To many, the chance to leave the country for three weeks, possibly for the first time, and host a foreigner in their own home can be terrifying. Having experienced the role of a "foreigner", I can say that it is terrifying on both sides. For the weeks preceding the Seminar, Nitay and Juliet continuously spoke about how life-changing the coming weeks would be. Little did we know just how right they were and how much our views could change. Be it the tipping point of awkward beginnings to lasting friendships, or the true sense of community and belonging, the entire NAS was a life changing experience for all involved.
I shared many astonishing experiences with the other Dillers; each one challenged and reshaped me in amazing ways. For me, the first meaningful experience during the seminar was when all of the American's jumped out of the closets and surprised the Israelis when they first arrived. The looks and faces I saw will forever be in my memory. The second meaningful experience for me was during the Shabbaton at Fairview Lake; there was a moment where I sat down on the corner table in the main lobby and simply looked around. What I observed was not two groups trying to mesh together, but a single group of people. The third meaningful experience for me was during the Shabbaton as well. During Shabbat dinner, I moved around to many different spots at the tables. The sheer diversity among the opinions and views of everybody was astounding.
Throughout the fourteen days of the seminar I consistently felt as though I belonged not to a collaboration between two different cultures, but to a living breathing family. Each day brought with it an extreme sense of pluralism and community; shared experiences both good and bad helped create the now unbreakable bond between each and every member of the family. Expanding on a previous memory, I took some time during the Shabbaton at Fairview Lake to see down in the corner and observe everyone within the main lobby. I watched as each pair, each large group of people playing a game, each small group having an emotion filled mini-ma’agal. The sheer diversity of the people in the group played an integral role in the immediate fusion of the two cohorts.
Personally, I have never had a more eye-opening and life changing experience than the North American Seminar. The bonds I have made with my fellow Dillers have helped me get through hard times and supported me through any and all of my endeavors. Be it a crying-filled circle of emotions, or a borderline anarchy that threatened to drive our counselors insane, the NAS was an experience that will forever be a part of my memory and shape how I will conduct myself both presently and in the future.
-Ross Levin
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