It was the pinnacle of our two-year-long program. As part of the Teen Leadership Council (TILC), my peers and I have spent our junior and senior years of high school analyzing the historical significance of the land of Israel.
We have taken the initiative by lobbying for bills supporting Israel in Congress and meeting with prominent figures who have educated us on combating antisemitism and establishing networking skills.
Now, we were standing at the culmination of it all: in the Holy Land of Israel, where we gained firsthand knowledge of a country often misrepresented and misunderstood.
The moment our plane landed on the tarmac of Ben Gurion Airport, our educational journey began. We immediately traveled to Southern Israel, along the Gaza border, where we bore witness to the regions ravaged by tragedy on October 7.
Nothing felt more disorienting than standing amid the destruction of Kfar Aza. We felt the tension between what we saw and the stories we’d heard in the news. Ralph Lewinsohn, a Kfar Aza resident and October 7 survivor, guided us through his community, pointing out what remained. And what did not.
The weight of what once was hovered over us as we walked through the kibbutz. It was deafeningly silent. We walked through the “young adults’ neighborhood,” which was left completely untouched. The shattered windows and gunshot “wounds” etched into the unfortified concrete walls of uninhabited homes left a gaping hole in our hearts.
And yet, Israelis decided to respond to that devastation with rehabilitation, demonstrating their ability to memorialize the past while rebuilding for the future.
We then made our way to the memorial of the Nova Festival site.
Thousands of pictures of women and men were plastered on small billboards, depicting their lively, carefree nature before their lives were tragically taken from them. Their last messages to their loved ones delicately hung on a yellow dumpster exhibit, powerful and sorrowful. Each story we heard was just a fragment of the catastrophic day.
In exploring the way Israel has served as a light unto the nations, we collectively volunteered at “Save A Child’s Heart,” an Israel-based international nonprofit organization that has helped bring life-saving care to children in need around the world.
Regardless of religion, race, or financial status, pediatric cardiologists perform intricate surgeries and have saved about 7,500 children from over 72 countries since their establishment in 1995. As we sat with the children, we brought back an ounce of normalcy to their lives, easing the burden they carried for even just an hour.
With every “x” and “o” penciled in on the hand-drawn tic-tac-toe board, and each bright marker bringing the princess’s features to life in a coloring book, the smiles on the children’s faces were unmistakably enormous and fulfilled.
As we made our way to the West Bank, also referred to as “Judea and Samaria,” we joined Ilan Greenfield in conversation, discussing his life as a “settler” in disputed territory. Before he began, we enjoyed observing the stunning view of the Jordanian mountains atop his balcony in the community, Kfar Adumim. He regarded the West Bank as his home, despite being considered a “settler” on occupied land.
As a member of a secular community, Greenfield spoke of his relationship with Arabs, revealing his right-leaning political views. After our discussion, his words stirred something in me: If a two-state solution was established, how is it fair that Arabs would be able to live in Israel, while Jews would not be guaranteed the same in return?
From there, we continued to speak with Palestinian Arab journalist, Khaled Abu Toameh. An award-winning journalist who specializes in Palestinian affairs for the Jerusalem Post, Abu Toameh offered a unique point of view concerning relations between Arabs and Jews and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
As an Arab man, a senior fellow at Gatestone Institute, and a writer for The Jerusalem Post, Abu Toameh challenges the common misconception that Israel is an apartheid state. His raw and honest accounts of Hamas and condemnation of the atrocities on October 7, provide a perspective vital to understanding the false belief that all Palestinians denounce Israel’s right to exist. He recognizes the discrimination against Arabs in Israel yet reinforces his stance that out of the 22 Arab nations in the Middle East, Israel is the most dependable and reliable home for Arab citizens.
As our trip reached its conclusion, we reflected on our week spent in the Holy Land. It was then that we understood the importance of our presence in Israel. While some may shy away from the pain, we dove straight into the deep end with large hearts, open ears, and a courageous determination to witness for ourselves the extent to which the destruction impacted Israeli citizens and communities. Furthermore, the resilience and strength of Israelis is something that we will continue to carry on as we advocate for the state of Israel in leadership positions and on our college campuses.
As young leaders of the future, we are committed to educating the uneducated and ensuring that Israel is represented accurately and fairly.