Prior to my trip, I really had no “expectations” of what I’d get out of it, who I’d meet, what I’d learn, or how I’d feel. I heard people saying that the trip would help me feel more “connected to Judaism,” but I wasn’t even sure what this meant. In hindsight, I think I understand what they were trying to say a little bit better. This trip instilled in me a greater appreciation of the existence of a homeland for the Jewish people. I feel more connected to the successes and the struggles that Israel endures. My grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, reminds me of the grief and desperation that have filled the lives of so many Jews, and it is a privilege to have a nation we can truly call our own. I thank Taglit-Birthright for giving me the opportunity to understand what Judaism means to me and how it will continue to hold a very special place in my life.
~Andrew Dublin
Whitestone, NY
Engineering '15