sharing shabbot with the Israelis. We learned from each other and shared a restful day together. I wish there was more time we could spend with our new friends, I look forward to having all twenty one of them visit us in our homeland.