0011111111117 VIEWS
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A Trip To Israel
Brings Inner Peace
Jerusalem
aveinu shalom aleichem.
Haveinu shalom aleichem.
A two-hour flight from
Detroit to
Newark, followed
by a seven-hour
plane ride to
London. A con-
necting flight to
Prague, with a
four-day stay
there. Countless
airplane meals,
bus rides, takeoffs
ASHLEY
and landings and,
finally, the most
BELLET
significant land-
Special to the
ing of my life.
Jewish News
Along with 39
strangers who
would become the closest of friends
over the course of five-and-a-half
weeks, I gripped the armrests next to
me and bore the bumpy landing,
arriving at Israel's Ben-Gurion Air-
port. With my new companions,
counselors and the other passengers
on El Al Flight 524, I tipped my
head back, opened my mouth wide
and let the three cheery words of
one song make me feel like the luck-
iest person on earth: "Haveinu
shalom aleichem" (Bring peace to
you).
Stepping off the airplane, I was
encompassed by a sense of security.
The sweetness of the country hid
behind the salty aroma of the air. The
curiosity in my eyes was masked by
the smile on my face. After 10 years of
studying Israel, I stepped beyond the
classroom walls and textbook pages.
Still, nothing could have prepared me
for Israel, not lessons, not stories, not
even photographs.
Miles away from my comfort zone
at Orchard Lake and Maple roads in
West Bloomfield, I was nervous to
travel so far away from home. Every-
one's expectations are different, but
more than anything, I was open to the
unpredictable adventures that awaited
me.
My experiences thus far have been
incredible, and I have been exposed to
many different emotions since my
Ashley Bellet, daughter of Joanne and
Michael Bellet, will be a senior at West
Bloomfield High School this fall. Affili-
ated with. Congregation Beth Abraham
Hillel Moses, she's visiting Prague and
Israel as part of Young Judaea's Israel
Discovery-Shorasim program.
Holocaust Museum Visit:
A Trip Of Remembrance
arrival. With each Shabbat service I
attend, each marketplace I visit, Israel
has become my home away from
home. Everything I do here evokes
indescribable feelings of comfort and
contentment.
A grueling two-hour hike to the
top of Har Hatzfakot seemed impossi-
ble with its steep inclines and rocky
passages. However, reaching the top of
the mountain was a victorious
achievement, and I felt powerful and
in control. Thousands of feet in the
air, I had an impeccable view of
Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and
Israel. With a heavy backpack,
exhausted legs and sweat dripping off
my body, I was completely drained;
but all that surrounded me filled me
with happiness.
Camping out in the Negev was an
experience different from any other,
and an enjoyable one. Although I was
lying atop gravel in desert heat, I was
between the mountains and beneath
the stars, feeling relaxed and at peace
with my surroundings. Staying with
my Israeli host family put me in close
contact with Israeli culture and
lifestyle; conducting Havdala (Shabbat
closing) services at the Kotel (Western
Wall) gave me a spiritual connection
with Israel. Snorkeling in the Red Sea
was exciting and gave me the opportu-
nity to see Israel from a new angle.
Everything I do in Israel fills me with
joy and elation — and I gain a new
outlook.
Coming to Israel with an open
mind has made my stay so far that
much better. My friends and family
have always raved about their trips,
but I never imagined Israel to be as
amazing and intriguing as it is. Every-
thing about Israel, from its people to
its landscape to its culture, is extraor-
dinary. With two-and-a-half weeks
down and three to go, I am confident
that the remainder of my trip will be
just as fulfilling as my past experiences
here have been.
I am looking forward o the stories
I will tell and pictures I explain
when I proudly share my Israel expe-
rience; and, until then, I cannot wait
for my next adventure in the
Promised Land. Be it white water
rafting in the Jordan River, spending
the day at a kibbutz or singing
around a campfire with my group,
the activity and location are irrele-
vant. I am in Israel for the first time,
and it is bringing the peace to me
that it always has to others.
Haveinu shalom aleichem. LI
U
. Vi
7/30
1999
28 Detroit Jewish News
I
recently participated in the Anti-
Defamation League of B'nai
B'rith's national youth leadership
mission to the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Muse-
u'm in Washing-
ton, D.C. It was a
trip that changed
my life.
The ADL is
devoted to fight-
ing anti-Semitism
and all forms of
bigotry as well as
fostering under-
STEPHANIE
standing among
NICOLE
diverse communi-
CITRON
ties. The mission
Special to the
brought together
Jewish News
110 high school
students from
across the country to discuss preju-
dice, teach us to work together to
stand against injustice, and make a
difference in the fight against bigotry.
I will never forget our visit to the
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Our group participated in activities that
taught us about stereotypes, discrimina-
tion, racism and anti-Semitism.
We were shown how we commit
these crimes every day in different ways.
This helped me take a long look at
myself and also my family. I thought,
"Do I really do some of these things?"
It also helped because it showed me
that people do get along and form
friendships even though they are quite
different from each other.
We heard from several guest speakers,
including Abraham Foxman, national
director of the Anti-Defamation League
and a Holocaust survivor. It amazes me
that someone who lived through such
horror can have so much compassion.
We also heard from civil rights activists
and elected officials.
Evelyn Pierce, a Holocaust survivor
and a guest of the mission, was gener-
ous enough to take me though the
museum and explain what it was like to
live through the Holocaust. The Room
of Remembrance was my favorite part
of the museum. In the center of the
room is a huge eternal flame; surround-
ing it are candles that visitors can light
in memory of those who lost their lives
during the Holocaust.
Stephanie Citron, daughter of Ann
and Robert Citron of Southfield, will be
a senior this fall at Southfield-Lathrup
High School. Her family .belongs to St.
Ives Catholic Church in Southfield.
At the closing ceremony, we read a
poem by Pastor Martin Niemoeller,
reminding us that we can make a dif-
ference in the lives of others. Everyone
was so poised and ready for whatever
the world has to throw at us. The love
in that room was endless. No one
looked at anyone else as being differ-
ent. We were all friends.
What I learned on this trip was to go
beyond a person's race, beliefs and cul-
ture — to look at a person for who he
or she is as an individual. I also learned
that no one is better than anyone else.
People have a tendency to label each
other; that's wrong. We must learn to
accept people for who they are.
The whole trip was very emotional
for all of us. Although we spent only
four days in Washington, those four
days will last a lifetime.
I have never met so many people
and made so many friends. I have
never felt so many different emotions.
I have never learned so many lessons,
lessons that I will carry for the rest of
my life.
LETTER
tradition of Jewish non-violent resis-
tance. The Roman historian Josephus,
in Antiquities of the Jews, reported how
Jewish civil disobedience prevented
Caligula's idols from being placed in
Acre, then known as Ptolemais, and in
Tiberias.
Non-violence is a better answer for
the evil that Rabbi Yoskowitz is worried
about, which is the calculated hate that
portrays enemies as subhuman and
morally good to destroy. This is how
governments rationalize wars and how
hate groups rationalize their bigotry.
Warfare is not possible without it and
Jews should not expect to retain the
moral high ground while engaged in it.
Non-violence instead can expose
hate to the harsh glare of public expo-
sure and provide permanent solutions
rather than cycles of violence.
It's time for Judaism to turn toward
tranquility and trust and become
stronger through peace. The Talmud
says, "The law does not command you
to run or pursue the other command-
ments but only to fulfill them upon the
appropriate occasion. But peace you
must pursue in your own place and
pursue it even to another place as well."
(Leviticus Rabbah, Tzav 9:9; Numbers
Rabbah, Hukkat 19:27).
Dr. Robert M. Levine
Farmington Hills