week 4/Israel

For the first time in 3 weeks, our group parted from one another for the weekend. Some visited family members living in Israel, others met up with friends from the states and another group enjoyed a relaxing weekend in Poriya catching up on sleep and taking in the beauty of the Kinneret.

The group was temporarily reconnected as the weekend came to a close and new groups departed on the way to our options experience. It was amazing to see friends run and embrace one another after a weekend apart and shed a tear that they would once again be separated for a few days.  The bonds that we have created in such a short time is always inspiring and proves that IST is unlike any other Israel experience.  It’s hard to imagine what DIA will look like on July 19th: the mass of tears, the long hugs and kind words about the shared experiences.

As of now we have a group in the North trekking from the Med. Sea to the Kinneret, another gets a taste of the Israeli Army in the Gadna experience, and finally a group of 12 who are taking part in a leadership institute with Denver’s sister region of Ramat Negev.  Keep yours eyes open for another update soon after our options experiences ↓

where we will hopefully hear first hand from the ISTers about their adventures.

The Gadna option is a 4 day intensive training session with the Israeli Defense Forces.  The following account was written by Alex Hodges:

Ever since I was seven years old, I dreamed of joining the US Navy. Just about everything I have done since the day I first made that decision has been geared towards improving my chances of becoming an officer in the Navy. I joined the boy scouts and the football team, and I even attended the United States Naval Academy’s Summer Seminar at the beginning of this summer. Most recently, though, I decided to do Gadna during the options week on IST. Although it did not help to prepare me as much as I expected and hoped it would either physically or mentally, it did allow me to compare parts of the US Navy to the IDF. The best time for this was when we were “In the field”. If the impression which I got about the IDF from my Gadna experience is correct, then the IDF is not all that different from the US military. They both have similar ranks, similar weapons, and similar people. The most significant difference between the two militaries is that in Israel, it is mandatory for the citizens to join the Army, making it a “People’s Army.” In the US on the other hand, the military is all volunteer making it a “Professional Army”.  However, in the IDF, becoming an officer is voluntary. Something else I learned was how to use the M-4 and the M-16. We had lessons and then on the last day went to the firing range to use what we learned during those lessons. We shot at paper targets which were placed at approximately 25 meters. I have shot a rifle before and so I did pretty well.  We were given 11 bullets and I hit the target with all 12 of them. That is not a typo. Either I was given an extra bullet or some one else hit it. The targets were only inches from each other so it is very possible. The shooting was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me. I certainly enjoyed learning about the differences between the US Military and the IDF and also enjoyed learning about the M-16, but the most important thing I learned during Gadna was about myself. During our hike to the shooting range we trekked up a hill.  Upon reaching the top, while gazing out over a magnificent view of the Negev, the platoon commander turned to us and said, “I stayed in the army to become an officer because I realized at a certain point that if I don’t stand up and fight for what I believe in, for my values, for my people, and for this land that you see before us, who will?”  It is that exact sentiment that I feel and wish to act on by volunteering to serve my country.