Hello everyone!  It has been a little over a week since my last post  and there is a significant amount of information to share with you.  On June 3, I landed at Ben Gurion International Airport where I was enthusiastically greeted by my cousin Yoni and Uncle Brad.  It felt great returning to the land I love.  Shortly afterwards, we returned home to prepare for the holiday of Shavuot, which marks the anniversary of the day when God presented the Torah to the Jewish people assembled atop Mount Sinai.  My cousins and I made several homemade pizzas:

Of course they were very delicious!

Following dinner, we visited the Kotel where we learned about the meaning of Shavuot.  My Uncle walked through the meaning of the ten commandments of the Torah, providing a much more thorough understanding.  Nearly three hours later, we found ourselves walking back home as we became exhausted.  Celebrating Shavuot with family on my very first night was an incredible experience and I look forward to celebrating future Shabbats and holidays with them!

Now, fast-forward about a week.  On the morning of June 9, I traveled to the Bayit VaGan Youth Hostel where I met other Boston Onward Israel participants.  Among both Onward Israel and Career Israel, there must have been close to 200 participants in total.  I met groups from New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and Cincinnati!  Throughout the day, we got to know each other by the means of ice breakers and conversation.  As I am attending the Boston Onward Jerusalem trip, it is important to narrow the scope of the program down to nearly 55 people.

Each one of us is interning for the summer with organizations spread throughout the city of Jerusalem.  While each participant has a different internship for which they will be working, I will be working for the Jewish Community Centers Maccabi Teen Program, planning logistics for a total of six summer camps traveling around Israel this summer.  After looking over my work so far, it is clear that this summer will be very hectic and busy, however, it is bound to create an incredible environment where I will be able to improve my skills and expand my knowledge.