Hi my name is Eve Vaknin I’m from Houston, Texas. This summer I went on my first NCSY program and from only the first few weeks I can honestly say I am having “the best summer ever”! Israel In Depth is not only fun but has truly inspired me to become a more proud Jew and feel a deep connection to this country.
Today was a very eventful and emotional day for me. The two places that stuck out the most were Yad Vashem and Har Hertzel. Yad Vashem is a Holocaust memorial museum. Once you walk into Yad Vashem you feel a special energy and connection to the building and our Jewish roots. This was a very hard place for me to go to because it reminds me of one of the most tragic times in Jewish history. Yad Vashem will now always be apart of me, it’s touched me in a way no other place has ever before.
After Yad Vashem we had a delicious lunch brought to us by burgers bar! I was very happy to finally eat delicious meat food.
After that we went to another powerful place, Har Hertzel. Just walking through the gates made me break down into tears, but not only sad ones, but grateful ones because I learned these amazing and brave soldiers put their lives on the line for ours and the country of Israel. It is truly inspiring and makes me want to be apart of this country even more. We also got to hear the most amazing stories of chayalim, soldiers and the way they changed peoples lives. This makes me wonder how I can do the same and make my mark, and that’s through NCSY. NCSY and Israel ID has changed the way I connect to my religion and see Judaism in a whole different light and it’s truly one of the brightest lights out there.