Jacobs International Teen Leadership Institute - July 7 - 30, 2009
Now accepting applications. For more information visit our webpage or contact the UJF Israel Center at 858.571.3444 or israelcenter@ujfsd.org.
The JITLI 2008 Story
Bryan Gurwitz and Gaby Maio
During this past July forty kids from the communities of San Diego, Segev Shalom, Lakiya, and Sha'ar HaNegev came together to take part in a life changing experience where they learned to not only understand each other but to see the individuals within each group, rather than the group of individuals. On our three week journey through San Diego, Spain and Israel we started as a group of four communities and ended as a community of one. Despite the differences in religion and in culture we found connections that we never expected to find.
These experiences resulted in new friendships and broken barriers that will be forever lasting and will continue to spread in the years to come. We were all hit with overwhelming situations and dilemmas that caused us to sit and think about our lives and the situation in Israel. We found ourselves up late into the night discussing issues of unrecognized villages and civil liberties within Israel long after the events of the day had finished. We spoke to one another not to change the views of the person across from us, but rather to listen, learn and understand what they had to say. Through this, the stereotypes that our societies have implanted into our minds were broken and changed. Head coverings which once seemed so alien to the Americans and Israeli Jews soon became familiar. Hatred that we once had towards one another evolved into love.
Traveling to the Jewish and Muslim sights proved to be the most personal and connecting experience for us all. Walking hand in hand with our new Muslim friends to the Wall gave us all a new perspective and brought different types of tears to our eyes. The proof of our bonds and connections lies in the words of a Muslim girl who once carried hatred towards Jews. After visiting the wall for the first time and walking down to it with her new Jewish friends she said, "Jews and Muslims are all the same. We are all human beings."
