I feel like I was meditating for 10 days. That’s all I can really say to people when they ask me how my trip to Israel was. And I did meditate, in the Negev Desert, but that wasn’t all I did.

I was on a trip with Birthright Israel, an organization that sends young American Jews to Israel for free with the help of some very generous donors. In my 10 days, I hiked in the Golan Heights, crawled through caves and hiked in the Negev Desert, slept in a Bedouin tent, celebrated Shabbat at the Western Wall, studied Torah and made amazing new friends.

But regardless of all the amazing places I went, I left with a strong, reawaked Jewish identity. I’ve always appreciated Judaism as my heritage, but haven’t felt a strong connection since college.

Something changed in me on the first day when I visited the Holy City of Zefat and took a plunge in the Mikveh, a ritualistic bath that is supposed to cleanse the soul and mind. After dunking three times in the freezing cold water, I felt invigorated, like I had truly arrived, and was ready to absorb the stories and culture of what people kept referring to as my “home.”

From then on, I can’t really say it was one particular moment or place that struck me – they all did in their own ways – but I came back with a sense that I am connected to something deeply spiritual with roots that go back to the beginning of time. And it made Judaism appear to be not a religion, but a culture, a history, a common spirit and a connection that transcends time and place. This trip gave me pride in Judaism I haven’t felt since my Bar Mitzvah, and gave me a lot of love for Israel.

So, now I’m home. I can’t go to the Western Wall Friday night, I can’t walk around Zefat, I can’t go float in the Dead Sea. What do I do with all these feelings and my reawaked Jewish identity?

I called up Rabbi David Greenspoon of Adat Chaim to try to make sense of all this. And he knows exactly what I’m feeling.

“That’s always one of the great challenges. It’s the Israel experience that turns people on to being Jewish,” he said. “…You have a sense of a spiritual, historical connection that goes back thousands of years.”

While he acknowledges that there are things impossible to duplicate in the U.S., he had plenty of suggestions for how to make those connections come home.

Rabbi Greenspoon told me to maintain my network from the trip, something I was already planning on doing, and connect with people who had similar experiences in Israel. Maybe get together once a month for Israeli food and talk about current events in Israel. Most importantly, plan my next trip.

I can’t exactly hop right back on a plane, but I will definitely be back there at some point in my life. So, in the meantime, is Baltimore a good place to be? The rabbi thinks so.

“The level of resources for Jewish life here really makes the Baltimore Jewish community a special community,” he said.

From the number of synagogues, kosher venues, Jewish cultural events and programming, and sheer number of Jewish people, there’s plenty around here to help me keep my identity strong.

I guess I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to keep the Israel spirit alive here, but I know the trip left me with enough questions, good feelings and spiritual enlightenment to last a lifetime.