Bobby Harris, URJ Camp Coleman Director, writes about the powerful connection his camp has with the story of Gilad Shalit, and of his meeting with the Shalit family last month in Israel.
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This Year in Jerusalem
by Barry Geltman’s NFTY-EIE English classes, Spring 2012
It was so nice to be able to experience a real Israeli Jewish home during the holidays. It was lovely, looking up at a table full of close and loving family all bonding and enjoying the holiday, living in the Holy Land. I couldn’t help but wonder if they knew how lucky they all were to be living here, as a free and independent Jew, not as part of a minority.
Would I do it Again?
By Rebekkah Karp, current participant on Netzer Year and volunteer with Magen David Adom
As part of her experiences on Netzer Year, Rebekkah had the opportunity to spend two months training and volunteering with Magen David Adom (the Israeli Red Cross) while living in the city of Karmiel. Read her poignant thoughts on her experience, which she describes as “really truly amazing. Something real and fun and down to earth and, dare I say, magical… I saw and experienced things I will never forget. There were hard times and things that were tough to deal with.”
NFTY Staff Does Israel
Follow along as members of the NFTY staff participate in a Kesher Birthright trip to Israel! Leslie Bass, Logan Zinman, Pam Schuller and staff member Wes Peskin will be checking in, Tweeting and Facebooking every step of the way.
Packing for Home
Follow a group of NFTY staff as they travel to Israel for the first time on a KESHER Taglit-Birthright Israel trip! Here, Leslie Bass, Web Associate for the URJ Camp & Israel Programs and NFTY, shares her thoughts on her upcoming journey the night before she departs for Israel.
Impact and Importance of the Israel Experience on Teens
By Rabbi Rich Kirschen, Director, NFTY in Israel
I must admit that as someone who has always supported URJ programs in Israel, I was not completely ready to witness the transformation that happens for so many of these six hundred and eleven young adults who come to Israel with us in the summer. Of course, we all promote our own programs and love to give spin, but in my twenty five years of work in Jewish education, I have rarely experienced feedback and reactions of the type we received this summer.
Why Diaspora Jews Have the Right (and Duty) to Be Involved in Israel
By Roey Shiff, NFTY & Israel Programs Shaliach
I believe Israel is a fundamental element in our Jewish identities and in our connections to the Jewish people. Therefore it’s in the interest of every Jew to strive for Israel to be a place he can sympathize with, regardless to his own place of residence. Many of the Diaspora Jews have valid experiences and perspectives to bring to the table and can also be part of the process of making Israeli society more democratic, pluralistic and inclusive, as voiced in Israel’s Declaration of Independence.
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