September 2011 - Jewish Federation of New Mexico

September 2011 A Service of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico The New Mexico Jewish Link 17
Alexander & Jacob Ellis’
Journey to Israel
By Alexander Ellis
Thanks to many grants and scholarships,
including a very generous
amount from the Jewish Federation
of New Mexico, I made an incredible
ma’asa, or journey, to the Land
of Israel. My name is Alexander
Ellis, and my experience in Israel
was nothing less than a life-changing
one. On the Eisendrath International
Exchange (EIE) program, I
lived and learned in Israel for four
breath-taking months. It is of great
importance that I share with readers
just a glimpse of my beautiful adventure
to the Jewish homeland.
My brother, Jacob, and I flew to
Israel, with about 80 other teenagers
our age in January of this year.
We unpacked our bags in the Hotel
Belmont in Kibbutz Tzuba, just
outside of Jerusalem. We were split
up into our classes, and started our
second semester of what was our
Junior year.
For about four days out of the
school week, we spent 3 hours learning
about Jewish history, 2 and a half
hours in our respective Hebrew level
classes, and 40 minutes each for the
other classes like English, math and
science. On the days that we didn’t
go to our physical classroom for
Jewish history, we took tiyulim,
or trips, all over Israel.
When I was asked in an
interview why I wanted to go
to school in Israel, I said, “In
America, you learn about the
history through mere pictures,
but on EIE, you can be the one
to take the pictures.” And it was
just that. We took everything in
about the history of Judaism and
Israel by standing where history
took place. I never have seen so
much as I did there.
Besides the constant trips that
either would take half a day or a
full day of learning, there were
four major trips that really made
the experience so incredible.
These trips, which were about a
week each, were very fulfilling.
Our first trip was a hike to the top
of Masada. We, as a unit, climbed
the mountain in the south at 4 am to
reach the top at sunrise. We stayed
there and learned all day about
what happened there, and the riveting
story of the people there. Afterwards
we all went to the Dead Sea
and truly started to become a closer
group.
The second trip was to Poland in
March. Prior to making this journey,
we learned a little bit about the
Shoah. There, we delved into the
subject like I have never before. We
saw things that will forever scar me,
but I believe that they have helped
me grow as an upcoming adult.
The way they organized these
trips were also very well planned
out. There is nothing more meaningful
then the flight from Poland,
where the Jewish population was
almost completely destroyed, to
the Land of Israel, where the Jewish
people fought to rebuild after 2,000
years of exile.
The only thing that could come
close to that trek is possibly Gadna
- our one week of basic training for
the Israeli army. There, not only did
we see what it is like to be an Israeli
going into the army, but we learned
extensively about the importance of
the IDF. This was a very eye-opening
hands on experience, which was
both challenging and fun.
Almost immediately after this
trip, we, now a family of 80+, did
a hike from Yam l’ Yam, from Sea
to Sea, together we hiked from the
northeast to the southwest of Israel.
All we had were backpacks with
some minimal supplies. We camped
out, made closer bonds, and saw the
everlasting beauty of Israel. This five
day journey, of course, was after a
beautiful time spent sleeping in a
Bedouin tent, drinking tea and riding
camels. We constantly were living
an adventure.
Besides these incredible
tiyulim that I am so gratef
u l t o h a v e l i v e d t h r o u g h , I m a d e
life-long friends in this program. I
keep in touch with my new family,
including the incredible staff that
made the program possible. In fact,
in just a couple of weeks, we are all
having a reunion in Arizona. Going
to Israel was an unforgettable experience
with great memories, people,
and sights. The knowledge I have
gained will never be lost, and nor
will the desire to return.
Brothers Alexander and Jacob
Ellis at Masada
By Jacob Ellis
After months of working, calling,
and writing, I stepped on the plane.
Just two weeks earlier, I received
enough money to send myself on
NFTY EIE High School in Israel.
EIE is a four-month program in
which I spent a semester in Israel,
taking normal high school classes as
well as Jewish history and Hebrew.
I traveled extensively throughout
Israel, learning about our history
from Biblical times until present
day.
After a long flight, we drove
down through the Judean Hills to
where we would be calling home
for the next four months, Kibbutz
Tzuba. Eighty-two eager, confused,
and tired students walked into the
lobby. Our principal, Baruch Krauss,
greeted us. We were told that we
were not tourists, instead we were
pilgrims on a journey in the Land
of Israel. We all recited the Shehekianu,
a prayer for new things and
new experiences.
During the next few days, we
became oriented into our new surroundings.
We learned about our
classes, our teachers, etc. It was then
that we were placed into our Kitot,
our Jewish history classes. This was
the highlight of the program.
On every field trip, and 3 hours
a day during school, we were with
our kitah (class). I was put into
Kitat Arbel, my teacher was Ariella
Kronish. Har Arbel is a mountain
in the Galilee region of Israel, and
Ariella explained to us that it is a
very clear representation of our
class. It is a tough climb, but very
rewarding. Kitat Arbel helped me
learn everything that I surrounded
myself in.
We all had three hours of
Jewish history a day, and two hours
of Hebrew, as well as all of our
general education classes. When
we were not in school, we traveled
throughout the country with
our kitot (classes) learning about a
certain time period, and how the
specific area that we were in played
a part. We took notes in these historical
places; we hiked rain or shine
to learn about our history, our land,
and our people. We averaged about
four days of school, two field trips (or
tiyulim), and one community service
project a week.
I became deeply involved in
my learning. I was fascinated with
the history and the land. I developed
a passion for Israel, and learning
more and more about it and our
people while traveling throughout
the country intensified my interest.
Two months into the program,
we were studying the Shoah, the
Holocaust. In March, we traveled
to Poland. We traveled throughout
the country, and studied the Holocaust
as well as the Jewish community
in Eastern Europe. We visited
two death camps camps, Majdanek
and Auschwitz II (Birkenau). We
also visited Auschwitz I. We visited
the cities of Krakow, Lublin, and
Warsaw. Throughout the trip, the
most touching places we visited
were the Shtetl of Tikocin, and
where the entire community was
murdered, the Lepochova forest.
This trip will always remain in my
memory, and it helped to solidify
a new ambition of mine, to make
Aliyah and join the Israeli Defense
Force. Coming from Israel to Poland
was meaningful, but making the trip
from Poland back to our homeland
gave me a feeling of incredible
pride and triumph.
My passion for Israel grew into a
desire to join the IDF, and learning
about how our present state came to
be helped me to learn about what I
now want to be a part of. All in all,
EIE was an incredible life changing
experience.