February 6, 2013 | Hillel Blog
My name is Omer Hacohen and I'm an Israeli soldier.
I am 20 years old and
have been living in Tel Aviv my whole life. I'm going to be released from the
Army in about a week, and just two weeks ago, I had the most amazing experience
of my entire life.
Since the moment I was drafted, I knew I wanted to be
on a Taglit-Birthright Israel: Hillel trip, not only for the trip itself, but
for the adventure of meeting a new group of people that weren't even from
Israel. I insisted on going, and finally got in. I was so thrilled! I thought it
would be really fun and wanted to take a break from everything.
The
moment I stepped on that bus, I knew: something amazing has just begun. The
Americans clapped and cheered for each of us (we were eight soldiers), and we
immediately blended in the group. The next five days were all about getting to
know each other, our shared Jewish heritage and Israel.
Although I have
lived in Israel almost all my life, with the exception of a little two-year
break in Tulsa, OK, I rediscovered my country and my Judaism.
Read the full post at The Hillel Blog