Ani Zocher:
Pilgrims' Stories

Eastern Europe/IP 2003,
by Ory Rinat, METNY

The six weeks I spent on USY's Eastern Europe Israel Pilgrimage were the best of my life. Of all the great experiences I had, some of the most memorable were during the wonderful Shabbats my group spent together. Our first Shabbat together was spent in Warsaw. On Friday evening we had dinner at a community center in Warsaw. Everyone was excited for our first Shabbat as a group. But it wasn't until after the meal that the excitement became truly evident. Even before the B'kol Echads were handed out the entire group had begun ruach and was singing, shouting, and dancing all around the small room. The ruach was the most amazing I have ever felt, as every single member of the group, even those less familiar with the songs, participated. The following morning we davned at the Genshcher Synagogue. This was a very interesting experience. The service was Orthodox, and in that sense, different than what many of us had ever experienced before that. Yet we were all familiar with all the tefillot, and participated actively. Through the course of the morning we met many interesting people. Sitting next to us was an American Navy Officer who was in Poland working on a joint program between the American and Polish navies. He was, like us, going to Israel after his stay in Poland. It was amazing to see someone here, from where we came from, taking time out to do what we were doing, and connecting with God in the same way we were. We also met a young girl about our age. She had recently discovered that she was Jewish, and was trying to learn more about her roots. We invited her to join us for lunch, and we ended up learning a great deal about what its like to live as a Jew away from a large Jewish community.

A few weeks later, our trip was nearing its close. It had all gone by so fast, but it was already our last Shabbat. For services we had the choice of a few synagogues. I, along with several of my friends chose one in the Yemin Moshe Neighborhood. Walking to the synagogue, everything seemed very peaceful and quiet. Yet when we arrived, we could barely get in. It was absolutely packed. It turned out that a family from my neighborhood was celebrating their child's Bar Mitzvah and a large part of the congregation including the Rabbi had come to Israel for the occasion. The METNY kids on my trip saw many people we knew. There was also a Shabbat Chattan that weekend for a Nativ and Hechalutzim Seminar staff member that many people involved with USY were attending. During ruach that evening, the atmosphere was much more mellow, not only because the Shabbat was leaving us, but because we all knew that soon we would be leaving Israel.

Jews always have a special connection. We have a connection to our heritage, to each other, and to our land. One of the best things about pilgrimage was seeing this connection in the flesh. From a newly discovered Jewish teen in Poland, to an American kid having his Bar Mitzvah in Israel, every single Jew we met, we somehow connected to, more often than not, because of the Shabbat. Shabbats on pilgrimage were incredible times of connection. During that last ruach session we were sad because we were leaving Israel, we were leaving our home. But still, we all knew that the connections we discovered would never be forgotten and that we would return to our home, to Eretz Israel soon.

=> Back to more Pilgrims' Stories