What It Means To Survive
A Teen Mission participant is awed by the
tenacious spirit of the Israeli people.
JENNIFER NATHAN
Special to the Jewish News
srael is a nation built by sur-
vivors. From the time of the
exodus to the wars for inde-
pendence to today, the Israeli
people have sustained their
indomitable spirit. They have braved
the harsh climates, fought to preserve
their precious land and maintained a
rich culture and strong national iden-
tity. In the past few weeks, I have
seen countless examples of Israeli sur-
vival as well as learned what it really
means to survive.
On example of this is
the Atlit detention camp
on the Mediterranean
Sea. The camp, much of
which is still intact today,
was built by the British
after World War II. Its
function was to hold
refugees while they wait-
ed to gain entrance into
what was then Palestine,
which surrounded them.
It took the kibbutzniks
who built these desert
kibbutzim years and years
of hard, often discourag-
ing work to create these
desert oases, but they per-
severed to accomplish
their goals.
Personally, the idea of
survival did not quite hit
home to me until July 21,
when our group
embarked upon a trip
that, in the end, would
leave us with a lasting
impression of what it
— Jennifer Nathan,
really means to survive.
a 10th grader at
We
were supposed to
Bloomfield Hills Andover
spend
24 hours on our
High School,
own
in
the desert hiking,
is traveling on Bus R5.
cooking, rock climbing and eventually
sleeping out under the stars. However,
extreme desert heat led to dangerous
conditions and for health reasons (fear
of dehydration), this activity could
not be completed. Thankfully, every-
one escaped unharmed, but with
much stronger senses of what it actu-
ally meant to wander in the desert for
40 years.
In conclusion, the Israel in my
heart will always be one full of stories
of survival and a determined people. I
will never forget the experiences here,
and my new knowledge of what it
really takes to survive. 11
Friendships Remembered
A former Teen Mission participant wishes she could be there.
ANNIE LEFKOWITZ
Special to the Jewish News
I
am jealous of the teens on the
Teen Mission 2 Israel. They are
having once-in-a-lifetime experi-
ences while my summer is con-
sumed with work, college
orientation and lots of
quiet time. I rarely get
letters from them, a
phone call is a bigger
mystery, and yet I accept
their slack in.communi-
cation because I know
they are having an
incredible time. I have
been there, and I want to
go back.
A highlight of the first
Teen Mission (in 1996) was the mif-
gashim program, a week-long integra-
tion of American and Israeli teens. At
the end of our time together, we spent
the weekend with our host families. It
was a chance to do laundry and eat
decent food as well as to experience,
7/31
1998
16 Detroit Jewish News
first-hand, Israeli home life. I had a
fantastic week meeting many Israeli
teens. Reflecting back, I regret never
keeping in touch with them.
This summer's mifgashim program
also includes the home hospitality
weekend. I received a call from Mindy
Nathan, whose daughter
Jenny is a close friend of mine
and is on this year's trip.
(Jenny is also writing for the
Jewish News as a Teen Mission
correspondent.)
Jenny had befriended an
Israeli on her bus, Shulamit,
and was spending the week-
end on her kibbutz.
Shulamit's older sister, Moran,
shared her own stories of
when she participated in the
mifgashim program two years ago and
how she had .met a really nice girl but
they had since lost touch.
Her name, of course, was Annie
Lefkowitz.
Obviously, the American teens are
not the only ones who benefit from this
integration. Moran had such a great
time she encouraged her sister, who
likewise is having an incredible summer.
Jenny and I are just one pair whose
lives somehow intersected in another
country. Many Mission participants
are meeting their Israeli family mem-
bers for the first time, and others are
being paired up with families they will
stay in touch with for years to come.
One goal of the teen missions is to
send teens to Israel, not only to see
the land, but more importantly, to
meet the people. That is why the mif-
gashim program is such an integral
part of the Mission. My request to
those involved in future trip planning
is to keep the mifgashim program an
important part of the experience. It is
a small world, and programs. like this
are helping to make it even smaller.
Upon return from the '96 Mission,
I worked at the Agency for Jewish
Education, helping to make this sum-
mer's mission even more successful. I
created a program, After Shabbat, that
allowed Mission '96 teens to share
their positive experiences and fond
memories. Not only did we help pre-
pare those who are currently there, it
was also a chance for many of us to
give back and thank the community
for our trip. Through my program, we
reached out to more then 200 teens,
hoping to make their trip even better
than ours.
I hope that when the teens finally
return, they too will keep their moti-
vation and use their enthusiasm to
strengthen our community.
There are internships, volunteer
work and programs that could all use
a teenager's spark of creativity. Even if
each Mission participant shares his or
her story with only one potential trip-
goer, future missions are sure to be as
successful as this one.
As for Jenny and me, we are both
active teens in the community whose
motivation is only heightened by these'
experiences. I am sure that both of us
will travel back to Israel. Maybe we
will even go together, and we will have
someplace to stay ❑