Last month, the class of 2026 had one of the most meaningful experiences of being a student at Bernard Zell: what we call Mifgash (meeting or encounter). We welcomed students and teachers from a school in Kiryat Gat, Israel, part of JUF’s partnership region.

After a delayed flight and a quick welcome at school, I had two Mifgash students stay with me and my family for the week. We had a sense of not just friendship, but family. We had family dinners, spoke as much Hebrew as we could, and even took in some of their customs. We introduced them to some of our favorites too, like Crumbl cookies. We stayed up late at night playing games and talking before we headed to Bernard Zell in the morning.

The week gave us so many opportunities to hang out with our entire grade and our visitors outside of school, too. This was particularly fun because we are done attending B'nai Mitzvot so we do not have the chance to bond every weekend like we used to. It was nice to be able to spend time with classmates that I do not see regularly on weekends anymore.

One of my favorite moments from the week was our trip to Navy Pier. I had never done some of the things that are typically reserved for tourists, so it was memorable to experience them for the first time with people who had never been to Chicago before. But what I will remember most are the small moments we had with our new friends. After the Ferris wheel, we shared fries and boba tea and talked about life: in Israel, in Chicago, and the world. I plan to stay in touch with everyone, and there are a lot of text chains and plans to see each other in the future.

This was such a special experience because of the friendships we made with people our own age from halfway across the world. The experiences we had are unforgettable, and I am so grateful to Bernard Zell for the week with the Mifgash students. It helped me realize how big the world is and that I am connected to Jews everywhere.