Author: Maya Freedman

What an adventure it has been, from us smiling, laughing, and even dancing around a bride and crashing a proposal, to us commemorating a day in history that must never be forgotten, the 500-day mark Since October 7. In Israel, it becomes even more apparent that during these times of pain, people, specifically but not only Israelis are forced to live two lives; one that is full of happy moments, and then in contrast, of the heart-wrenching reality that we have lost our people because of one of the most horrific days in history.

On Tuesday, February 4th TRY went to Kikar Hatufim (Hostages Square). It was an incredibly powerful experience that I will never forget. Before we went into the square itself, our ICC teacher, Betsalel, prepared us for what we were going to walk into. He told us some of the history behind why the square was created, why it is located where it is, as well as how we should behave when we are inside.

On Yom HaZikaron we went to the Tekkes run by Masa in the evening. It was a very crowded place, and we saw a lot of people we knew. It felt a bit strange because we were excited to see people but the mood was meant to be more somber. It didn’t click for a lot of us until the Tekkes began. For some, it was our first time experiencing this in Israel. There were a lot of meaningful stories from October 7th and other incidents and it was emotional to hear the stories through song and dance and testimonials so that everyone could find a way to connect. The Masa Tekkes helped us prepare for the following day.

Every day we rely on our five senses: smelling, hearing, feeling, seeing, and tasting. Since Poland, I believe that these senses have been enhanced. I smelled the stench of leather shoes that my Jewish community walked their final steps in. I heard the cries of babies and young children as I stood in the place where their memory stays. I felt my tears roll down my face as I fulfilled my promise of keeping the stories of the holocaust alive. I saw the finger nail scratches of fellow Jews trying to escape the gas chambers after they uncovered the deception of the Nazis. I tasted the dust of the abandoned synagogue after we brought it back to life by singing and dancing. These five senses have been something I have focused on to make this masa even more meaningful and profound.

All I had heard about Masada before I went was how pretty the view was, and how strenuous the hike was. While I found both those things to be true, I have never heard much about the history which, to me, is now the most important part. Something that stood out to me was the number of impossible decisions that had to be made by the Zealots when the Romans were trying to take over Masada. Many of these decisions involved choosing life or death for yourself, members of your family, and other members of the Jewish people. These impossible decisions stood out to me because I have no idea what I would do if I were in that scenario.

Last week we got to take a much needed break from school and spent five days in Kibbutz Ketura! It was an amazing experience and we learned about the beauty of kibbutzim and their strong communities. When we got there, we got a tour of the Kibbutz from Leah and she talked about different aspects of Ketura. A baby had just been born and everyone was helping out. It was really special to see so many people come together to celebrate a new life. While we were there I felt so surrounded by love—Leah even invited us into her house to see what the homes looked like.

At 1:50am on April 14th I woke up to my roommates rushing out of bed and my counselor shouting, “Yalla, everyone go to the bomb shelter.” We had talked about the possibility of an attack that night, but I didn’t really believe that anything could happen. I was obviously wrong, as I listened to the wailing siren and quickly put on my slippers. It felt almost dystopian as we walked downstairs, half asleep even though our hearts were racing. Once we got to the shelter, we counted off to make sure everyone was there and when we got to “arba esre (14),” we let out a deep breath and sat in a huddle. We heard the booms of the iron dome working above us, but it wasn’t as scary anymore. In typical Israeli fashion, we made jokes and asked if school could be canceled. We were taking pictures and laughing about how we all knew this could happen, but no one thought it would happen.

TRY ‘24 is back! Poland was one of the most memorable experiences of my entire life. In my opinion, everyone should go to Poland at least once. As Betsalel said, “It’s our job to remember.” We should see first-hand what our ancestors went through, and we must share their stories. We can never let the world forget what they put us through, simply for being Jews.

The past couple weeks have been incredible. Between my first Pesach in Israel, which I spent right off of Ben Yehuda Street, fascinating TRY Tiyulim, Yom HaShoah, and, of course, Sally’s amazing birthday, these past few weeks were jammed with so many things, making this whole blog thing kind of difficult to write.

I decided I wanted to go on TRY way before October 7th. I had dreamed of a semester in Israel for many years, and no war was going to change my mind. My worry was not that I would be unsafe here, but that TRY would be canceled. I knew things would have to look different this semester – fewer kids, some schedule changes, different programming… I was okay with all of that.