The Gift That Keeps on Giving
— Rotem Benkel, Excel Business 2017
Now that it’s been several months since the conclusion of the summer program, I’ve had a chance to be a part of the Excel community. I went to the professional business lectures and of course to the fun events, but the most special activity for me thus far was taking part in the Excel Summit in New York.
The Israeli delegation traveled together a few days before the Summit. We took a tour at the UN, visited Columbia University as well as companies like WeWork, and even went to the Halloween parade!
I got to know many Israeli Excel Fellows even though most of them were not from my class.
At the conference itself, I spent time with all the Americans I already missed, and was so happy to catch up with my peer. Our relationship has only become stronger since the summer program ended.
The conference was fascinating, educational and enriching, and I feel that I have been privileged to be part of it.
But to understand why Excel means so much to me, I should talk about the summer program first, so…
Here’s what I learned this summer.
Being part of Excel was a life-changing experience, which I am so fortunate to have had. When I try to sum up the experience, I feel that these ten weeks were significant in so many ways.
One of the most significant and influencing aspects of the program, in my opinion, was the business exposure.
Apart from the fact that the lectures we heard were fascinating and I learned so much from them, they helped me think about exploring my own desires and plans for the future. They made me think about what I want to do and what I wish for in my professional life. Each lecture gave us a different perspective on various subjects such as life in Israel, entrepreneurship, independence, professionalism and thinking outside the box. If each one of us takes these things and make them “his own” — we will then become real EXCELERS.
I can also say that I now understand the importance of networking between Israel and North America within the business world, and I am certain that cooperation with Jews from North America will continue to be part of my professional life in one way or another. I have learned that we share so much love for this country whether we live in it or not and that is why we can be better in so many ways.
Not only that, the personal connections and bonds we were able to make during the program and within the community we created in such short time enhanced the once in a lifetime experience even more.
I believe that the connection and bonds made between the Israelis and North Americans who took part in the program is extremely significant. This turned a unique experience into something personal and powerful.
In my case, at first, I thought my peer and I were very different; but our mutual love for chocolate brought us together in no time and we have grown to be true friends. It is clear to me that the friendship we have with one another, Jamie and I, is a lifelong one.
In addition, I got to meet so many American peers that I would probably not meet in any other situation, and we have all become friends so fast. I am sure we will meet again soon. Thanks to this personal connection, we have built a new community that will always be there for us when we need it.
Since the end of the summer, we joined the larger Birthright Excel Fellows community and I quickly realized that the program was not really over and that I was fortunate to be part of this amazing experience for life.
I will recommend all my friends here in Israel to try to join our community, because I have earned so much in ten weeks (and beyond) and I am sure that I am not the only one.
Rotem Benkel participated in the Birthright Israel Excel program in 2017 as an Israeli Peer. She studies law and business management at IDC Herzliya and is from Tel Aviv, Israel.
