Editor’s note: Eitan Gerson and 14 other North American high school students attended USY Chidush’s first volunteer trip to Israel in December 2024.
Karen Gerson: “We learned about the program in October and Eitan immediately said, ‘Yes, I want to go.’ Eitan wanted to help out Israel in crisis and war, volunteer and help people in need and learn about what the government was doing to help those impacted by war. He also wanted to support families of the hostages and visit Hostage Square.”
Eitan Gerson: “I knew that I was one of only a few young people who had the opportunity to go to Israel over winter break to just volunteer. My hope was that coming back home I could share my experiences and let people know what the feel of the people of Israel is. It felt like Israelis are trying to go about their days and create as “normal” a living situation as possible all while supporting and continuing to raise awareness of every single hostage.
“One of the most impactful mornings was driving up to [site of] the Nova Festival. We were able to walk around on our own, as well as our security guard, who is an IDF soldier, told us stories about the different events that happened on Oct. 7.”
