Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Reflection of the Community Week

Home Hospitality Week
Written By: Sara Sefret 

These past seven days were full of endless laughter, sleepless nights, and unforgettable moments.  As we arrived in Ashkelon, some were nervous and anxious while others were incredibly excited and ready to jump off the bus into the arms of their matches.  Seeing them for the first time in four months made us feel like they never left Baltimore.  We felt as though we had truly arrived back home to our parents and siblings that were about to become our own.  This entire week flew by in the blink of an eye and these past 192 hours of community service, volunteering, seminars, and irreplaceable memories with lifelong friends accumulated into what seems to be one LONG day.  I feel as though we can all agree that our host families took us in as one of their own.  They fed us endless amounts of food, resupplied us with any toiletries or items we left at home, and loved us as if we had lived there for the past 17 years. Being able to connect on so many different levels with all of the Israelis and then refocusing that energy into each and every one of our activities made this week worthwhile.  Whether we were helping those less fortunate by packaging food for Shabbat meals or coloring with precious Ethiopian immigrants, we were able to bond with one another in ways we would have never been able to experience if it weren't for this program.

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