The People Of Israel Live

Teen Mission 2004, sponsored by the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit,
Sam and Jean Frankel and the Detroit
Jewish News in partnership with metro
Detroit congregations, left June 30 for
more than a month of travel and study in
Israel. RachelWelfbrd is one of four partici-
pants who offered to share their experiences
with JN readers.

he 105 participants on the
Detroit teen mission stared into
the vast mountains of the desert
off the south side of Masada and chant-
ed three words: Am Yisrael Chai, the
people of Israel live.
Our guide explained to us that after
the Romans reached the top and found
that the zealots of Masada committed

suicide, they threw some of the bodies
off the south ramparts.
We were told to repeat after her the
three separate words, in order to tell
those that rested below us that the peo-
ple of Israel and our passion as Jews live
on.
We chanted the three words separately
but in unison; and several seconds after
we screamed, we heard the vast moun-
tains in the distance echo our words,
with more power and passion than we
have ever experienced before.
The people of Israel do live on, and
the Detroit teen mission is, in essence, a
representation of this idea. We all made
the decision to travel to Israel at such an
integral time, and in doing so we have
become the connection between the

U.S. and Israel.
We feel that our decision to come is
appreciated, and to say we have received
a warm welcome from the people here
would be an enormous understatement.
Israel needs us, the next generation, to
explore the land and enliven our interest
in it. This trip is doing just that.
Though we are only spending a
month here and getting a small taste of
its history and impact, we are looking
forward to arriving home to share what
we have learned, some of us with a
newly grown interest in Israel and
Judaism, and others with a rejuvenated
dedication. The people of Israel have
survived through thousands of years of
hardship, challenge, fear and terror, but
as a result have emerged a resilient and

Top: Meryl Sklar of West
Bloomfield rides a camel at the
Roded Bedouin tent near
Masada.
Left: Rachel Hollander, 16,
Orchard Lake; Casey Horton,
16 Huntington Woods; Lara
Bonder, 17, Rochester; and
Marina Abayev, 17,
Commerce, eat a traditional
Bedouin meal at the Roded
Bedouin tent.
Right; Jarett Hoffman, 16 of
Bloomfield Has works on an
assembly line to carry dirt out
of the caves of Beit Guvrin
after the dig.

JN

7/16

2004

24

Photos by Debbie Hill

powerful people;
However, we need Israel just as much
as Israel needs us. As teenagers, we see
that our homeland has already begun to
guide us through life and teach us the
importance of being dedicated to what
we believe in.
Israel is said to be the center of
Judaism. If this is so, then by being
Jews, Israel is the center of us. Israel is
God's gift to the Jews and we appreciate
it more each day.
Together, we are the people of Israel.

Am Yisrael Chai!
— Rachel Welfora 17, Franklin

❑

For the latest photographs,
check WWW. detroitjewishnews.com
on Monday.

