Whoa, I'm officially a Jewish woman. Unlike most girls, who become women at age 12, I became a woman at 20. Slow development! In all seriousness, the ceremony was pretty nice. There was a synagogue within Jerusalem's Shalom Hotel – yes, that sounds cheesy to use a hotel's synagogue, but any nearby ones would've been filled with ultra-Orthodoxers – with a real nice Torah and all. I said the prayers, and gave a speech that made a ton of people at the service weep. So many people that I didn't know came up to me afterwards telling me how much it moved them, and hugged me. I felt like Obama! Basically, my speech, which I just gave off of the top of my head, explained why I never had real religious eduation growing up and how my tumultuous childhood kept me from ever feeling as if I belonged to any family, and how Israel made me feel that the Jewish people on a whole are my family at large. At the military cemetery at Mt. Herzl two days prior, our guide explained how immigrants came to Israel after the Holocaust with no family left whatsoever, and when the country was attacked upon declaring independence in 1948, they joined the army and fought like hell for a place where they belonged, knowing that they themselves were the only ones who would fight for them. I used this story, and some other choice stories of Jewish survival of hard times, as a metaphor for my move to New York on my own and how despite my circumstances, I've kept on fighting. I can't believe I got a standing ovation and affected so many people like that! Someone even said I oughta run for politics. Shucks.

Later Saturday evening, we went to Ben Yehuda market and I picked up some souvenirs. I also got a cup of mint tea at a street cafe – they put real mint leaves in the tea here, and that amazes me. Sunday wasn't as comforting, when we walked to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial. I keep thinking about specific events, such as when 100,000 Jews and Ukrainians were slaughtered wholesale and thrown into the Babi Yar ravine in Kiev (thank you, Great-Grandpa Benny for fleeing Kiev in 1913 so you weren't one of them!), and the meticulously planned death factories such as Treblinka. There were disturbing images of starved, skeleton-like survivors taken by the Americans upon liberation, and films of hundreds of dead bodies being shoved by a plow into a mass grave. What shook me the most were the films of Jewish communities prior to the Holocaust, and the personal belongings of the victims. I saw movies of children dancing and singing, and of couples ice skating together, as well as wallet photographs of happy families. For the life of me, I cannot comprehend what could possess human beings to do this to other human beings. I held back my tears until we reached the children's memorial and saw pictures of little ones who had been exterminated. It absolutely broke my mind, and I wept bitterly, full of anger. I can't even properly express how I feel in writing – fucking Nazis. Motherfucking Nazis. That's all I can say.

That day, after lunch, we drove up to the wall between the Israeli and Palestinian territories on the West Bank, where there were bullet holes riddling the houses nearby. It wasn't a planned excursion by any means, but our guide wanted to take us outside of our comfort zones, and it was interesting to stand somewhere where a year ago, I'd have been killed. The wall was unfinished in this area, and I was able to stand on the hill overlooking the Palestinian settlements. I always thought when hearing about Arab and Palestinian settlements and villages that they'd be made up of shoddy shacks, but they're actually rather nice Mediterranean-style houses with pink roofs. Those West Bank settlements really looked like the wealthy suburbs of South Florida, and that's food for political thought. Either way, it's strange how this country is such a war zone, when aside from the occasional pockmarked wall, it's serene and beautiful in the majority of places. Quite the paradox.

In the evening, Taglit Birthright held the “Mega Event 2008”. There were 7,000 Jewish young adults from all over the world, gathered in a small stadium. Finally, I learned about the philanthropists who made this free trip possible for so many people. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who will likely resign soon due to a corruption scandal, addressed the audience on how he hopes they love Israel, and that Israel loves them. The event was also host to fireworks, great singers, and surprisingly non-cheesy sing-a-longs about peace in English and Hebrew. Something unsavory unfortunately occurred, and but I'll put it in another post. Regardless, there's something to be said for singing John Lennon's "Imagine" alongside thousands of others on a lovely summer's night in Jerusalem.

Monday morning made me feel really warm and fuzzy, when we volunteered at the Hazon Yeshaya soup kitchen. The kitchen caters to Jews, Arabs, and anyone else alike, feeding those from poor children to Holocaust survivors. I peeled a ton of potatoes in the kitchen, while others helped prepare food. We then left Jerusalem for the two hour drive north to Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. I learned how to control the media with Jewish magic! Just kidding – we walked around the Old City, its artists' colony, and its synagogues. There were a lot of Orthodox families with little children dressed all orthodox, and it was strangely adorable. I bought a really sweet glass hookah for quite cheap, and it'll look nice for show. Safed is a myriad of alleyways connecting the streets and buildings, and I loved exploring where scholars have tried to unlock the secrets of the universe for centuries. Kabbalah is hard to explain but it goes way beyond Madonna's little red bracelets. I don't know how to define Kabbalah, but Wikipedia probably does a good job. Our guide said it was like taking the blue pill in the Matrix. In the evening, we drove to Tiberias, near the border with Lebanon, and near the gorgeous Sea of Galilee. I wish I had more to write, but the second we got back to the hotel, I ate some hummus and passed out cold in my bed. Israel is exhausting!

Tuesday, was unfortunately the last day of our stay, but definitely one of the best. The group drove up to the Golan Heights, an area disputed with Syria during 1967's Six Day War. Despite 41 years passing, there were still acres upon acres of minefields remaining, some with cows lazily grazing. During the war, Syria violated the Geneva Accords by never giving Israel the map of where it planted its mines, so Israel can only suspect certain areas of mine activity and close them off. However, since they're merely suspected, and the wild grasses grow free, the cows are allowed to wander about. I suppose if one blew up, you could wait by the side of the fence with a bun in hand. Har har. At a monument site, our group stopped for a conversation about relating to Israel and what it is to feel safe or endangered. After mentioning some of the things I've dealt with in life, that's when I had the epiphany I posted about earlier. It was a beautiful thing. We worked our way up a hill by the border with Syria where they invaded Israel in 1973, and explored an abandoned army bunker. Living underground while defending your country from attackers is probably not quite fun, at least from what I saw. Next, we proceeded to the Tel Dan Nature Reserve, a fantastic park with babbling brooks and canopies of plant life. It's amazing that Israel is the only country with more trees now than it had 100 years ago. The hike was short, but I was equipped with good sandals I'd bought at a shoe factory we'd stopped at prior. The shoes were made on a kibbutz, which is a communal settlement where one gets free food and shelter in exchange for work. Those sound real neat, and a good back-up plan in case for some reason I need to get out of America, i.e. if McCain wins. I never actively disliked him until he voted against the Fair Pay Act, stating that women ought to have better skills and training and that's why there shouldn't be a law guaranteeing equal pay between the genders for the same job. I believe this action makes him an enormous jerk. I'm (mostly) kidding about fleeing America, but eh, if I could peel all those potatoes, I could make a pair of shoes.

From the nature reserve, we trekked to a nearby outdoorsy entertainment park, I tried my hand at kayaking for the first time and absolutely loved it. Everyone had the opportunity to kayak or raft down the Jordan River, and my friend Sharon and I tried our hand at a two-girl kayak. I'd never kayaked before in my life, so I was scared I'd make a huge mistake such as flipping it over. In actuality, our teamwork was supreme and we were able to complete the course without running into anything (save for other kayaks and rafts, when the river was narrow) or any other issues. The best part was when the rapids got a hold of our kayak for a minute and they sent us zipping down the riverbank. We surprisingly finished before most people, alongside the athletes. I'm no athlete, but I guess I've got more strength and stamina than I thought. Excellent!

When we finished kayaking, there was a stopping point with a rock climbing wall, archery, and a zip line. I donned a harness, climbed five stories on a ladder, and zip lined across the river's tributary to the other side. Zip lining is when you grab hold on to a handle attached to a cable spanning a wide length, grip it, jump, and zoom down the cable while flying in mid-air. It was absolutely amazing, even though my bikini bottom fell off a bit when I hit the water. I love how Israel made me realize that nature is awesome, and there's so much to do outside that I oughta get up and do. Once I get back to New York, I'm going to check out what's available in the area (even though it's Manhattan, I wouldn't mind taking the Metro North railroad upstate), and go do it. My muscles are aching, but Israeli food and all of the activities have done my body a world of good. Now I really understand why you can't get a bacon double cheeseburger here!

On Wednesday morning, we packed up to head back to Tel Aviv to catch the flight back to New York. I wasn't in good spirits about it, and even now, writing from New York, my heart longs to be back in Israel. On the 3 hour drive down from Tiberias, we stopped at Caesarea National Park, a Phoenician settlement from the third century that passed between Jews and Romans and was home to gladiator events and Dionysian orgies. The waters of the Mediterranean were of the bluest blue I've ever seen against the backdrop of the ruins, and I thought of Hannah Szenes and her Caesarea-inspired poetry and songs. Hannah Szenes was a Hungarian Jew who risked her life by joining the British Army and parachuting into Yugoslavia to save the Jews of Hungary from deportation to Auschwitz. She was tortured and executed by a firing squad at only 22 years old, and refused to wear the blindfold when the Nazis shot her. From “A Walk to Caesarea (Eli Eli)”, which you might be familiar with because of Regina Spektor's version: “My God, My God, I pray that these things never end, the sand and the sea, the rustle of the waters, lightning of the Heavens, the prayer of Man”. At Caesarea, it all made sense.

I'm going to miss Israel pretty badly, but one day I might return. Birthright was an amazing experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone with one drop of Jewish blood. Of course, I recommend Israeli to anyone of any ethnicity, but Birthright is 100% free for anyone wishing to travel to the land of milk and honey. If you're eligible, you should definitely go. It's a beautiful thing that philanthropists have funded, and won't brainwash you or necessarily help you find God or make any sort of breakthrough, but will certainly awe you in every way and steal a little piece of your heart. It was an incredible, life-changing experience, and I found spirituality and personal identity. Pictures soon! I'm not sure how to say goodbye to this journal and conclude my writings again, but I think Wikipedia might have the answer.

Shalom (שָׁלוֹם) is a Hebrew word meaning peace, Nothing missing, Nothing broken, wellbeing, and complete, and used to mean hello, and goodbye. As it does in English, it can refer to either peace between two entities (especially between man and God or between two countries), or to the well-being, welfare or safety of an individual or a group of individuals. It is also used as a greeting to either say hello or farewell, and is found in many other expressions and names.

Shalom, Israel!