No matter where you live, election week is a chaotic and stressful time. However, one place stands out from the rest: Washington D.C. Last month, I was fortunate enough to experience the chaos of the capital city first hand. It was a special experience that is hard to replicate anywhere else.
The trip was organized by Congregation B’nai Amoona in Creve Coeur with the purpose of giving Jewish tenth graders the opportunity to go to Washington D.C., and lobby on issues that are important to them. Before we lobbied, our group of nine was split up. Five of us were assigned to speak at the office of Missouri Representative Ann Wagner, while the other four went to speak at the office of Senator Eric Schmitt. Among the four was sophomore Evan Abowitz. In the weeks leading up to the trip, our group crafted the speeches that we presented. Abowitz chose to speak about antisemitism on social media, and he talked about why it is an important issue.
“Social media is the news for the youth,” Abowitz said. “So when teens are seeing false propaganda on social media like TikTok and Instagram, it can make them believe anti-semitic things when sometimes they aren’t even trying to.”
Abowitz summed up the whole experience in one word:
“I would say inspiring because of all of the cool things that we got to see. The monuments, and the memorials for the different wars. It was just very inspiring to see how dedicated America is.” Abowitz said.
Aside from getting the opportunity to lobby on Capitol Hill, we also spent a large portion of our time touring the city and seeing all the exciting things it has to offer. Sophomores Kai and Koji Winig were in on the experience as well. The twins shared their favorite parts of the trip.
“My favorite part of the trip was the food and meeting other people,” Kai said. “I have been to DC a few times, but I only remember the museums. The difference this trip was we had a tour guide and saw all the monuments.”
While Kai enjoyed the social aspect of the trip, Koji found pleasure in exploring the famous sites that the city is known for.
“I liked seeing the Capital, that was fun, the Washington Monument and the White House was cool as well.” Koji said.
Being in D.C. during election week provided an exciting experience, but there were some downsides. Due to the added security, parts of important areas were inaccessible, such as the White House and Capitol Building.
“I noticed some of the things were blocked off and barricaded,” Kai said. “I was pretty upset that we could not see the White House.”
This trip would not have been possible without the hard work put in by the staff at Congregation B’nai Amoona. Liessa Alperin works as the director of congregational life and engagement at the synagogue and she plays a major role in planning the trip every year. She describes the planning process and how she chooses where our group goes.
“The planning process includes choosing visits and experiences that are meaningful in three different ways: Jewish, social action, and learning how to navigate a place that is new to you,” Alperin said.
Planning a trip is hard by itself, but it is even more difficult when you have to plan for yourself and multiple other people. Alperin states what she felt was the most difficult part of planning the trip.
“The most difficult part is managing everyone’s needs. Food needs, transportation needs, and safety,” Alperin said.
Alperin is no stranger to these difficulties. She has planned and organized these trips for over ten years. She describes the similarities and differences that the trips have had over the years.
“The parts that are similar have to do with where I usually choose to go,” Alperin said. “The different aspects have to do with safety and security, working with government offices and just experiencing D.C.”
As our flight home took off, I was able to catch one last glimpse of the city. I saw the Capital Building and Washington Monument slowly fade away as we entered the clouds and I took a moment to reflect on my experience. I thought about all the fun things that I was able to do, and I realized how fortunate I was to be able to experience it with my friends. It was definitely an unforgettable experience.
