Gilad is home and I am home.

Every time I tell someone that I'm an olah chadasha (new immigrant), they tell me that I came at an exciting time.  But the truth is, life is never boring in this country.  I just got back from Regba after being away since last Wednesday, and it feels good to be home.  On Wednesday, I met up with a friend of mine from Young Judaea who I always looked up to.  Teddy made Aliyah last week, and I went with him to Beit Tzipporah (aka his family's apartment in Jerusalem) to spend Simchat Torah. We did a little shul hopping, met some religious Americans, and then went to yet another Judaean's apartment for the chag.  Steve is also  Teddy's age (25), from Young Judaea and made Aliyah three years ago.  After dinner, we decided to turn the chag into a secular one, and we went out to a few bars and I even got into the King David Hotel! (A story for another time...)

It felt good to be with some Judaeans.  After all, Young Judaea is the reason why I made Aliyah.  It is really great to be able sit and talk with some Zionists who think like me, in terms of my idealism (not so ideal anymore) and in terms of Zionist thinkers (gotta love me some Golda and Herzl).  Not only do I owe my Zionism to Young Judaea, as well as my Aliyah, but I also must say that almost my entire base of friends in Israel is because of Young Judaea:  I've got old counselors, co-counselors, fellow campers, and of course, my incredible scouts on year course.  I have Year Course teachers, machon leaders, and Israelis that came to camp for a summer and who now offer me the shirt off their backs.  I would be miserable and lonely and in America if it weren't for Young Judaea.  It only makes me hope that the relationship I built with my campers affects them as much as my relationship with my counselors affected me.  I know that I'm not done giving back to YJ, but I hope that what I have done thus far is enough to sustain me until after the army.  Not to mention, I'm going to be in the education unit in the army and I plan on writing some kick ass peulot that, obviously, I learned how to write in Young Judaea...

Anywho...I'm starting to really feel acclimated in this country.  It feels like I never left.  And it's an incredible country to be a part of.  When Gilad came home, and we were all watching on television, I could only imagine how many people were glued to the TV.  This country is a giant family, with an infinite number of opinions and beliefs, but nonetheless a family.  I now am privileged to be a part of it.  I keep getting asked by friends in America what I think about the Gilad Schalit deal.  I like to think that my thoughts haven't changed, but being here and being drafter in a month really has cemented my thoughts on the matter.  Yes, it is really terrible that we had to give 1000 prisoners back in order to get Gilad Schalit back.  But I would expect Israel to do the same to any of the boys in my garin (g-d forbid), any of my friends, brothers, neighbors, and eventually my sons.  It is true that these terrorists may become terrorists again, but regardless, when our boys show up on the day of their draft, they are promising to protect this nation and the Jewish people no matter what it takes. For three years they do whatever it takes to keep this country safe.  The least we can do it promise them that we will try whatever we can to make sure they come back home safe and alive.  It's a simple request, and one that I truly believe needs to be granted for every soldier that fights in the IDF.

This chofesh/chag, it felt good to be home.  It felt good to be in Israel, it felt good to be with friends and loved ones, and it felt good to be home.  Making Aliyah and joining the army really is a dream, and I am floating on the clouds...at least until I arrive at basic training! :)

Fresh start!

A month from today, I will be joining the Israeli Defense Forces.  Slowly, slowly, it has begun to sink in that despite the fact that this is my dream, I am about to give up my life and my free will for the next two years.  When I am released from the army, I will be 25.  That's really old.  And though people tell me that it isn't that old, and I have my whole life ahead of me, I can't  help but panic a little bit.  My friends in America will be in law school, or med school, or will be climbing the ladder in the work world.  I'm going to have to start from scratch and decide what I want to do with my life.  I'm trying to think like an Israeli--one step at a time.  What's the rush to start my life?  But as hard as I try to think like an Israeli, I can't get past the idea that the next two years are going to be long and challenging and probably the hardest thing I've done so far.  

This past week has been a particularly difficult one for me and it was a slap in the face.  My garin gave me the support I needed, but I still felt isolated and alone.  I've only been here for 2 months!  We're all still learning a lot about each other, and figuring out what each person needs.  All I wanted was to be at home in America with my friends.  Though I reached out to my friends in America and some of them responded with texts and calls and emails, some of my closest friends have barely responded.  It was because of this that I realized that I need to jump into this thing head first.  Its not that I want to forget my American friends, because I love them dearly (really...I love you guys to the moon and back) but they aren't going to be here.  They won't be able to hug me, or go out with me for my birthday.  They can't sit with me when I'm sad, and they can't just pick up the phone to call like it's nothing.  I live in Israel, now.  I need to focus on building my life here, and make all of my decisions based on what I want as opposed to my relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. (Even though those are obviously important, too).

This is a fresh start.  For me, this week helped me realize a lot of things, though it will take time to get used to them.   Garin Regba is my family, Moshav Regba is my home, and the army is my life for the next two years.  I can't wait to begin my two year service in the army, and there is nobody I would rather go through it with than with my Garin. 

Gilad Schalit!

This is an op ed I just wrote for the BU newspaper...I really hope that they print it in the paper, but I wanted to share my thoughts!

My name is Arielle Adler.  I am BU alumni.  I graduated from the School of Education in May 2011 and in August, I picked up my entire life and moved to the State of Israel to join the Israeli Defense Forces.  I did not know how much my life and my studies at BU would affect my life here in the Middle East.  I did not realize that I was going to be placed in the Education unit in the army, and I was going to be able to use my degree to teach soldiers about their country, about the heroes who have fallen in battle, and about the struggles Israel faces every day.  Since I’ve been here, there have been multiple terrorist attacks, threats of a third intifada, and just now, rumors of a  kidnapped soldier, Gilad Schalit, coming home.

            Needless to say, it has been a pretty busy couple of months adjusting to my new life.  My adjustment period is almost over.  My draft date is November 16^th, and I am ready and excited to go into the Defense Forces armed with my BU education on how to be a good teacher.  But more than that, I am ready to make a difference.  Being a student at Boston University taught me that we really do need to take a stand on something…whether it is composting in the GSU or rallying for Darfur.   As I sit by my radio anxiously waiting to hear the news about the deal Israel has made with Hamas to bring Gilad Schalit home, I think about how lucky I was to go to BU.  I understand compassion because of the friends I made there, I understand the meaning of hard work, and most importantly, I understand why we need to change the world.  Enjoy Boston University, guys…but don’t forget that the rest of the world is waiting for you to change it.