Young Crowd, Old City: My First Rosh HaShana in The Holy Land

This time last year, I was one of the luckiest people in the world. I sat in Rosh HaShana services and thanked God that I had everything I needed: a warm home, plenty of food, family and friends who loved me, and support from an amazing community. This time last year, I also began to understand the inevitable heartache that unfortunately would be a by-product of my move to Israel, the loneliness that would accompany me as I left all that behind and followed my dreams. Sitting in synagogue knowing that just one year stood between me and a life that I had always dreamed of - but couldn't imagine - was the kind of terrifying that ties a knot in the pit of your stomach and gives you butterflies that you cannot explain.

Now, one year later, I am still one of the luckiest people in the world. Now, in addition to the wonderful life that continues to watch over me from America, I have a warm (literally and figuratively) home in Israel, I have plenty of delicious food, I have many families who care for me as if we were related by blood, and I have a community of people who are in the same exact position as me to offer me support. There is no easy way to leave the people you love and begin your life again, but I have this inexplicable feeling that everything is in my favor. This Rosh HaShana - with all of its crazy and meaningful and fun adventures - proved to me that my fears from last year were valid, but that everything is going to be OK.

The weekend started off last Thursday near Tel Aviv, when all of Garin Tzabar toured some kind of army facility to learn about the different jobs in the army (and no, I still don't know what I want to do for the next two years). From there, a few of my friends and I took a bus to Jerusalem, walked to a youth hostel to drop our stuff, and got front row seats to an amazing Idan Raichel concert for 100 shekel (where I took the attached pictures). We ended up pulling an all-nighter on the streets of Jerusalem and visiting the kotel (Western Wall) at 4 AM. Then, after spending a beautiful Shabbat with my friend Adir's family in Beitar Illit, I went back to Jerusalem to see some friends and spend Rosh HaShana with the Zeffs. The entire week was just as fast-paced as this one-paragraph summary makes it seem. It was all a blur of people and places, and it served as a comforting reminder that although I may not know exactly what's going on at any given moment, I'm still surrounded by things that make me happy. It was a wonderful way to bring in the new year, and I hope that the years to come are just as wonderful.

!שנה טובה ומתוקה לכולם

Have a happy and sweet New Year!

Idan Raichel

Front Row Seats, Baby!