This past summer, I spent five weeks in Israel on the Ramah Seminar program. It was a trip I’d been looking forward to since my first summer at Camp Ramah Darom, back in 2015. Year after year, I would hear stories from my camp counselors telling me about adventures while lost in the shuk, exhilarating camel rides, and the best falafel stands in the world. Simply put, I had incredibly high expectations and visions for what my Seminar trip would be like. On October 7, 2023, I realized I would not be having the same trip my counselors and older friends had. In the following weeks, I wasn’t sure if the trip would take place at all. Part of me, fearing backlash from peers back home, wasn’t even sure if I was still interested in participating if the program did occur.
Reflecting on my journey, I was absolutely right that I didn’t experience the same, normal kind of trip, but what I did experience felt more special and unique than any other trip to Israel possibly could have been. With over 180 participants, my program contained the largest group of Jewish teens from North America, and with those numbers came the strength of community. I remember walking to the Kotel on the first night of the trip. Because of the narrow sidewalk, we created quite the spectacle with our lengthy marching column. As we proceeded, we sang songs, danced, and bonded with new friends. Every time we passed an Israeli, we would see them perk up a little bit, stand a bit straighter; some even flashed a smile. In Israel, they had been seeing the same headlines about college campus protests and antisemitism that we Americans have become accustomed to. For this reason, seeing a large contingent of American, Jewish youth did much to reassure them that they are not alone, that there are young, passionate people who care about their struggles. Some of us on the trip had spent a lot of time brainstorming how we could help Israel, but on that first night we realized that it did not take any grand effort to leave an indelible mark; rather, by simply being present with our positive attitudes, we uplifted the people we interacted with.
There were many remarkable moments on the trip, but the morning of Monday, July 8th was truly unforgettable. That was when we met Rachel Goldberg, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, for the first time. I’ve heard many live speakers in my life, but she stood out as one of the most striking and powerful individuals I’ve ever listened to. With her detailed description of who Hersh was, she emotionally tied me and my friends to Hersh, someone we had never actually met before. When a terrible thing has happened to so many people, I think it humans tend to find a singular person’s story to latch on to and connect with. For many of us on the trip, that person’s story was Hersh’s. I think a lot of us found similarities between Hersh and ourselves. Hersh too had experienced Ramah, he too loved traveling the world, and he too was still searching for his identity as a young Jew in the world.
At Camp Ramah Darom, we have a tradition where every year the Darom participants on Seminar write weekly letters back to camp summarizing the week in Israel. I was the one who wrote the letter the week Rachel spoke to us. It is hard for me to reread that letter becauseI was so filled with hope that Hersh and the remaining hostages would soon come home. Many of us were looking forward to one day meeting Hersh, and it is hard to accept that we will never be able to tell him how much he was in our thoughts while we were on our trip.
After speaking to us, Rachel invited Seminar to a ceremony dedicating the completion of a new Torah dedicated to Hersh and the other hostages. While at that ceremony a couple weeks later, we saw the gathering of hundreds of Israelis from all different backgrounds. As we wrapped our arms around each other and sang, we saw everybody put aside their differences and unite in praying for the safe return of the hostages. It is that sense of spirit and togetherness that gives me confidence that the people of Israel will continue to endure and stay strong. And no matter what difficult news may continue to break about the hostages, I am sure that Israel’s indomitable spirit will never be broken, even if it sustains some hard blows.
Noam Friedman is a senior at Montgomery Bell Academy. He is a member of West End Synagogue. He attended Camp Ramah Darom for nine summers before going on the Ramah Seminar Israel program this past summer. Additionally, he is Vice-President of Nashville’s BBYO chapter, Athens of the South.
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