Jewish Community Partners

Israel is an experience I had been hearing about for my entire life while growing up and going to my Jewish summer camp, Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI), for almost a decade. It was said to be the experience of a lifetime and the best experience we would ever have in our camp career, which was daunting yet exciting to hear about as a young camper.

This past summer I went to Israel, and I completed my journey as a camper and went into being an ‘adult’ on camp, but it was so much more than that. Even though I always knew going to Israel was in my future I never anticipated the meaning it would have in my life.

When I first arrived in Israel with all my lifelong friends, it was hot, loud, and confusing. The Ben Gurion airport was big and was our first look into the country we’d all seen and heard about our whole lives. Then stepping out and really seeing how different Israel can look depending on which way you turn your head was so beautiful and fascinating.

The first place we went was a small, more rural kibbutz surrounded by canyons and it was amazing. I was in awe of the mountains, the desert, and all the people living their day-to-day lives around me. After that first day, I continued to be amazed by Israel during the following four weeks I was there. The Yallah Israel trip took my friends and me all around the country from Eilat at the very bottom of the desert, to Haifa and the Sea of Galilee.

Seeing the Old City of Jerusalem and being able to go to the Western Wall was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. Walking up to the Wall and seeing all the women praying and crying was incredible, and it made me feel supported. I felt like I had never been surrounded by this many Jews in my life, and seeing all of them praying with me and having a connection to the place and with G-d was breathtaking.

Even after I left the ‘prayer’ section of the Western Wall I could see so much life and so many groups of people from all over the world who had come to see our history and something so important to the Jewish faith and the world’s other major religions. So many groups all coming to one very small country to learn and discover more about what they believe in is inspiring and deepens my appreciation and love for Israel.

Going to Israel was the greatest journey I have ever experienced, and I think it will be for the rest of my life. I will never forget sleeping under the stars in the Negev desert, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea after hiking all day, or watching the sunset at the beach in Tel Aviv on our last night. I am so thankful and grateful that I was able to go on this trip, have the experiences, and strengthen my personal connection to Israel and to my Judaism.

Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping make my NFTY / GUCI in Israel Yallah program possible for me.

Emma O’Leary, daughter of Leah Wohlner, is a junior at St. Mary’s Episcopal School.  Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to offset the costs of her NFTY / GUCI in Israel Yallah program. All rising juniors and seniors are eligible for grants of up to $3,000 to attend a recognized teen summer or semester program in Israel. Teen Israel Experience applications for Summer 2024 are open and can be accessed at jcpmemphis.org/lemsky-endowment-fund.

Note: This essay was written before the horrific events of October 7^th.