Weekly Updates

Shalom Chaverim,

It is hard for me to believe that I am sitting here writing my last USY High e-mail, not from Jerusalem but from Chicago. The past 8 weeks of my life have truly been a life changing experience, one hard to put into words. Through my e-mails I have tried to tell you all that we did and learned but now that I have returned to Chicago I just want to share a couple more things with you.

This morning at shul everybody I saw said "Welcome Home!" and I was very excited to see them. But there was one greeting that really meant a lot to me, when somebody said "Welcome back to the Galut." For those of you who don't know, the Galut is exile, Jews not living in Israel. I was particularly touched by this greeting for even though it may sound awkward, after spending the past 8 weeks living in Israel, I truly feel that now I am in the Galut. While my family, friends and school are here, I recognize that Israel is my home, it is the place toward which I turn and the place that I hope to ultimately live.

My experiences on USY High, traveling, learning and just living in Israel have strengthened my connections to Israel, my love of Israel and my concept of my true home. While my connections to Israel have been strong for a while, I firmly believe that everybody must go to Israel to truly find their way to love Israel. There are so many faces to the country and by actually being there you can find the one that you most strongly identify with and make your mark on the country. While things on CNN many not look great, it is critical to travel to Israel now. Israel is a striving country with people living their lives. While life there may be different, I felt safe from day to day. Seeing the gratitude on the faces of Israelis upon seeing us was indescribable.

I encourage you to look into USY High or any other Israel program for it promises to be an incredible experience. Feel free to email me - I would love to talk to anybody, anytime about the past 8 weeks of my life. Together as Jewish people it is important for us to stand together with Israel and to visit Israel and I wish you a Nesiya Tova, a good journey, on your next trip.

B'Ahavat Tzion,

Shoshie Sprague,
2004 Israel Affairs Commitee