Many Americans believe it is unsafe to travel to Israel due to what they see in the news. In the Jewish community, we believe Israel is one of the safest places to be and travel there even in times of conflict. I was one of those crazy people who chose to spend a month of my summer in Israel.

My youth group had just landed in Israel and the feeling of being in a Jewish state was incredible. People around me were kissing the ground, feeling like they were finally home. In the wee hours of the morning, I watched the sunrise over the Old City of Jerusalem and knew I was going to have an amazing summer.

That same night a high-pitched, continuous, ascending and descending siren echoed through the youth hostel where I was staying. This was the sound of a rocket siren, indicating I had only 90 seconds to reach a safe area.

These rockets were being launched by Hamas, a terrorist organization located in Gaza. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for several years over who occupies the holy land. However, in June, the tensions escalated as three Israeli boys were kidnapped and murdered followed by the retaliative murder of a Palestinian boy.

As the sirens wailed, a moment of shock passed over me as minutes earlier my program staff had warned me what to do in this unlikely circumstance. I hurried with my roommates into the designated bomb shelter room. Thick walls and layered windows encircled us as we huddled together in fear of what was happening. I had no idea this would be the first of many experiences like this.

Over the course of the summer, my group experienced three other sirens similar to the one that occurred my first night in Israel. When I heard the familiar sound, I quickly learned to drop everything and rush to the nearest safe area, whether it was a wall outside the American consulate or an actual bomb shelter.

Even in my scariest experience of being outside, crouched to the ground, holding my head as the sirens wailed, I knew that the Israel Defense Force (IDF) and the Iron Dome were working hard to protect me. I could hear multiple loud booms and felt stairs shaking below me, but I never felt unsafe.

Israel puts the safety of its citizens above anything else. This reassured me through this unnerving situation. Even though I experienced the fears associated with sirens and bomb shelters, deep within me I felt secure knowing I was in a country where I would be kept safe. I was in a scary environment, but I felt safe despite the violence going on around me.

Being in Israel while the country was fighting a war with Hamas affected my trip’s itinerary. My group had to take longer routes to different places to avoid driving through cities with a greater likelihood of being targeted. We had to avoid Tel Aviv, a major cosmopolitan city, altogether. We could not go to some sites because they lacked safe areas in the event of sirens.

Although these were probably the scariest experiences in my life and I fear rocket sirens blaring to this day, I am grateful for my summer adventure. These experiences brought my group closer together and I gained a true appreciation for the state of Israel.