As our journey starts to come to an end, we finished our last full day strong. In the morning we rallied for our final meeting of the trip as we went to the offices of AIPAC. AIPAC is a pro-Israel lobby who advocates for the complete American support of Israel. As we saw with J Street a few days ago, AIPAC similarly advocates for a two state solution in Israel, however, AIPAC’s goal is not to tell Israel what to do, but to make Israel confident and strong by fully supporting it’s decisions.  We met with three men, Jonathan Kessler, Eric Galagher, and Michael Sitra, who educated us on why we need to support Israel and how it is an asset to us and they explained how high school students like us can get involved.  As with all of our meetings some Etgarians were intrigued by what they had to say, while some of us are not buying their arguments.

After the meeting we made our way to the Jefferson Memorial to wrap up our Washington DC visit and then we headed to North Carolina. Along the way we stopped for lunch and watched the movie “Dead Poets Society” as well as bonded with each other for one of the last times.

At the hotel in Gastonia, NC, we had free time and then dinner. After dinner we had our final group wrap up. This was our chance to reflect on our entire journey and realize how after being on this trip we have all the tools we need to make a difference in the world.

Many of us stepped onto the bus on June 27^th scared of what lay ahead, but, now, on August 2^nd we have all found our voices. As Billy has said from Day 1, the future leaders of America will have been on an Etgar 36 bus and I am convinced we will prove him right. At the end of the wrap up we each received our “Etgar soundtrack” and begun to say our goodbyes. Many of us cried our eyes out because Etgar may have been the greatest summer of our lives. As this trip comes to an end we are not saying goodbye and closing the doors to the friendships we made, but instead, we rally together and realize how as an Etgar 36 community we are prepared to change the world.

Today we began by going to the US Holocaust Museum. It started off when you get a card with a person who was in a concentration camp. The card told their story and, along the way, you can put it into a computer and hear more of their story. On the top floor of the museum we read and saw how Hitler came to power and what he was doing before he became chancellor. The next floor had videos of how some nations knew but did not do anything about it. There were also many pictures throughout the exhibit of men, women and children who perished.

The last floor told the story of the medical tests they did at some of the camps, what a barrack at Auschwitz looked like, and models of the gas chambers. We were also able to hear stories of survivors and liberators.

At the end of the exhibit we could go into a big room with an eternal flame and many little candles that were under the names of the various concentration camps.

Our next stop was lunch and then a choice of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum or the Art Museum. I chose the Air & Space Museum and was able to see the power of innovation in America.

This museum was followed by a visit to the Newseum. It is a museum dedicated to telling the history and power of journalism. The first thing we did was watch a 4D movie about the history of reporting. Your seat moves up and down during the movie which helped make the movie feel more real. There was a really good 9/11 exhibit in the Newseum as well. They had a movie about the tragic day, as well as the various newspaper front pages from that day too. While most of us were too young to remember exactly what happened that day, the exhibit still touched us. There was also an Elvis exhibit which was cool because we have already been to his birth home, Graceland, and Sun Studios. We also learned that the news gets its name from the first letter of each direction: North, East, West, and South.

We ended our day by going to dinner and going to an old school movie theater and saw the movie “Inception.” It had a really complicated ending which kept us talking. All in all, it was a great day.

Today was our third day in Washington DC. We actually got to sleep late and left at 9:45 AM – a spectacular time that I think we should copy from now on.

Our first meeting was with the National Coalition for the Homeless. There we met with George and Dana, two formerly homeless men who told their stories, shared their problems, and spoke about how society should address the causes of homelessness. Their stories were extremely touching and proved that the homeless are people just like us. We also had a pizza lunch with them.

We then climbed back onto our big, magical bus that we have grown so close to and headed to the National Archives to see the original Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Seeing these important documents that basically created our country is a sobering sight and made me wonder about the direction our country has been and is taking.

We then headed to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. It had an interesting exhibit on the Star Spangled Banner, and another on the various wars our country has been involved. Though I have been to this museum four times, I am still amazed by how much history is housed inside the building.

From there we went to Lafayette Square which is in front of the White House. There we met some…characters…including a woman who has been protesting in front of the White House for almost 30 years. She was anti-nuclear weapons and anti-Israel. She had an Israel flag with a swastika drawn over the Jewish star. We all found this extremely offensive, but, as Billy would say, this is the beauty and the tension of freedom of speech. He also told us that she didn’t quite have both feet planted in reality.

At the park, we had a heated group discussion about Israel to review our meeting with J Street yesterday and get us ready for our meeting with AIPAC on Monday. We debated the direction Israel should take and our place in its future. It was a very important discussion.

We then ate dinner at Potbelly Sandwich Shop and headed to the Ronald Reagan International Center to see the Capitol Steps. They are a comedy troupe that makes political satire by writing parodies of popular show tunes and common songs. They poked fun at such things as the BP oil spill and the Clinton’s marriage vs. Tipper and Al Gore’s. I won’t tell you the joke but it had to do with Vegas bookies.

It was a great way to end the day. I would put this day in the top 36 easily. Good night to all and to all, a good night.

Today was all about sites, fights and human rights. Our first meeting of the day was with NARAL-Pro Choice America. Kate Vlach, a policy associate, and Rachel Tabamon, a policy aide, told us about women’s reproductive rights. They advocate for more comprehensive sex education programs in schools across America. They work with the government as well to pass legislation for their cause. A recent law passed requiring a pregnant woman seeking an abortion to have to view a sonogram of the fetus is one of the laws that NARAL is opposed to and fighting against.

NARAL Pro Choice America

Our next meeting was with the human rights group Amnesty International. This group works globally to protect the rights of all people to live free from violence and injustice. We met with the Director of the Mid-Atlantic region, Folabi Olagbaju. He was born and grew up in Nigeria. He discussed the inequality of men and women in Nigeria that he saw as a child and this inspired him to work for equality. He also informed us of the importance of taking action on such issues. We learned about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document agreed upon by the U.N. which guarantees certain rights to all people. The problem is that these rights are not enforced or taught in all areas. Folabi emphasized our power as the new and emerging generation. I found his words empowering and truthful.

Amnesty International

After lunch we met with the Israel lobbyist group J Street. Amy Spatolnick spoke to us about Israel in terms of values. She showed us a theory of what is going on in Israel by drawing a triangle. Each side had a different value such as Jewish, democratic and land. J Street believes that Israel cannot continue to be a democratic Jewish state if they hold on to the West Bank and Gaza. So, in order to remain the Jewish democratic state that she is, we need to pursue a two-state solution in the Middle East. J Street advocates for giving Gaza and the West Bank to the Palestinians as a way of establishing their own homeland. This important issue still remains controversial as no one can guarantee that it will work, but the goal of peace remains the same.

J Street

After J Street, we had our meeting about the legalization of marijuana. Both the negative and positive aspects of such a decision were acknowledged and discussed in depth. Personally, in the beginning of the discussion, I was against the legalization of pot. After debating the issue with my fellow Etgarians, I changed my opinion. Legalizing marijuana would be beneficial to the economy by the taxes the government would place on it. The pro side also asked why there is a seemingly arbitrary line placed between alcohol and cigarettes, which are legal, but marijuana is not. After all, the effects of all three are similar.

wrap up in Georgetown

After dinner in Georgetown, we went to a modern Orthodox shul for Friday night services. We davened Mincha, Kabbalat Shabbat, and Ma’ariv services. The service was interesting and represented a familiar aspect of Judaism to me, yet with different tunes and melodies. Although I found the experience interesting, it was not comparable to the emotional services we had previously experienced on the trip.  To me, seeing and participating in different services all over America is a true display of human rights in action.

After services, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and explored the sites and monuments of our Nation’s Capital. We saw monuments and memorials to World War 1 & 2, the Vietnam and Korean Wars, as well as the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. Washington’s sites, fights, and human rights constantly amaze me. Altogether it was a fantastic Etgar day!

	World War II Memorial
Vietnam Wall
with Albert Einstein

We started off the day by going to the Capitol. On the way to the building we saw the Supreme Court and Library of Congress. We went to the Capitol to meet with civil rights activist, Representative from Georgia, and someone whose life we had heard about on the Civil Rights part of our trip, Congressman John Lewis.

We met with his legislative correspondent Sam Skardon who told us about the views and teachings of the Congressman. Unfortunately, we could not meet with the Congressman at our scheduled time because he was held up in meetings. We were told we would be able to try later in the day.

Our next meeting was with Greenpeace. Bill Richardson spoke with us about their work and goals. He said what Greenpeace does is “provoke solutions to global problems by inspiring action.” Overall, Greenpeace is an environmental group working to repair and prevent future damage to our world.

We continued to our next meeting with the Heritage Foundation. They presented the alternative view of what to do about our economy from what we heard at United for a Fair Economy in Boston. The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank. They spoke to us about reforming welfare and promoting work. They claim that $714 billion was spent on welfare every year. We spoke a lot about taxes and poverty, but our main topic was how to reform welfare so we can spend less on the poor but have it work better. We spent the last 20 minutes of the meeting discussing with their economic advisor how the economy is going right now and what the future looks like.

Fortunately, after this meeting, Congressman John Lewis was able to fit us in for a quick meeting. It was supposed to last 10 minutes but he kept telling us stories and showing us pictures of events we had studied and places we had visited in the South. His aides finally pulled him away to go vote after 20 minutes. During that time, he shared his wisdom about how to change the world, told us stories of how he marched with Dr. King, worked with Dr. King, and that he was one of the 10 speakers at the March on Washington. At the end, he told us that by organizing and marching over the bridge in Selma, he “got into trouble, but it was good trouble, necessary trouble.” He was truly inspiring.

For dinner we had free time in Georgetown. To finish off the day, we had a discussion/debate on the legalization of marijuana to prepare us for our meeting with NORML, the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws.

Today was truly indicative of Washington DC. It inspired us all.

Today we started out by driving from our hotel in New Jersey to my home city of Philadelphia. Our first visit was to the National Constitution Center. We saw a live performance introducing us to the ideas and history of the Constitution. While most of us thought it was cheesy, Billy really liked it and probably was crying during it. We spent an hour in the museum looking at the exhibits and understanding what the Constitution is all about.

After the museum, we walked across Independence Mall to see the Liberty Bell as well as Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated and signed.

We then walked to South Street and had time to shop and eat lunch. I got to see my parents and dog as well as got a Philly classic…the cheese steak.

After free time, we walked over to Ben Franklin’s house where Billy told us it was the most technologically advanced museum around….he was a little confused as it may have been when he saw it as a kid in the 1970s, as it was very old school. Unfortunately, the actor who usually walks around dressed as Ben Franklin was not there.

We then stopped by Ben Franklin’s grave and then got on the bus to go to Baltimore. We did make one more stop on the way out of town. We pulled up to the Philadelphia Art Museum and Billy started playing the theme to the movie “Rocky” as we were able to run off the bus and up the famous steps.

Our first stop in Baltimore was at the offices of the Baltimore Jewish Times where editor Neil Rubin spoke to us about the responsibilities of a free and vibrant press, as well as being a member of the Jewish community reporting on the Jewish community. He had us discussing what we would do as editors of a Jewish paper by giving us real life scenarios such as a prominent Holocaust survivor is found to have fabricated some of her stories, or do you publish wedding announcements of intermarried couples.

At night we had free time to roam the Inner Harbor and have dinner. There were Japanese naval ships docked at the harbor and a drum band playing on the sidewalk.

After free time we drove to Washington DC and along the way, Billy showed us an episode of the West Wing, my favorite television series, that spoke about how our government works and some of the tensions of our freedom.

While being a tourist in my home town was odd, it was a great day.

Today was a day of relaxing. Although it was relaxing, there were a few unexpected things to happen. First we got on the bus and fell asleep before getting to New Haven, CT – home of Yale University. Billy let us have some free time and some of us followed him to Louis’ Lunch, where the hamburger was introduced to America.

We left New Haven on our way to Asbury Park, NJ and the Jersey Shore. On the way we watched the movie “Garden State.” When it ended we had to stop in the Bronx for a while because we had to fix a flat tire.  I guess unlike tramps like us, the bus was not born to run!

We then headed to the Jersey Shore. On the way, Billy played a lot of Bruce Springsteen for us and even showed us a video of one of his concerts. When we got to Asbury Park we got ready to walk on the boardwalk but there was a fire. Once it was put out we were able to go to the beach and into the ocean. It was an awesome experience even though it was very cold. We ended up eating on the boardwalk because it was too late to get to South Street in Philadelphia which we will do tomorrow.

Waking up in my home city was awesome. I love Boston. Not just because I have lived in the area my whole life, but because of the people who make up a welcoming atmosphere filling the historic streets.

After the usual buffet breakfast, the now 20 of us (our group is shrinking as people had only signed up for the 3 or 4 week trip) headed onto our second home (the bus!) for a packed day of activities centered around history and our government.

We started at Walden Pond, a peaceful place on the border of Lincoln and Concord. In the tranquil woods, we sat together and learned a brief biography of Henry David Thoreau, a transcendentalist writer who called this place home for a number of years. After teaching us about his life, Max, our counselor, veered into reading one of Thoreau’s poems called “Prayer.” After discussing it’s meaning we were all given a quote of Thoreau’s to read to the group and then we all joined together to decipher the meaning of each.

Max speaking about Thoreau at Walden Pond	kids reading selections by Thoreau

After lunch and free time in Harvard Square in Cambridge, my lifetime best friend and fellow Etgarian, who recently departed the trip, Ariel Fanger, joined us for the rest of the day. Our next meeting was with an organization called United for a Fair Economy. They raise awareness that wealth and power disassembles the economy, widens the racial gap, corrupts democracy, and rips apart communities.  Their goal is to gain support in order to aid the building of social movements for a greater economy.

I am going to admit it, I was extremely confused during the meeting. So were many others on our trip. I am undecided on my views concerning this topic. What I did learn was that the American economy is set on a basis of rules that, over the years, has morphed to benefit a few at the cost of many. One third of our economy belongs to the wealthiest 1% of our society. When viewed along racial lines, this inequality is even more visible.

using chairs to show how wealth is distributed in America and that 1% owns 70% of wealth while the remaining 99% divide up 30%

After the long, info filled meeting, we walked to the first stop on our self guided Freedom Trail tour. Billy walked us around and showed us the sites as well as spoke to us about how the idea of the revolution that led to our country was formed at each of these sites.

on the Freedom Trail
		Holocaust Memorial

Dinner was a lovely barbeque hosted at the home of Aaron Stier-Cohen. Thanks to his mom for her hospitality. It was great to have a home cooked meal after eating on the road for a month! One thing I cannot wait for when I return home is to eat the food my parents make for once, even if I hate it.

hanging out and eating dinner at Aaron's house

Stuffed from dinner, we wearily headed back to the hotel for some free time before we crashed. Another jam packed day!

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.