By Max Gelb, New York, NY, Kibbutz Ulpan

 

My first glimpse of the flourishing green olive groves amid the dry and sandy Negev confirmed exactly why I wanted to live on Kibbutz Revivim.  Growing up in bustling Manhattan, I was always interested in experiencing life in a more tranquil and geologically different environment.  When I learned that Masa Israel’s Kibbutz Ulpan program would allow me to accomplish this while simultaneously pursuing my interests in Israel and Hebrew, I decided that the Kibbutz Ulpan at Revivim was right for me.

 

Prior to my participation in the Kibbutz Ulpan during the winter of 2009, my only experience in Israel had been my Birthright trip two years before.  After Birthright, I...