When people ask me about my semester abroad in Israel this past spring, I never really know where to begin. Finding the best place to accurately describe the best four months of my life is challenging, considering I could easily talk for months about the history I learned, the friends I made, and the sights I saw. But, for most, I start at the beginning, with an explanation of how I ended up on Kibbutz Tzuba with 73 American teenagers.

EIE is an American high school in Israel, run through NFTY. EIE offers 10th, 11th, and 12th graders the opportunity to study in Israel for a semester and discover their rich history, their current place in the world as a Jew, and the importance and beauty of Israel as a Jewish Democratic state. While learning to speak the language of our ancestors and literally following in the footsteps of history from Abraham until modern day, we took our regular core classes for American school and had the opportunity to learn with teens from all over the U.S. (and sometimes Canada), enriching each others’ lives in an indescribable way.

I miss Israel more than I can write; after learning and living in the Holy Land, there is a place in my heart for my home, Kibbutz Tzuba, not unlike the aching I had for camp during the school year. The one thing that all of the students had in common, regardless of our lives at home, was that we were Jewish teens who, for one reason or another, were drawn to the origin of their Jewish roots. The bonds that we formed are unmatched by any other, because no matter our individual pasts, we were linked by our people’s history. The same way that one reason the camp community is so special because we all understand each other in ways that our friends from home may not, we all felt that type of connection with each other in a much more concentrated manner. Being at camp, actually, has helped me adjust to the “real world” again, even though Crane Lake is our Bubble. Camp allows me to continue to relate to the Jewish connection that I solidified while in Israel, and my stories and experiences are not unlike others whom have also had similar experiences.

Studying abroad in Israel is the best thing I could have done for my Jewish identity, my religious education, and my progress as an American teenager moving forward in my life. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to experience what I have, and coming back to camp was the best choice I could have made to help readjust into society, surrounded by the community with which I feel the most comfortable. Because of camp, I had a strong enough connection to my identity to decide to spend the most amazing four months of my life in Israel.

By Micali Morin, Machon