With more people getting their booster shots, the organization AAA Travel expects over 109 million Americans to travel this winter break. The CESJDS community is no exception, multiple students plan to travel long distances over winter break, something they haven’t been able to do for well over a year. 

A year ago, freshman Josie Silverberg was limited to driving down to the Outer Banks for winter break due to the flying restrictions; however, this year she is traveling to California. 

“We might go to LA for a bit, and we are trying to go to the Christmas Lakers game which should be fun,” Silverberg said. 

Silverberg is excited to see her family in California as she has not been able to see them all that often, especially with COVID-19. However, with the rise in cases due to the Omicron variant, Silverberg is more hesitant about seeing her grandparents. 

“It could be a risk – it could be dangerous to visit them,” she said. “So we are still figuring out exactly what we are going to do. We might only see them with masks outside.”

Silverberg is not the only one traveling more this year compared to last year. Sophomore Ben Weiss is visiting Puerto Rico for the first time since COVID-19 began. 

“Last year everyone was really scared of [COVID-19], but now Puerto Rico is over 70% vaccinated, so it’s safer,” Weiss said. “We all got our boosters and everything, so we feel a lot safer going and traveling.” 

Weiss is looking forward to drinking mango smoothies and swimming in the big, rough ocean waves. 

“I’m going to Río Camuy Cave Park where I think we are going to explore a cave which will be really cool,” he said. “And then I am going to go to the beach.”

However, many JDS families are also staying put over winter break.

“I’m going to be with my wife and my little boy…,” English teacher Jonathan Rau said. “And we are going to go out and see things in the D.C. area and make day trips, that kind of thing.”

Jewish History Teacher Sara Coxe is also planning on staying home for winter break, but is still extremely excited.

“It is just nice to not think about school for a while,” Coxe said.