Thursday, June 10, 2010

Closing Thoughts from the "No Whining" Department

To all,

Well...it's been a pleasure. Being a recent Penn grad, I am proud of how passionate everyone acted during these ten days. It seems to me that one thing Penn kids always seem to struggle with is apathy. This trip had no apathy. I hope that everyone returns to the dinner table rife with stories, experiences, feelings, and most importantly pride.

I shared these two lessons with the group as our trip ended, and I briefly wanted to share it with y'all:

1) Israel is alive. This place is as exciting as it has been in the past 4,000 years. I would argue that what happens tomorrow is more important than anything in the past. For parents etc. that haven't had the chance to get to Israel, I echo what I guarantee your children will say: come. For those who have come, come back.

2) Do something. Penn students certainly are predisposed to study everything. It's all about careful analysis and decision making. This country was built and still stands on a principal of action. The single most salient characteristic of our Jewish brothers and sisters over here is the ability to act!

I'm not quite sure what exactly happened over here in Israel, but something important occurred. This transformation may have been like a flash flood from the Negev or the percolation of the instant coffee maker that made our trip possible every morning, but there is no doubt that this was a week and a half of change. I implore everyone to pick your kids' minds for everything, especially the little things.

Once again, your kids are awesome, and it's been a blast.

Peace,

Eli Robinson
Not a Counselor

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