Edition 2 - First Weeks Abroad
The Journey to Germany (and beyond)
Berlin, Germany
Berlin was filled to the brim with great food, better people, and lots of learning. I arrived in Germany on September 7th after a full day of flying, but with so much to see, I began my touring. Knowing that Germany is a historic center for WWII, a majority of my museum visits and tours surrounded this theme. Overall it was a heavy visit, but I had a very meaningful trip and met wonderful people along the way. Some highlights from Berlin:
A look through The House of the Wannsee Conference. The Wannsee Conference was the meeting held by Nazis in 1942 where they discussed the Final Solution to the Jewish Question. The house now serves as a museum and walks through how this meeting came to be and how the Nazi plan was put into place.
A free walking tour of Berlin filled with history where I met some fantastic solo travelers that would make some additional appearances throughout the rest of my time in Germany.
Shabbat dinner at the Chabad Berlin Alexanderplatz followed by a spontaneous midnight walking tour led by an LA native who moved to Berlin 12 years ago. Participants of this spontaneous tour included a small group of solo travelers and locals alike, somehow ending with a gorgeous view of the city from the top of Berlin’s Soho House.
Saturday morning was spent at Oranienburger Strasse Synagogue, a gorgeous Masorti (Conservative) synagogue in Berlin that now mainly functions as a museum to the public but services the Egalitarian Jewish community on Shabbat.
A Sunday Flea Market trip and a Silent Film Festival with some solo traveling friends.
A heavy and emotional tour of the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, the 2nd concentration camp created in Europe and the home of the first gas chamber.
Israel
After a heavy and history filled 5 days in Berlin, my travels took me to Israel - Jerusalem first and then Tel Aviv. I specifically wanted to be in Jerusalem for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) to ring in 5784 in a special way. With Jerusalem being such an important city for the 3 Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity), my hostel was filled with passionate and spiritual travelers from across the globe. Following Rosh Hashanah, I ventured over to Tel Aviv for a couple of days to meet with some old friends who have been living in Israel and meet with a few Yahel Fellows that had already arrived. Some highlights from Israel (so far):
Made some quick friends in my hostel on Day 1 in Jerusalem and had a fun night out in Machane Yehuda.
Yet another free walking tour, this time in the Old City of Jerusalem where we spent some time learning about each of the Quarters, the size of the populations, and which sites are important and holy to each group. This was, of course, followed by my first Israeli falafel of the year!
A solo trip to Gazelle Valley to be closer to nature, get my sweat on, and make friends with some adorable galloping animals.
Rosh Hashanah in Jerusalem in many different forms complete with: Friday night services at Kehilat Har-El (a Reform Synagogue nearby my hostel), Rosh Hashanah dinner hosted by my hostel, Saturday morning services at The Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center (also home of the Conservative Yeshiva), and a calm and personal experience at The Kotel on Sunday morning.
A coffee date and dinner date with two separate friends from California who both happen to be living in Tel Aviv.
Some delicious, fluffy pancakes with great company and then an unofficial meeting with a few Yahel fellows who happened to be staying in TLV prior to the program starting!
What’s Next
Tomorrow, September 20th, I’ll officially meet with the full 2023-24 cohort for the Yahel Social Change Fellowship. I truly couldn’t be more excited to meet and get to know each of these 18 humans and begin an adventure of a lifetime alongside them. What will my first couple of weeks looks like on my new stomping grounds? Check back soon for more updates!
FAQs
Why am I getting this email?
At some point, you expressed interest in receiving email updates about my travels, experiences, and noshes so… welcome! While I am far away (physically) from most of my loved ones, these emails serve as a way to stay connected despite the change.
Why did you start these bi-weekly email updates?
Five years ago, I traveled to Israel for Birthright and an Onward Israel Internship program which lasted about two and a half months in total. While I was abroad, I decided to set up weekly email updates to my friends and family back home in the US to keep everyone in the loop on what I was up to and contain my thoughts and experiences in a sort of digital journal to look back on. Rereading these emails from many years ago allowed me to see myself at that point in time and note how I have changed and grown over the years. I hope to look back at this year’s editions with the same passion in the years to come.
What are you doing in Israel?
I am a ‘23-24 Fellow through The Yahel Social Change Fellowship. This fellowship focuses on volunteer work, learning, and cultural immersion. Throughout my time, I will be living in Lod (Southeast of Tel Aviv), working, and volunteering at various placements across schools, nonprofits, and grassroots organizations, all while learning about creating sustainable social change in this community and others. Alongside 18 other fellows from 8 different countries, this fellowship is diverse and brings people with similar passions together to learn, grow, and create community.
How long will you be there for?
The fellowship program begins on September 20, 2023 and ends on June 30, 2024 - overall spanning 9-months.
What is your plan after the end of the program?
Contrary to my typical personality, I am trying very hard to not think about where I will be or what I will be doing a year from now. While a goal of mine has always been to merge together my passions for advertising and doing good, I know that this year will be very telling and changing for me. When there is an update to share on what’s next, I will! But for now, I am attempting to live in the moment and take this formative journey day-by-day.