By Maya MacGregor
Staff Writer
Riding camels through the desert, floating in the Dead Sea and training with the Israeli army is not a typical summer for a Costa student, but junior Jordan Cohn went on this once-in-a-lifetime, month-long trip to Israel this past summer.
Cohn signed up for this excursion with friends that she met at Camp Hess Kramer through the North American Federation of Temple Youth. Cohn was given the option for this trip because at CHK there is a gap year between one’s last year as a camper and the time one becomes a counselor in training. She chose the Adventure Program, which takes members on a four-week summer journey.
“I have a better understanding of Israel and its history, which I was able to experience with my friends,” Cohn said.
Cohn swam in the Mediterranean Sea, hiked through the Negev desert and climbed Mt. Shlomo. She visited several places including the modern coastal city of Tel Aviv and the ancient city of Jerusalem.
“Everything is very safe and organized there,” Cohn said. “It doesn’t feel like there is a threat all the time.”
As a part of the Adventure Program, Cohn was able to choose a week-long special interest experience. Cohn trained at an army base where she learned how to shoot M-16’s, practiced the army crawl and camoflauge and ran eveywhere they went.
“It was incredible to see such camaraderie, and I don’t think I would have ever gotten to see and participate in such a physical and mental challenge anywhere else,” Cohn said. “It was the most challenging thing and rewarding thing I have ever done.”
According to Cohn’s parents, they sent her on this trip expecting her to gain new perspectives and more knowledge about Israel’s past and present.
“Jordan forged a deeper sense of understanding of what it means to be Jewish and learned to make positive personal choices while gaining independence traveling from home,” Cohn’s mother, Lora Cohn, said.
Cohn believes her trip changed her perspective on life. She connected with her friends from camp over this experience, and together they learned about their Jewish heritage. Cohn has decided to go back again to Israel next summer.
“It really changed my views of Israel after being immersed in their culture and seeing for myself what I’d been hearing and taught for so many years,” Cohn said. “Now I see why we practice our customs the way we do,” Cohn said.
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