Monday morning after a hectic weekend and I’m once again sitting in a classroom. I thought that during summer vacation I would have a respite from the slog of the classroom. Today, however, is different. In the places of classmates sit teenaged Jewish leaders from over 30 different regions throughout the world. Instead of monotonous lessons on math, engaging and vibrant discussions and dialogues are taking place between this pluralistic group of people.
Next to me sits a girl from Herzeliya named Nicole. Although a native of Israel, Nicole is fluent in both Hungarian and English as well of her mother tongue of Hebrew. Her aptness with Hungarian ignites a flicker of interest in me as I had just been to Hungary earlier in the year. Consequently we strike up a conversation and I learn that Nicole’s father was born in the U.S. while her mother was born in Budapest. As young adults they had both participated in Jewish programs like Diller and decided to make a new life for themselves on a kibbutz in Israel. While content in her beautiful coastal city of Herzeliya, Nicole and her family frequent their ancestral homes in Hungary and the U.S.
Throughout the rest of my first day at International Congress I meet droves of people with life stories that are both similar and different to Nicole’s and my own. It amazes me to see the seemingly endless stream of Jewish teens who are both proud of their heritage and proactive about their future. As I go back to my kibbutz for the night, I’m both inspired and eager to explore my own unique Jewish heritage and forge a path for myself as proud Jew.
Written by: Eitan Murinson
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