Rachel Waldman (right) and a friend in front of the Western Wall. At my Bat Mitzvah at Congregation Beth Israel in February, 2005, Rabbi David Weis presented me with a travel certificate from NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth). He said that he hoped I would use the certificate to travel to Israel the summer before my Junior year of High School. Honestly, I really didn't think that I would actually have the chance to visit Israel and I put the certificate safely away in my room. Two years later I found out, to my surprise, that my overnight camp, URJ Camp Harlam, encourages its campers to visit Israel together with the NFTY Summer in Israel Program, the summer between 10th and 11th grade. After talking to my camp friends, parents, and grandparents, I knew I wanted to go on the trip but it was very expensive. Luckily through the generous support of the Beth Israel Sisterhood, The Bureau of Jewish Education, NFTY and my grandparents, I was able to register for the trip.

As time went on I began to get excited, but I could not imagine how being in the land of Israel would make me feel. I shopped for my luggage, clothing, toiletries and gum, and each day leading up to the trip, my Camp Harlam friends and I kept a Facebook message chain of our thoughts, feelings, worries and expectations for our upcoming journey to the Holy Land. Terrorism had crossed my mind in the US, but I really had no fears while in Israel.

Finally, my trip to Israel began. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I could feel that I was in for the time of my life. For the first few days, I enjoyed watching the Israeli people. They were so diverse! From the Chasidic Jews to the non-observant, from the dark skinned to the light, everyone looked so different. The sound of everyone speaking Hebrew was amazing. I began to realize that the magical feeling I was experiencing was because everyone around me was Jewish.

Together we toured Jerusalem, prayed at the Kotel (Western Wall), toured Tel Aviv, Old Jaffa, slept in the Negev Desert, climbed Masada, rode a camel, floated in the Dead Sea, was on an archeological dig, repelled off of a cliff, rafted on the Jordan River, toured Safed, swam in the Red Sea, toured the Knesset, Yad Vashem and visited Mt. Hertzl Cemetery. We stayed in hotels and on kibbutzes. We travelled on beautiful tour buses with wonderful counselors who were also our tour guides. We learned so much about the land of Israel and also about ourselves. Shabbats were truly inspirational.

I would like to share a sense of my summer experience through each one of my five senses:

TOUCH. Everyone who participated in the NFTY in Israel program had the opportunity to do community service. I volunteered at a school for underprivileged children who do not have very much money. I was paired up with little girl named Yarden and we worked together on an art project while we got to know each other. We spent the whole day at the center together, and although we didn't speak the same language, we made a very strong bond. I will never forget my new friend and the time I spent with her.

SMELL. I was very surprised to notice the (now very familiar) smell of camels in many different places throughout Israel, and especially during our stay at the Bedouin tents. We were able to actually take a ride on a camel through the desert! It was such a different experience, and I was so excited to actually sit on top of a camel while looking out at the real desert.

SIGHT. I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to see a spectacular show while I was in the Holy Land. This took place during my Arts & Culture choice week of my trip. The only blind and deaf theater company in the entire world performs in Israel. It was such a moving experience to watch people who were either born without, or had lost their senses of sight and hearing. They had such courage to get up on a stage, in front of a full audience, and speak about and act out all of the things that they would never be able to do in their lives. I will never forget that show.

TASTE. Breakfasts in Israel are amazing. We had tomatoes, eggs, breads, yogurt and cereal. Most days, for both lunch and dinner, we were served chicken, rice, vegetables, and hummus. We loved when we had falafel or schwarma options. During our third week in Israel, eight Israeli teens joined our group for one week. We grew very close to those teens. One in particular, a girl named Meirav, became a very good friend. Eight of my friends and I were invited to her house one evening for a wonderful homemade dinner. Even though they served us chicken, rice, and vegetables, it tasted so much better than our regular meals. Spending time in Meirav's home, meeting her family, and eating her mother's home cooked dinner was one of the most memorable times during my stay in Israel.

HEAR. A story that I heard while on my trip stands out in my mind and involves a strange fruit and a tragic story. During the short four weeks that I stayed in Israel, two of the three captured Israeli prisoners of war were released back to their families. It was a bittersweet moment for Israelis, and I was literally within thirty miles of the release. While I was at Kibbutz Yahel, a man spoke to us about a fruit called a Pomello. He told an exciting story about how he formed a friendly bond with the Lebanese men who lived directly across the border from the Kibbutz. The story we heard gave all of us hope for the future. We realized that although the media typically portrays the entire world as an enemy of the State of Israel, it does not have to be that way. A very emotional experience during my month in Israel involved the trade of the two Israeli soldiers. They had been kidnapped while fighting for their country and it was incredible that they were finally traded back while we were in Israel. Even though the soldiers were no longer alive, the fact that Israel stood behind their families the entire time they were gone and that they did not stop at anything until they were rightly returned, proved to be an inspiration to all of us and to all of the people of Israel.

I truly had the time of my life during my summer vacation. I would not have changed anything about the entire experience. The fact that I was able to visit Israel with my Camp Harlam friends made everything even more memorable. It is my dream to one day return to Israel and revisit some of the incredible sites that I was able to see. Even though I spent just one month in Israel, I am very comfortable saying that I found my home away from home. Many people have asked what the best and worst thing about my trip was. I have, and will, always answer that question the same way; nothing was the worst and everything was the best. I love Israel. Shalom.