Written by
Chad Allen, Sami Weisband and Alex Moniusko
We are off to a great first few days and are excited to be here in Jerusalem together. Our expectations for these next four weeks are to become more connected to Judaism, get more involved in our religion, in whatever form that may take, and learn to appreciate our homeland more than we have just from hearing about it from others. We will try new things, such as food, clothing, ways of life and diversity of Jewish observances and experiences. Over the next month, we will all further develop our own Jewish identities.
We look forward to meeting diverse Jews from many walks of live and from many different backgrounds, like Cassia, the Ethiopian Jew who shared her story with us yesterday. We will feel pride of being part of Medinat Yisrael, the State of Israel, through spending almost a week 
in Gadna, military training. We hope to learn more about the Hebrew language, through talking with Israelis, trying to buy food, and learning the Hebrew Word of the Day with Erez, our medic and security guard. We will all become family, not just friends. Through all of this and the experiences we will encounter within the next month, we know that this trip will leave lasting memories with us forever.
June 14, 2013
