On Thursday, January 5, the freshman class traveled to Israel for their class trip. The trip, which was planned by Dean of Educational Services Laura Hewitt, was organized through The Israel Student Institute (ISI). The trip took place during the two weeks of Winterims, making the freshman trip to Israel a new annual tradition.

For many of the students it was their first time in Israel, so there were endless destinations and places to be explored. The students had nothing on their minds other than to enjoy themselves as a class and benefit from their once in a lifetime experience in their holy land. Thanks to the ISI, the students were able to experience their unforgettable voyage by traveling through the state and learning as much as possible about their Jewish homeland.

The class traveled to many places in Israel. One main attraction for the students was the Kotel, located in the Old City of Jerusalem. For freshman Nathan Lipsky, this was one of the highlights of the trip

“The Kotel was the most amazing thing ever. It made me feel as if I was actually home,” he said.

Similar to last year’s freshman, the students were able to socialize with Israeli students. On Jan. 6, the first Shabbat in their homeland, the students were able to meet with kids from Israel and celebrate Shabbat with fellow Jews. Although spending a night with Israelis was a great experience, it was not the main focus of the trip.

On Thursday, January 12, the freshman celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of fellow classmate Crystal Burns. Although no formal ceremony was held, Crystal and the other girls participated in a candlestick making activity. Later that night, Crystal’s father had sweatshirts made for the specific event. Each member of the experience walked away with their own sweatshirt, which will always be a reminder of their once in a lifetime experience in Israel with their classmates.

On Friday, January 13, a party at the hotel was held. Dr. Marcovitz came and spoke to the students, while Rabbi White gave a D’var Torah and delivered the “Blessing over the Children” to Crystal.

From January 5-8, the students stayed in a youth hostile, which was located in Hispin. Hispin is in the Golan, which is located in North West, Israel. On Monday, January 9, the students left for Jerusalem, where they stayed in the Ariel Hotel until they left for New York Saturday night, January 14.

The trip to Israel was chaperoned by the Academy’s very own Seth Dimbert and Dana Hoffmann. Also, two Israeli guides joined the staff. Yehuda was the main tour guide, while Tehila was the personal medic and in charge of security.

Not only did the students have meaningful moments on the trip, but the chaperones were able to enjoy the experience as well. “One particular place where all the kids connected with the program was at an archaeological dig,” said Dimbert. This was in reference to the second to last day of the trip. “The students were able to discover their past, which allowed them to become interested and involved. It was very exciting for me to see that.”

As the students headed home to Kansas City on the night of January 14, they soon realized how much they were able to experience on this amazing journey. They knew that what they had experienced was special to their hearts and will stay with them forever.

“From the land to the free to the land of the Jews. My class has never been closer,” said Lipsky.