Why the Skepticism?

As you can tell by the title of this blog, I have very mixed feelings about going on a Taglit trip to Israel. For many years, I was adamant that I didn't want to participate in the "Birthright" program (yes, the word "Birthright" will always be in quotation marks in this blog). It seemed to me like the whole purpose of these trips was to a) indoctrinate young American Jews into a very conservative one-sided view of Israeli politics and b) throw a bunch of young American Jews together in the hope that they will get married and have babies. Yes, this sounds dramatic, but from what I've heard, it's not too far off. Over the last few years, I've watched friends go on the trip and come back completely different people, not necessarily in a good way. There's something strange going on when otherwise intelligent people seem to lose their ability to critically analyze a situation from multiple sides. The word "brainwashing" comes to mind. I wanted to stay as far away from that as possible.

When I told friends I had decided to go on this trip, several people were shocked because I had been so vocal about not wanting to go. So what changed? Well, the bottom line is I'm 26 years old and, like many people my age, I'm really poor right now. I love traveling, but haven't been able to travel outside the U.S. since I was 18. I'll admit, the prospect of a free trip is what finally won me over.

So why am I still a skeptic? What could possibly be wrong with a free trip? Well, as a friend pointed out, nothing is really free. There are always hidden costs, and the main cost of this trip is that we will see the Israel that the Taglit organization wants us to see. I'm sure there will be lots of propaganda about the Arab "enemy," and I'm sure the Israeli army and government will be painted as perfect Jewish heroes who can do no wrong. I'm sure that "Israeli" will be defined as "Jewish," and that there won't be much discussion (if any at all) of the lived experience of non-Jewish Israelis. I'm sure that I will be offended many times by what I hear and experience on the trip.

HOWEVER...

I'm going to Israel! I'm going to see amazing sights, experience a different culture, go hiking and kayaking and camel riding, float in the Dead Sea, stay in a hotel right on the Mediterranean Sea...it's going to be awesome! I'm going to be lucky enough to share this experience with a wonderful friend from college and make fun new memories together. We're going to take fabulous pictures and have all the adventures and then come home and have incredible stories to tell. And at this point in my life, unlike when I was 18 and had just graduated high school, I feel confident enough in myself to know that I can take the Taglit message with a huge grain of salt. I definitely plan to make the most of this trip. Like every experience in life, I will take from it what is useful to me, and I will leave behind what is not. And I'll also take lots of pictures and post here a lot so you all can share my adventures too! Four days till departure!