By: Kayla Boxenbaum
By the time I was seven years old, I had developed a deep connection to the land of Israel and I understood the importance of representing the country and fighting for its existence. I went on an organized trip with my family and our synagogue for two weeks, and in that short amount of time I was shown the beauty, value, and diversity that the country held. Traveling to the various locations where so much history took place and being educated on how the country overcame the challenges they faced was something that impacted my life forever.
I experienced this same feeling of gratitude when I was accepted to study abroad in Israel in high school. I decided to continue my education about Israel by studying abroad in the country itself because I believed it would enhance my feelings towards the country even more by actually living there. It was a completely different experience living there for six months, compared to visiting for just two weeks. Actually getting the opportunity to live the way the citizens of Israel do completely met my expectations that enhanced my love for the country and even exceeded those expectations. Once my semester abroad had finished, I vowed to myself that I would make it back to Israel again.
Five years had passed until I was able to fulfill the vow I had previously made to myself. I was studying at Florida Gulf Coast University when I heard about the program Hasbara Fellowships. I was very involved in the Jewish community on campus, however, my memory of this vow was stored away in the back of my mind and I didn’t have any plans in the near future to visit Israel again. This was until I recognized someone from the Jewish community tabling on campus for a club called Eagles for Israel. He informed me about this program that educates students on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and takes us to visit all these sites in order to truly bring the lessons to life.
The two weeks I spent in Israel with Hasbara Fellowships was not exactly easy, as some of the lessons were difficult to learn about but so incredibly important to hear. My biggest takeaway from the program was understanding how important it is to inform people with the correct information instead of just accepting everything that the media has to say. Since going on the program, I made another vow to myself to educate other students about Israel in a positive light. However, it didn’t take me five years this time to fulfill this vow. I’ve began to educate other students on campus by taking the role of president in the club Eagles for Israel and hosting tabling events that focused on the diversity that Israel has to offer; was elected as the Israel engagement chair in my sorority where I have hosted various Israel educational events and tabled for the Jewish holiday Tu B’Shvat where we sold plants to inform people about Israel’s devotion to taking care of nature and its’ land; and have continued my personal education by attending the AIPAC Policy Conference this past March.
I look forward to continuing my education about Israel and having the opportunity to inform other students about the country as well. Learning more about what Israel has to offer and continuing my travels there is something that I am very passionate about, as well as having the opportunity to educate other students on my campus. I believe it is very important to go to the country firsthand in order to share my personal experiences and to demonstrate why I am so passionate about the country in a more personal way. My love for the country is something that will never fade and I am so excited for the day I will make it back.
