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By Talia Marcus

Billy plans our trip months in advance, and every day we follow the schedule telling us where to go and when. But sometimes events aren’t planned. The theme of today, (in addition to the overarching New York themes of Home and the American Dream), was The Unexpected. We started the day at the Sirius/XM radio studio, where we met Jim Rotolo who produces radio shows for Sirus/XM radio shows. Dave Marsh, host of “Kick Out The James” on Channel 30, had invited us to be on his radio show. Although Dave talked with a few Etgar 36 students, he focused on guest singer Maren Parusel and her band. They could really relate with the unexpected; last night their instruments were stolen out of their van. Regardless, the show went on—even when things go awry we must adjust to the circumstances. Although I left the studio disappointed Etgar 36 students didn’t get to speak more on the show, it was fun to hang out and observe a live recording.

After stopping for lunch in Grand Central station, we trekked to city hall. The journey was filled with unexpected surprises, from missing bags to broken shoes, to a slight subway mix-up. We eventually arrived at our destination, just in time to experience history. Today, July 24, 2011, is a historic day for the state of New York, because it is the first day same sex couples can be legally married. It was the perfect opportunity to be spontaneous, so we stood outside city hall, not exactly sure what we would find. Standing among an excited and vocal crowd, we watched couple after couple exit the big doors with rings on their fingers and marriage certificates in hand. It was the group consensus that this was the highlight of the day, and one of the best NY moments. We also spoke with a Rabbi who was outside offering to perform Jewish wedding ceremonies for any Jewish couple who had just been married in a civil ceremony.

After a weekend of long walks and subway hopping, it was a relief to finally reach the expected; our big blue bus with Robert at the wheel. Naturally, unexpected traffic hit so we took a spontaneous trip into Providence, Rhode Island for dinner. After the sweltering heat of New York, there was nothing better than sitting outside in the cool Rhode Island air. We arrived in Boston, wrapped up the NYC experience, and collapsed into bed, exhausted by another day on our great American journey

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By Ben Chasan

We woke up today in The City That Never Sleeps and caught the subway out to Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights. Obviously, there are some stereotypes associated with Crown Heights; even my mother texted me, “What are you going to do in Crown Heights on Shabbat?” However, it turns out that only 4% of Crown Heights’ population is Jewish; however, the Jewish population is so condensed in a very small area that stereotypes arise. We met Micah, who actually staffed the Etgar trip in 2010. Micah is a member of Avodah, a Jewish organization that works in American communities helping correct social issues. Currently, he is working in the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center. He spoke to us at the center about what his organization and the mediation center does. One thing that he said that stuck out for me was that instead of persecuting the people who commit the crimes, the center tries to root out the source of the violence, which I very much agree with. Micah then toured us around Crown Heights, and we were able see all of the diversity of the area, which is mainly African-American and West Indian (Jamaican, Dominican, etc.). It was truly amazing to see all of the work that the organization does to make sure that these communities understand each other and can coexist peacefully.

After our tour & talk, we again hopped on the subway and got off near Madison Square Garden, where we had some authentic New York Pizza at Pizza Suprema, which I think everybody enjoyed. After this delicious lunch, we made our way to Central Park, where we found Billy’s friend David Ippolito, who was playing classic rock hits on his acoustic guitar in the park every Saturday for the past 20 summers. It was nice to have a few hours to relax, sleep, and listen to some great music. We then walked to Strawberry Fields, a quiet garden that Yoko Ono dedicated to John Lennon after his shooting.

We then jumped on the subway to the Lower East Side, Little Italy and Chinatown. It was so interesting to see the diversity in lifestyles just across the street from each other. We also saw where some tenaments were from the early 1900′s, where hard-working Americans lived while they toiled away in sweatshops pursuing the American dream. We then had some free time on Canal St., where we all enjoyed bargaining with the salesmen of fake Rolexes and Oakleys.

Then, we had some free time in the West Village, where the New Yorkers and some other travelers got to meet their friends and relatives for dinner. It was great to be able to see my parents after weeks of traveling the country, but my break from the trip only lasted a few hours as we then caught the subway back to our hotel and collapsed, tired from a full New York day.

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By Katie Levy

As we woke up to 100 degree weather we made our way to Battery Park to ride the ferry to Ellis Island. On the boat, Billy took a plethora of pictures of the twenty-eight of us as we passed the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty, which is the symbol of the American dream, is a historical sight I have always dreamed of seeing.

Next on our ferry ride we stopped at the entry point for immigrants who thought the road ahead was paved with gold. This idea to achieve the American Dream started at Ellis Island. It was very interesting to learn about all the trials the immigrants had to go through to live in America. It was very inspirational to hear about all the sacrifices they had to make to live in a country that I take for granted everyday. After learning about the history of our many ancestors, I appreciate the opportunities I can take, such as Etgar 36.

After our journey on the water, we headed towards Wall Street, where the American Dream of success is chased everyday. Soon after we gathered to tell our stories of where we were at 8:45 a.m. September 11, 2001. Just as we have learned throughout our journey that we are all connected, this idea sunk in when we all told our stories and realized we were all doing the same thing in different places.

Our day concluded with one of the most lively Shabbat services I have attended at Bnai Jeshurun. While we were all dancing around the synagogue singing le cha do de it made me realize no matter where you are, you can find family.

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By Leigha Hinds

Today began at 8:00 am as a typical Etgar 36 day with sitting on the bus heading to a new city. As we approached New York City, we watched Keeping the Faith to introduce us to the life of New York.  In order to feel as a true New Yorker, we said goodbye to the bus and hello to the subway.  We arrived at the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) building, drenched in sweat and filled with excitement to be in the air conditioning after a long walk in the one hundred degree weather. At AJWS we spoke about the Jewish organization helping non-Jewish developing countries through grantmaking, advocacy, education, and community service. AJWS offeres summer volunteer opportunities in Ghana, Nicaragua, Honduras, Thailand, and others.  While listening to the speaker, my friends and I were very inspired and would love to volunteer and spend another summer together.  The idea of friendship continued through the night when we saw the musical Rent.  Rent portrays the themes of both gentrification, which we spoke about in Memphis, and how all people are connected! Throughout this trip we have discussed how the act of one person can affect another.

Only a week left, and we arrived in my hometown of Boston. Unfortunately, we spent more time than planned on the bus due to a flat tire. We started the morning off still in the Big Apple where we went to the campus of Columbia University and had wrap up and spoke about the meaning of “In The Heights” and our most recent speaker, Scott Fried. Of course, it was the day I chose to make a five minute speech about the meaning of home, which was concluded by Billy saying “What? You spoke so softly that I had to read your lips.”

wrap up on the Columbia campus

We then went to brunch at the famous Tom’s Restaurant featured in Seinfeld, where I made the mistake of ordering oatmeal which was definitely instant (I bet Jerry wouldn’t put up with that!).

in front of the famous Tom's Restaurant

We then hit my favorite Boston hang out spot, Quincy Market, where we had dinner and watched the street performers. One guy was juggling chainsaws and squeezing his entire body through a tiny racquet. In my opinion, a feat one can only do if a certain body part is missing. Besides NYC, Boston was the only city that sounded familiar to me when Billy described the skyline.

At the end of the day, we met up with the participants of a Jewish teen program at Brandeis University called Genesis. It was nice to meet new people who are doing a program that is a little similar to ours. They told us about Genesis and we were more than happy to tell them about our travels on Etgar 36.

Elena telling the participants of the Genesis program all about our Etgar 36 experience

I am looking forward to spending a full day in the great city of Boston!

Today was a great day in New York City. We started off in the morning by going to H&H bagels which is talked about a lot. We continued by meeting with Billy’s friend Scott Fried. Scott spoke about HIV/AIDS and gave us an informative lecture on sexual education as well as life itself and making good choices. He captivated us by using his life story as an example. One thing that Scott spoke about was the five steps of growing up well. The first step is to allow yourself to be caught in the act of being the person you said you would never be. The next step is to stand vulnerable then be prepared to be ripped open, next is to surrender to what you can’t change or control and lastly, to feel what is happening. I agreed with the things that Scott was talking about. His book, A Private Midnight, helps educate students on the way to react to difficult teenage problems.

After a New York pizza lunch we made our way to Central Park, where we got to relax in the shade and listen to That Guitar Man in Central Park. This is a man, David, who plays the guitar and sings classic rock songs in Central Park each Saturday. It was really relaxing and a way to be like a real New Yorker. Many of us helped out by dancing to his songs or even helped singing.

		at the John Lennon "Imagine" memorial in Strawberry Fields

We then made our way to the Lower East Side and Billy took us on a walking tour around the area where our ancestors lived and worked once they made it to America. Then we walked through Chinatown and Little Italy. It was interesting to see how the various communities and neighborhoods back into each other.

At night we had free time to get dinner and explore the West Village and Greenwich Village.

One place that really touched me was Ellis Island.  Walking and seeing where the first wave of European immigrants came through got me questioning. Do I have ancestors who passed through Ellis Island? I remember coming here before but never thought of this before.

I found in the Ellis Island directory a family member that I was named after. As Billy told us when we started the day, “Our ancestors came to America to give us a better opportunity and life.” I wanted to thank all of the people who got me to this point. New York showed me firsthand how many people felt that coming to America would be best for their family even though their own struggle would not improve once they got here.

ferry to Ellis Island, with the Statue of Liberty in the background

After Ellis Island we had lunch and walked to Wall Street, where we saw how part of the American Dream is realized. From there we went to pay our respects at Ground Zero. We all spoke about the memories we had of that tragic day. Billy made a connection of how our ancestors came to America in pursuit of the American Dream and that is tied into Wall Street and how if people don’t feel they have access to opportunities they may do things as unexplainable as what happened on 9-11.

the bull statue by Wall Street	9/11 memorial at St. Paul's Chapel next to Ground Zero

We made our way back to our hotel to get ready for Friday night services. We attended Shabbat services at Bnai Jeshurun, where they had a band play music during services and everyone danced through parts of the service. We ended the evening by going to a kosher deli for dinner.

Today we woke up in Pennsylvania and continued our drive to New York. For lunch we had a one of a kind experience at a Wawa gas station and convenience store. After a couple more hours of cruising, Frank Sinatra’s famous “New York, New York” boomed through the bus as we finally entered the Big Apple. The monumental buildings, crazy crowds and buzzing streets were a warm welcome to the exciting and incredible New York City. After arriving, we hopped on their famous subway to get to our meeting with the American Jewish World Service. There, we had a meeting with a representative that ran us through some exercises which made us think about our responsibility to ourselves, others and the universe. Then she explained to us the work that AJWS does as the only Jewish non-profit that provides services and aid all over the world. It was very interesting and some of us were even curious about participating in their volunteer programs when we are older.

After a Q&A session, we went to dinner at a delicious Chinese noodle restaurant. We quickly finished our meals, read our fortunes, and headed off to the Rodgers Theater where we anxiously waited in line for a while. As we took our seats for “In The Heights,” the lights went down and the stage lit up. The crowd went wild when Corbin Bleu, the well known actor from “High School Musical,” came on stage and began the show. “In the Heights,” a musical about the many characters living in the “barrio” of Washington Heights, is told through a unique mix of rap and hip hop song with Latin music and culture mixed in. Most of us thought the play was incredible and unforgettable and left the theater on “cloud nine.”

Following the show we walked out into the bright lights and crazy crowds of Times Square. We were give time to shop. After a magical first day in New York City, we rode the subway back to our hotel and slept with some sweet dreams.

To start off our last day in New York, we woke up nice and early. We headed towards the subway and made our way to the famous H&H bagel shop. Just standing outside you could smell the intoxicating aroma of authentic New York bagels. It was hard for most of us not to eat them immediately.

In the morning, Jonah walked us around some streets and spoke about how zoning laws work and the thought that goes into creating a neighborhood of buildings. He also pointed out different types of architecture. We ended in Central Park and heard how that was designed. After eating our bagels, Billy gave us two options. One was to stay on the Great Lawn in the park and just hang out, or we could walk with him to Strawberry Fields. Being a Beatles fan, I went with Billy and 3 other kids. Strawberry Fields, the park dedicated to John Lennon, was very interesting. On the ground was a mosaic with the word “Imagine” in it. We walked over to the Dakota apartments where he was killed in 1980. We then went back to the hotel and met up with everyone else, collected our bags, got on our bus and headed to Boston.

Our first stop in Boston was to walk the Freedom Trail and see the sights associated with the beginnings of our country and the Revolutionary War. Billy spoke at each stop about how revolutionary ideas are created and “sold” to the people. Sites we saw included the spot where the Boston Massacre occurred, graveyards, Ben Franklin’s school, the Boston Commons, and others.

beginning the Freedom Trail

After the Freedom Trail, we stopped at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market to get dinner and shop. After dinner we visited the outdoor Holocaust Memorial right next to Faneuil Hall, and discussed how and why it was designed and placed in such a touristy area. We then walked into the North End, which is the Italian neighborhood, for some amazing desserts at Mike’s Pastries. We also saw the Old North Church where Paul Revere began his famous ride. We ended the day by going back to the hotel.

reading the plaque at the Holocaust memorial

walking through the memorial

at the Paul Revere statue

Today, after a long subway ride, the group arrived in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Out of all the areas of the city we have visited in the past couple of days, Crown Heights was by far the most “segregated”. The community is comprised of many minorities, the most obvious being Hasidic Jews (which make up 30% of the population) and blacks. On a Saturday morning, one block is filled with Jewish men and boys making their way to synagogue, while the next block over is occupied by the black community, strolling down the sidewalk in jeans and t-shirts. Although the visual differences were startling at first, the presence of religion was constant (one shop had a poster marked “God’s Property” across the top). Interaction is minimal, consisting of sitting in the same subway car or using the same Laundromat. We met with a worker from the Crown Heights Mediation Center, whose job is to bring the communities together through events such as a family picnic, and she explained to us that the root of the tension between the communities today began in a 1991 auto accident, when a car following the Rebbe hit two children from the black community. The Jewish funded ambulance tended to the Jews in the car first, while the children (who were far more injured, one of them died) had to wait on the government-funded ambulance. Predictably, the incident was followed by riots, one of which resulted in the murder of a young Jewish man.

riding the NYC subway	at the Crown Heights Mediation Center
walking around Crown Heights	on the walking tour

After walking around the city, we stopped for a very quick slice of New York Pizza (the plain cheese was by far the best) and then headed to CBS Studios to meet with Elliot’s mom and some of the men and women who worked there. They gave us a tour of the control room and the newsroom, and many of us got a chance to sit in the anchor chair. We spoke with the Director and Anchor of the CBS National News about the process of selecting the stories they cover.

NEW YORK PIZZA!

We then ventured to the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Little Italy (which had unbelievable Gelato!). We heard about the way our ancestors lived in the Lower East Side and saw the Italian and Chinese communities living side by side. We also saw how the housing changed from tenements to what we have today. We then had an hour and a half of free time on Canal Street, where many of us bought something for ourselves, our family, or our friends, all while learning how to bargain. Following a brief meeting with our old friend Scott Fried, we sat together in a park for a wrap up session. That night we were able to explore the West Village as we had free time and dinner. All in all, another great day.

reuniting with Scott Fried