In early January our class went on a siyur to Mt. Herzl, Israel’s official state cemetery. I have been to Mt. Herzl many times, both with my family and Young Judaea’s Machon, and had very defined expectations. What I remember from my past experiences is going to see the graves of pioneers, prime ministers and paratroopers. I remember discussing Herzl’s vision of a Jewish State to shelter us from European hatred, and feeling warm and fuzzy about the whole thing. I was quite surprised when Rabbi Rob, our teacher, began discussing Ahad Ha’am, the as-of-yet unfamiliar (to me) stalwart of Cultural Zionism. We talked about modern Israel’s cultural, political, and religious aspects, debating how the current state embodied Herzl’s vision, Ahad Ha’am’s vision, and things that neither had anticipated.

After our discussion, we headed to the Herzl museum, which I found more engaging, although it certainly generated some cognitive dissonance. Looking back on the other times I had been to this museum, I don’t think I ever really paid much attention. However, this time I looked at the exhibits critically and was surprised to find that I already knew much of what I heard and saw. I found myself thinking that the information had been oversimplified and had skipped over important nuances. What I found disappointing is that I couldn’t learn any more from the material. It was too watered down.

In our discussion afterwards, Rabbi Rob told us that the museum was targeted at Israeli high schoolers that don’t know much about Israel’s history. I found it odd that my classmates and I, who grew up in the diaspora, knew more about the history of Israel than those living here. It saddened me that they needed such a simplified narrative that only scratches the surface to learn about their history, even if the narrative is important. I realized that I need to look to other venues to deepen my knowledge. I guess my Jewish education worked.

Year Course participant Hannah Newburger on a recent field trip.

Recently section two of Year Course was one of several MASA programs invited by the WZO to a field trip to Mount Herzl. While there, we learned about many famous Zionist leaders buried there including Yitzak Rabin, Golda Meir, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, and Theodore Herzl. It was beneficial to learn about such famous people in Israeli and global history because it makes us appreciate where we are living this year. Our tour guide showed us an article which related Rabin’s assassination to Gedaliah’s assassination because they were both killed by a fellow Jew.

Sitting in a graveyard filled with soldiers that have fought and died for a Jewish nation, got me thinking about what these soldiers were defending. Not only are they defending the righteousness of Israel, but of the Jewish people as well. After discussing this and learning more about Har Herzl, we met someone who made aliyah eight years ago and is now studying law at IDC. He shared his story with us about what it was like to be a lone soldier, which I’m sure went to the hearts of other people thinking of making aliyah. Later, there was a ceremony celebrating the seventh night of Hanukkah with other gap year programs from around the world. We celebrated with music, jelly donuts, and a visit from a minister of the government. It was such a great way to celebrate the festival of lights. We were surrounded by Jews our age from around the world all in Israel to study and learn for a year, at a place where some of the most iconic leaders in Israeli and Zionist history are buried.