Keeping up with the senior Israel trip has never been easier. Since the senior class’s arrival in Israel on Feb. 23, senior Matt Litman, with the help of some classmates, has been documenting the trip through a video blog. Every day of the trip, Litman brings along his Canon s120 camera. He shoots scenery, catches clips of his classmates boarding buses and then selects the best moments to be featured on the video blog.

Litman has been posting the videos to a Youtube channel called “The15raelVlogs.” Collectively, the seven posted videos have gained over 4,300 views.

Litman felt that the Israel trip was a perfect opportunity to develop his passion for photography and videography, which he previously never had an opportunity to do.

“Until then, I was in school all day, and there was nothing exciting,” Litman said. “But on this trip, you’re pretty much doing something new every single day.”

According to Litman, the video blogs have benefitted his Israel experience and encouraged him to take more risks. Earlier this week, Litman was hesitant to jump off a small cliff into frigid water, as some classmates had done, but changed his mind and decided to jump when he thought “no! you might get a really cool shot for the vlog.’”

Nevertheless, Litman said that the video blogs have been a “hassle” to create. The busy schedule of the trip has made uploading the videos on a regular basis very difficult. Furthermore, the wifi in the seniors’ dorms is turned off at 11 pm every night, leaving very little time for Litman to prepare and upload the videos. “I just hope people enjoy them because it makes getting that perfect shot all the more worth it,” Litman said.

Just as Litman hoped, many parents and students appreciate the videos.

“It is fun for parents and family to be able to see the amazing experiences. I think it will be nice for the kids to look at the videos many years from now. It’s a great way to capture extraordinary life events,” senior parent Rich Handloff wrote in an email.

Handloff believes that the video blog is a “great way for underclassmen to get a glimpse into the opportunities that are in the future,” but this is the very reason junior Mayan Beroukhim refrains from watching them. She is afraid that they will detract from the “element of surprise” that comes with the senior experience.