Chi Omega at the University of Florida: Rachel's Birthright

Shalom! I recently returned home from an amazing 10 day trip to Israel. Finally being 18 allowed me to take advantage of the all expense paid 10-day Israel trip through Taglit-Birthright. This trip is for people ages 18-26 that have a Jewish heritage. I went through Chabad at UF which means I was with 39 other UF students who are now some of my closest friends. We started out at the north of Israel in the beautiful Golan Heights and made our way south as the 10 days progressed, concluding our trip on the beach in Tel Aviv. Each day we woke up at 7 and were non-stop hiking and doing activities until dinner time. It was very exhausting but extremely worth it. The first day we hiked the Jilabun water hike which was a hike that ended at a beautiful waterfall. Jerusalem was one of the most amazing cities we visited in Israel. We visited the Western Wall, also known as the Kotel both during the day and later that night for Shabbat. It was an amazing experience and so much fun. That same day we received 8 soldiers that stayed with us for 5-days. In Israel everyone is required to go into the army at age 18. This was so surreal for us because all of the soldiers are our age but fighting for their country instead of going to college. All of the soldiers were awesome and so similar to us. That same day we did an underground water tunnel hike. This was extremely scary because our tour guide would not allow us to use flashlights. This hike was in the complete darkness in an underground tunnel where the water reached as high as our thighs. This experience made all of us on the trip much closer and bonded our friendship. The last day of the trip we ended in Tel Aviv, this city was a lot of great shopping and beaches. I advise anyone who ever has the opportunity to see Israel to definitely go! I know that this is an experience I will cherish for a lifetime.

 Love,

 Rachel Levine