Going to Israel

      

            I’ve had the opportunity to tell many of you about this in person already, but I just wanted to formally announce that in 7 days, I will begin a 10 day journey to Israel!  It seems unreal, but I am so excited!  I want to take a second and explain how this came to pass, talk a little about the organization with which I am traveling, and then give a little preview for what’s to come. 

            This trip is organized through a program called Caravan for Democracy, which is a project done by the Jewish National Fund each year.  The JNF is a non-profit, non-government organization that was founded in 1901 with the intention of pooling money together from Jews all over the world to use towards reclaiming their holy land.  Through collection boxes placed in Jewish homes, as well as through the selling of stamps, JNF collected money and began buying pieces of the modern day land of Israel from the Ottoman Empire (whoa- throwback!).  They would plant trees to keep the purchases tax-exempt, while also developing new practices in irrigation that would help them inhabit desert regions.  By 1948 when Israel declared independence, JNF held about 54% of the land claimed in the new state!  Since then, JNF has played a large role in the Israel Land Administration (a division of the Israeli government responsible for parks, land settlement, irrigation, etc.) and has launched countless community projects in the state of Israel.  JNF still holds about 13% of the land of Israel.  It is a pretty potent history for a non-profit!

JNF has offices all over the world, including a major office based out of New York City.  They continue to participate in advocacy and development projects in multiple countries, such as the Caravan for Democracy.  CFD seeks out 30 non-Jewish college students (usually seniors) to expose to modern day Israel with the intent of promoting a perspective of the nation outside of just what the media portrays.  There is an initial application process, a Skype interview, and then finally a selection.  If selected, you are invited to participate on an all-expense-paid excursion to Israel for 10 days. 

ANY college student who is not Jewish could apply for this program!  YOU SHOULD DO IT.  I heard about it through an (amazing) administrator from my school who believed I could be a good candidate.  I actually applied for this last year as well, but two of my good friends and colleagues were selected ahead of me.  I’m so glad they got to experience it, and I can’t wait to get together with them and share all of our memories. 

This year, myself and one other fine young woman from my school have been selected among the 30 students across the nation.  Her name is Jess Parker. (I’ll probably be mentioning her a lot.  Travel buddies!)  We are so honored to not only represent our university, but also our country in this endeavor!

We will be flying from NYC to Tel Aviv, Israel on December 27^th.  We’ll then be exploring all over Israel for 10 days.  We’ll get to see many of the holy sites, including Jerusalem, Galilee, the Dead Sea, and the Negev Desert.  We will also have the opportunity to meet different political leaders in Israel, as well as other leaders in the development of the country.

This is such an amazing opportunity, and I can’t wait to share it with you all!  Stay tuned for more updates and, as usual, tons of pictures!