Why you should go (back) to Israel

Full disclosure: I have been to Israel before. Four years ago I went on a Birthright trip, lucky to get in right before the evil misdoings of Bernie Madoff drastically reduced funding, although you would not be able to tell that from the swarms of “Birthrighters” (not to be confused with “Birthers”) everywhere in Israel.  It was an experience that made me want to go back to Israel, which in hindsight is good, because I needed to see more. 

Last time I went to the Western Wall, as we did this trip.  Not being a particularly religious person, it is still a pretty awe-inspiring feeling to place your hand on a stone that just maybe one of your ancestors touched thousands of years ago.  To see the Western Wall; however, but not go up to the al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, it is hard to truly appreciate why the old City is such a source of conflict.  And last time I missed the Muslim quarter, a vibrant section the city where my poor travel companions were forced by me to attempt to improve upon their fledgling haggling skills.   Even staying at the Hebrew University, an “enclave” in East Jerusalem, among Arab and Orthodox communities, with a view of the separation barrier, is an experience in itself.

I needed to return to see a complimentary part of the puzzle. Having gone to places like Jaffa already, I still learned new facts from our excellent guides.  These are places with so much history, there are a thousand and one ways to explain the story of the cities here.  Birthright was a part of the picture; an opportunity that I am grateful for.  There was; however, an agenda (as rightfully they should have for a trip they are paying for).  That is why I am just as grateful to be able to have returned to Israel through the SIS program.