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Although Lorne Keller had donated money to Israel and to federation, Israel did not play much of a role in his life, and he joined the December mission of the United Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks with some trepidation. "I didn't have an appreciation for the struggle Israelis are going through really every day of their lives," he said. "I am an American and Jewish, and I never understood what Israel was."

The mission, which combined 73 people from the Princeton area with 24 from the National UJC Winter Family Mission, was chaired by Jon and Beth Fried. The Frieds had been so moved by their own March 2005 trip for the dedication of the new Yad Vashem that they encouraged the Princeton Mercer Bucks federation to send a mission using their 2005 trip as a blueprint.

In the course of this mission, several experiences transformed Keller's connection to Israel -- a Golan Heights tour guide who had fought there and shared his pride about his family's role in Israel's struggle; a trip to Magen David Adom where he learned that Israeli doctors were treating Arabs injured in Gaza; and the calling up of one of the young security guards with the mission who was also a tank commander. Of the Israelis he met on the mission, Keller said, "I was floored by their struggle and their dedication and their spirit for their country."

When his family signed up for the trip, Keller said he had not expected his own strong response to Israel and to Israelis. Whereas his family had always dreamed of going to Israel, he explained, "I never had that dream." Then he added, "When I say that now, I'm a little embarrassed. Everything looking forward for me has a little bit different feel to it. Every day the Israelis have to struggle just to survive, and I came back saying to myself, 'What can I do to help?'"

Rabbi Annie Tucker, the assistant rabbi at the Jewish Center who also served as rabbi for the trip, said that for her personally the theme of survival stood out. "Many of the places reminded us of the attempt to destroy Judaism -- Jewish prayer, culture, life," she said, "and beside that Jewish life is thriving in the Jewish homeland."

This sense of Jewish continuity came out first for Tucker at Masada, where after seeing evidence of Jewish resistance in the first century CE, she witnessed the will to persevere as the bar and bat mitzvah students on the trip reaffirmed their Jewish commitments. Then in the Old City of Jerusalem, they saw the remains of the destroyed Temple, which represented the end of the sacrificial system and could have been the end of Jewish worship, but instead it was a new beginning that spurred the transformation from sacrifice to prayer. And of course seeing the new Yad Vashem in the context of the living state of Israel.

Tucker was also very moved when the security guard was called up. She observed, "It struck me both how commonplace it is -- being called to military service when you're in the middle of another job -- and how not normal that is on the other hand, and also the sacrifice it takes and the everyday heroism of people living in those situations and doing so without protest."

Beth Fried explained that the trip was named "Kesher Israel," or Israeli Connection. The goal was for every activity to make a connection, she said, "with our community, our friends, our children, and with Israel." Probably the strongest connection for her was personal. "Watching my daughter making a connection with Israel and becoming a Jewish adult with our community's rabbi was an incredible communal connection," she said.

Fried was also moved by the group's lighting Hanukkah and Shabbat candles together their first night in Israel, as Tucker recited Shehecheyanu. "We were in Jerusalem, in a country where Hanukkah was the major holiday in December, and it was a wonderful feeling of community being there with all the people from Princeton," she said. Then they walked down to the Wall, and overlooking it a giant hanukkiah.

Another important moment for Fried was having her children be old enough to go through Yad Vashem with her and then being able to have a meaningful conversation with them about the experience.

For her children, meeting young Israelis was very affecting, especially when the security guard was called to the army. "I think it hit them that it was not something very far off -- it was something that was happening to Israel." Then she added that for herself, also, "it was particularly meaningful to be there while Israel was in the situation with Gaza; you realize how important support in America is. I just want everyone to go to Israel."

Susan and Michael Falcon had made a brief visit to Israel a decade ago and decided to join the family mission with their two children, Eric, 15, and Leah, 13, who would be able to experience the country they had been studying about throughout their childhoods in religious school.

For Eric, nothing matched his dawn visit with his father to the Western Wall, where they donned tallit and tefillin and prayed together. "It gets very, very quiet around sunrise, and it is a very spiritual place," he said. "As the sun rose, a little clear patch of sky opened over the Old City, and I thought how special it was to be there with my dad."

Eric's sister, Leah, especially liked the affirmation ceremony atop Masada with her friends. "It made it very special to be in a place that was around a long time ago and was still here in the present," she said. And, after having been inundated with Christmas songs, trees, and decorations at home, she was surprised at their absence in Israel and described the experience as "kind of cool and kind of strange at the same time." What she said will remain with her from the trip was "knowing that I was there and that it is just a big part of my life because it is the Jewish homeland."

Barbara and Michael Snyder came to Israel with their four children, ranging in age from 11 to 16. Describing the feelings Israel evoked for her, Barbara said. "It was a very powerful experience of connecting to your Judaism, your heritage, and feeling part of a larger whole you always knew was out there but never really experienced in this country." And, as she explained to her husband after the trip, "It took me 42 years to have that feeling, and it was such a gift to my kids to give them that feeling at this young age."

One important experience for her was walking with her children on Ben Yehudah Street one night after dinner and seeing what quite an unusual sight, at least for an American. "There was a collection of men in black hats that were standing on a cherry picker lighting this giant menorah at the end of the street," she explained. "And looking up and down the street all these Hanukkah menorahs were hanging from all the telephone poles where we would see Christmas décor at home."

For Snyder, too, the bar/bat mitzvah affirmation ceremony at Masada was especially moving, even though none of her own children are currently of bar mitzvah age. "It was a real tear-jerker, all the kids under the tallis. It was a powerful, emotional scene after having listened to the story of what happened out there and looking all around at different gatherings of people having bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies," she said. "There's no national park in this country where you would see that happening!"