From an early age, I knew Israel was an important place. My mother’s parents had both…
We asked recent alumnus, Nathan Tecotzky of Claremont, CA, what was the most important lesson you learned on Birthright Israel, and his answer is definitely worth sharing.
If there’s one major lesson I took away from going to Israel, it was the lesson of the importance of understanding.
I have friends from Syria and Lebanon. And I have friends from Israel. And I love all of them dearly. If we, as people, view ourselves as different from each other, it leaves room for discrimination and hatred and fighting. It leaves room for misunderstanding.
Regardless of how we look, dress, or what we believe in, we’re all human. That’s the most important thing to realize. Our differences are small, but our similarities are striking.
We all want love and peace and to be free from suffering.
But when we are fearful of each other because of simple misunderstandings, it’s dangerous.
For me, this trip made me realize that we all want peace. We just have a hard time trying to understand each other’s small differences.
To see more highlights from Nathan’s Birthright Israel trip check out his YouTube video.
Are you a Birthright Israel alumni? Then we want to hear what you learned on Birthright Israel! Click here to share your experience!
