Masa Israel Journey Blog

A Poetic Reflection

May 21, 2007

By Alena Klimenko, Kesem al Yam Kinneret

When you're in the sky you feel like all the world is yours. "All the world," it sounds so magnificent. But what is the deeper meaning to this statement? Can the entire world become your home?

It is a special moment when you finally decide what your idea of home is for you. Your home feels like a castle where you are safe from the rest of the world. When defining home you must ask yourself, '"is home your birthplace or something more spiritual?"

Home - where you always smile.

Home - where you can come to your corner and cry.

Home – Your place.

For me, the feeling of a warm home and a spiritual home is not one in the same. I realized that I wasn't satisfied with what I had until I went on a trip to Israel.

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Giving back to Jerusalem

May 21, 2007

By Gabriel Seed, Nativ

As a participant in the Nativ program, I spent the first five months of my program living in the centre of Jerusalem while studying at the Conservative Yeshiva. Besides enjoying my studies at the Yeshiva, I have also had the chance to become a part of Jerusalem by exploring its streets, shops, restaurants, historic and cultural sites, and more importantly, by giving of my time to make a small contribution to the city and its residents.

My volunteering has included donating blood with Magen David Adom, sharing Hanukah with the elderly at Yad LaKashish and the residents of Gilo Home for the Handicapped, and most importantly, spending every Friday morning helping out at the Hazon Yeshaya soup kitchen.

Hazon Yeshaya is one of the largest poverty relief organizations in Israel...