by Noa Eaton

My trip to Israel this summer was absolutely incredible. I went with NFTY EIE, which is a an academic program that  studies Jewish history and Hebrew on a kibbutz in the Judean Hills. We have teachers and tests, but the country is our classroom.

I traveled to Eilat in the south, the Kineret in the north, and everywhere in between.  We learned about the Caannanites all the way up to modern day Arab Israeli conflicts. In Hebrew we went to an ice cream shop and had to order ice cream in Hebrew.

The 20 of us got extremely close and made amazing memories snorkeling, hiking, singing, and just being with each other. The connections I made with the land and the people this summer will stay with me my whole life.