As senior Yedidya Milner-Gillers leads Kabbalat Shabbat on a Friday night at the Kotel in Jerusalem, Jews of all denominations, ranging from chassidim to secular Jews, started dancing with his grade. He felt that it was energizing to have many different Jews all celebrating together in “the holiest place in the entire universe.” This was one of Milner-Gillers’ many highlights from the Irene and Daniel Simpkins Senior Capstone Israel Trip.
The Class of 2025 embarked on their three-month journey to Israel and Eastern Europe on Feb. 23. This trip is a culmination of seniors’ learning, and a way to experience the ancient and modern Jewish history they learned about throughout their time at JDS.
“I think it makes history more real when you’re able to see the sites you’re talking about and learning about,” Jewish History Department Chair Rachel Bergstein, who accompanied the seniors in Eastern Europe, said. “I think that’s a lot of what [the seniors] do on their Israel trip.”
Since 1978, JDS seniors have graduated in February and spent their second semester in Israel, learning and participating in Israeli culture. The trip is in partnership with the Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI), a high school study-abroad program where “the land of Israel is a living classroom,” a phrase used by multiple organizations to describe the program.
After landing in the Ben Gurion airport, the seniors met their madrichim (counselors) and headed to the AMHSI campus in Hod HaSharon, where they would live for most of the next three months. Milner-Gillers finds the madrichim to be funny and helpful.
“They really care about us doing the right thing and us having a good time,” Milner-Gillers said. “They go out of their way to change the schedule with the things that we want to do. They’re all awesome.”
For the rest of the first week, the seniors explored sites and adjusted to life in Israel. They met their AMHSI teachers and journeyed to Yaffo, Hezekiah’s tunnel, Shuk Machaneh Yehudah, and more. They also woke up early to climb Masada, an ancient fortress.
“Even though waking up early wasn’t fun, it was really amazing to see the view and to know that you’re in it together with your grade,” senior Samantha Shapiro said.
Every day, the seniors depart the AMHSI campus and board buses to explore the country, volunteer, and learn. Some activities they have done include group bonding, discussions, and various hikes. Most days, the seniors are given choices of different activities for them to do that day, each of different physical demands.
The seniors also participated in “Your Way,” a program where they each chose an Israeli life track from “Arts and Culture,” “Outdoor Adventure,” and “Entrepreneurship.” The last two included an opportunity to participate in Israeli Defense Force (IDF) training. “We’ve been all over Israel,” Milner-Gillers said. “We’ve had an incredible experience [we’d] never had before.”
As a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, different aspects of the trip have been added. Seniors went to the city of Sderot and the site of the Nova music festival near the Gaza border, which was devastated by Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. They spoke with survivors, learned about life in the aftermath of the attack, and honored those who were murdered. The seniors lined the streets of Sderot, saying “slicha” (sorry in Hebrew). This was a part of the funeral respects for children Kfir and Ariel Bibas (z”l) and their mother Shiri Bibas (z”l), Kibbutz Nir Oz hostages who were murdered in Hamas captivity and returned for burial after 504 days. Many seniors also participated in a 10k race to honor the memory of JDS alumnus Omer Balva ‘19 (z”l), who was killed on Oct. 20, 2023 while serving in the IDF reserves.
“It was amazing to see the number of people that were there and wanted to be there and excited to be there in his memory,” Shapiro said. The seniors have also had many opportunities to explore and practice Judaism together.
As a part of the spirituality portion of AMHSI’s program, teachers give shiurim (lectures on Jewishtopics) on different subjects. One subjects was the mitzvot of Purim, which fell on the trip, and in addition to learning, seniors dressed up, went to a party and listened to the megillah to celebrate.
Some seniors also daven every day, whether it be at their hotel, on the bus or at the kotel. On Shabbat, students attend a variety of synagogues throughout Israel and share meals together.
“Friday night davening has been insane,” Milner-Gillers said. “Every night, someone will lead it, usually me or [senior] Zev Mendelson, and the whole grade [starts] dancing like crazy, getting hyped, going on each other’s shoulders…It’s an incredible time.”
Exploring Eastern Europe
On March 17, the seniors departed for Eastern Europe and stayed for eight days before returning to Israel. This portion of the trip was focused on bearing witness to Jewish history and the Holocaust. They visited former concentration camps and ghettos such as Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Warsaw Ghetto. They also visited synagogues, cities, and other historical sights such as a 20th-century yeshiva in Lublin, Poland.
Bergstein said that many of the things they saw reflected the content taught in the “Modern Jewish History” course that is required for all sophomores. In this class, they learn about world Jewry from the Enlightenment through the Holocaust. In addition to this, Bergstein thinks it is important for students to learn about their families.
“One thing that was cool about the trip is that a lot of them [the seniors] had opportunities to share their family’s personal stories,” Bergstein said. “…both of people who had experiences in the Holocaust, but also people who had just lived in Poland prior to the Holocaust.”
“It was scary and it was difficult, but it felt really special and really important to kind of reclaim the memory and reclaim the history,” Shapiro said. “And like I was walking around with [an Israeli] flag tied around my shoulders. And that was so incredibly empowering. And it made me feel so connected to my history and it was amazing.”
