Jesse Gross is a 19 year old freshman at Indiana University. Last July she was studying at the University of Haifa when the Israeli/Hezbollah broke out. A year after after spending a frightening day in an Israeli bomb shelter, she's returned to spend her spring break restoring bomb shelters near Kiryat Shmona.

The last time I left Israel, I was alone in a cab on an open highway with the sounds of rockets and Israeli planes to break the silence. Since I left, I knew I had to come back, and with the help of the Jewish National Fund, I was able to return with 120 people to repair the land and strengthen the will of the Israeli people.

After this past summer, I would have never considered re-entering a cold, dark bomb shelter in which my fellow students and I were forced to wait in for hours while surrounded by war, but my experience has allowed me to give back to the community that gave me so much. This past week, I re-entered a bomb shelter at school in the north, but this time it was to decorate it and to make the children that may ever have to use it feel safe and less scared.

Many falafels and hikes later, my new friends and I found a real connection with one another, and our friendships will last a very long time. Ultimately, this will be the most meaningful and rewarding spring break I will ever experience, and I am so happy I had the chance to return to Israel and participate in such a rewarding program. Shalom.

- Jesse Gross