samreeves

fall 2015 j1 student

Blue skies, historic landmarks and inspiring people.  Those are some qualities that can describe Israel.

Last summer, freshman Jack Litwin and his family took a trip to Israel to discover more about the history of their religion and to learn more about the country as a whole.

“We went to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and a city in the Negev Desert,” said freshman Jack Litwin.

They had a very knowledgeable tour guide that was with them throughout the trip, Litwin said.

“He was really nice, and it was cool to interact with him,” Litwin said. “He gave us a lot of insight on Israel.”

Alexa Litwin, Jack’s sister, said they were able to do some community service while they were in Israel which she enjoyed.

“My favorite part was going around and doing community service,” Alexa said. “It meant a lot to me to be able to help people. And being in Israel made it even more unique!”

Jack said he tried a few weird but good-tasting foods during the trip.

Litwin said he is a huge sports fan but there wasn’t much in Israel.

“There wasn’t a bunch, but there was a beach game they played where they would have a paddle hit a ball back and forth,” Jack said. “It was pretty popular on the beaches. Soccer is also a pretty big sport in Israel.”

The Litwin’s, along with the other families in their group, were able to learn a lot of new things by visiting many of the historically important places around Israel, Litwin said.

“The rabbi and tour guide seemed like they knew a lot about Israel, and they knew a lot of background, which was really cool,” Litwin said. “There were certain places we would go, and it was cool to see. Without the background, there was a lot that I would have missed. It was nice having the rabbi and tour guide who knew a lot about the places.”

Litwin said the trip took a lot of work to plan but he would return if he gets another opportunity.

“I’d definitely want to go back,” Jack said. “Even though I was there for a decent amount of time, there was still stuff I didn’t get to see. I think it would be a cool experience to see it for a second time.”

Alexa agreed.

I would definitely want to go back,” Alexa said. “There were so many things we saw or did but we couldn’t possibly do everything! I would love to go back and do more stuff.”

Jack said he and his family enjoyed their trip, and they were able to learn some fun, but interesting things about Israel while they were there.

“It was a really cool experience, it was cool to see Israel, and it was definitely fun too,” Jack said.