Community

            This past weekend I went to Tel Aviv with my mom and dad; it was my first time exploring Israel without 63 of my closest friends by my side. While I had an amazing time with my parents, it was a completely different experience than what I would have normally experienced with the gradually formed Kehillah Kedoshah (Holy Community) of EIE.

            The past weekend made me realize how vital the community is to making EIE so special. The experiences that we undergo on EIE are remarkable, but it is the relationships and community formed that heighten these experiences, and make them truly unforgettable. Whatever we are doing on EIE, whether it be in class or at the Dead Sea, every individual’s personality truly adds to my own experience here in Israel. While I have yet to create a direct meaningful relationship with every person on this trip, I know that every person has done some action, as a result of his or her unique personality, that has affected my own experience. I love how my EIE experience is turning out, and that wouldn’t be the same without every single person on this trip.

            In Judaism, there is an emphasis on the community. For instance, in order to pray you need a minyan, or at least ten other people. These ten other people do not need to be your friends, nor do they need any sort of relation with you. They simply must exist and pray with you, and that is supposed to add to the prayer experience. This may seem slightly absurd to the outsider unaccustomed to the community, but I have come to realize that people, who choose to form a community together, have an enormous and indescribable power. The community heightens the individual’s experience; in this case, community can heighten the individual’s prayer.  

            I learned while being away from you chaverim, but I’m more than glad to be back.