I am an eighth grader at Yeshivat Noam and together with my father, I attended the AIPAC Policy Conference this past week. Before I get to the amazing things that took place at the conference I want to tell you the story of my visit to the White House.
My parents have a contact who works in the West Wing of the White House. My father, knowing that we would be in Washington, D.C., texted him in Washington asking whether we would be able to have a quick tour of one of the most important places on this planet. He said that if we got in touch with him towards the end of the day he would see what he could do. Just thinking about a visit to the White House was enough to make me shake with anticipation in the hope that it would actually take place. When the conference finished late on Monday afternoon, my father again texted his contact who said we should get him certain identifying information by a certain time and, within minutes, the information was sent by my dad.
Shortly after, the Secret Service approved the visit and we were told to be at the visitor’s gate in 20 minutes. Time never moved so fast and so slow at the same time!
When we got to the White House gate, we presented our credentials to two female secret service agents. My dad’s contact had to come to the outside gate to walk us inside. About 300 feet inside the grounds we went through another set of gates and past more secret service agents and through metal detectors, and had to again present our credentials. We were then finally escorted into the guest entrance of the White House West Wing. My dad’s contact left us briefly in the lobby, so we waited among some beautiful pictures of American ships alongside some pictures of President Trump, particularly at his inauguration. I felt like I was Charlie when he was first brought into the Chocolate Factory. We chatted with the armed guard who indicated his solid support for President Trump due to his support for the people who guard him and his family. When my dad’s contact came back, he quickly ushered us upstairs to an area filled with many brightly lit offices, including his own. He then asked the guard to the Oval Office whether we could look inside for a quick minute.
Moments later, the door to the most important office in the world was opened. We stood at the threshold and looked inside the room where so many historic events had occurred. I saw Andrew Jackson and Alexander Hamilton’s portraits flanking the President’s Resolute desk. I saw President Trump’s choice of photo behind his chair, that of his father as a young man. The room was way smaller than I had imagined. If that wasn’t cool enough, we were then brought to, and allowed to briefly enter, the Roosevelt Room, named for the two Roosevelt presidents, where many former presidents held daily meetings with their staff. At the end of our tour, I felt as if I had awakened from what could only have been a dream!
As we left, we mentioned to the secret service agents at the front gate that I was the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor who had lost all five of his brothers, his only sister and mother to the horrors of the Nazis, and had been rescued by the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne. We mentioned that it is only in a great nation like the United States that a kid like me could be as fortunate as I was to visit the White House.
As if this magical mystery tour was not enough, at the AIPAC Policy Conference itself, within a 24-hour period, I got to hear, from a distance of about 30 feet, Vice President Pence talk of his emotional experience visiting Dachau and his pledge that under President Trump, Israel will not be abandoned. I heard the numerous thunderous ovations received by Ambassador Nikki Haley for her stalwart strong support of Israel at the UN. I heard House Speaker Paul Ryan and former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper speak of their love for the state of Israel. The list of people I saw and heard goes on and on: Ambassador Ron Dermer, Ambassador Michael Oren, MK Tzipi Livni, MW Isaac Herzog, MK Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu by video link. I feel like when I go to the AIPAC Policy Conference (this was my third) I get exposure to the issues important to Israel in 48 hours that most people don’t get in a lifetime. The fact that on this trip I was able to go with my dad and first cousin Daniel Lipshitz made the trip even more fun.
My parents and grandparents teach me daily about the importance of the state of Israel. My attendance at the AIPAC Policy Conference brings it to another level completely. Standing at the door to the Oval Office made this visit out of this world.
By Eli Rubin
