Young Judaea Year Course - Program In Israel - Genna Morton - "Good Food, Good Company, Good Time"

While waiting to join the country club in Holon that we fondly refer to as "the gym," I turned on my friend Ally's iPod and blasted the song "Fergalicious" into my ears. Now, it's basically impossible for me to listen to this song without dancing. So I started doing a little jig in my chair, and my friends looked away and pretended they didn't know me. All of a sudden, my madricha (guide, or counselor), Mara, called my name from across the room. I looked up, slightly embarrassed, thinking she was going to make fun of me for having my own private dance party, or at least tell me to stop. I saw that she held a phone in her hand, and cautiously walked over.

"Someone wants to talk to you," she said. "Seriously?" I asked. I assumed the caller was going to tell me to keep the dancing to myself, alone, in my room. "Seriously," Mara said, and I took the phone.

As it turns out, I was not being chastised for being a free spirit. I was being invited to a dinner organized by Hadassah (The Women's Zionist Organization of America), and a fancy one at that. A group of ladies and gentlemen in Hadassah from my area of Nassau County, N.Y., were coming to Israel for a few weeks. Hadassah wanted them to meet the 14 out of 494 Year Coursers who were from the area. As you can assume, I felt privileged to be invited to such an event because honestly, when would there be another opportunity to get an amazing meal for free?

When I arrived at the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv, after a somewhat confused expedition involving me asking a police officer for directions, I didn't know what to expect. I'd never been to a Hadassah event before, although my mother mentioned to me that Hadassah was known for hosting ladies of the older sort. However, as soon as I walked into the lobby, two lovely women asked me if I was from Year Course, and then exclaimed how excited they were that I could make it. I felt welcomed already.

When I walked into the dining room I was still somewhat shocked to behold gray hair as far as the eye could see. Each Year Courser, and there were about nine who attended, was supposed to sit at a different table and talk to the guests about his or her experience on the program so far. I was led to a table that had only one woman sitting at it, but she kindly introduced herself and said the rest of the table would be arriving shortly. I smiled and excused myself to get a plate (oh fine, two) of the amazing dinner that awaited. It was basically a buffet sent from above for a girl who has to do all her own cooking (cereal, anyone?).

The other guests had arrived and introduced themselves. They asked me all about the program and talked about their upcoming tour around Israel. They had just arrived earlier that day. As the meal wore on, I began to realize that I enjoyed something else even more than the food: the company of the Hadassah members. Yes, most of them were grandmothers, but they were all so excited to be in Israel and to hear that someone like me, a teenager, was spending nine months of her life in this wonderful country.

Hadassah had also hired a singer and keyboardist to provide an hour of nonstop music. Almost everyone in the room got up and began to dance. There were many hora circles spinning around the room, and you can bet the Year Coursers were part of them. There was so much energy, considering all the guests were jetlagged travelers. But their enthusiasm for being in the country couldn't be dimmed.

When I think of this night again, I think of something Mara told me over the phone on the way to the hotel. "There are not many times on Year Course where you will be spoiled," she said, "so enjoy it." I was spoiled that night, and did I enjoy it! I had excellent food (that I even managed to bring home to my ever-grateful roommates), partners for my dance party, but most important, I was able to be a part of the beginning of the guests' trip through Israel. And that is almost as exciting as my own beginning here.

Young Judaea Year Course: Check out our Program in Israel