I really can't explain how important the OTZMA program was in the context of my life. After graduating college, I went on this 10-month journey (I actually stretched it to a year), and haven't been the same since. My connections to Israel and Judaism strengthened and I now see this experience as one of the important milestones in my life. Birth, College, OTZMA, Marriage, Children: It may sound like I am going over the top, but trust me, I'm not. The "X" means this was the 10th iteration of the program.
This photo (that's me in the back row/center - eyes closed, of course) was taken at the end of our initial 3-month stay at Kibbutz Ma'ayan Tzvi, where I volunteered as a gardener. No, not planting tomatoes like your grandma, but essentially landscaping and irrigating the entire kibbutz. I had a ball and was thankful I wasn't working down in the fish ponds.
My connection to the Land of Israel has only strengthened since 1996. I have returned numerous times, and was married in Haifa in 2002.
Later in the program I was stationed elsewhere in Israel, specifically Beit She'an in the North, but I often skipped out on my "duties" (volunteering at a school) to go have fun with my Israeli boss-turned-friend who lived down the road at Kibbutz Nir David.
I encourage any recent college grad to check out the program at www.otzma.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment