When Hannah Turner made a piligramge to Prague and Poland in the summer of 2012 with NFTY in Israel, visiting Aushwitz and Birkenau, she discovered a personal sense of responsibility for sharing the stories of this dark chapter of Jewish history. Hannah eloquently teaches us of the importance of listening to and sharing the stories of survivors so that humanity can continue to learn and ensure that history will not repeat itself. As Hannah puts it, “everyone has something to say. We just have to make the time to listen.”
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No Word For Awe
NFTY in Israel alum Marlana Fireman writes about the incredible journey that a rock from Auschwitz took with her as she traveled from Europe to Israel and back to her home in Ohio. Read about the awe she discovered while contemplating the meaning her experiences this past summer, and find out why she says that “in my travels, no matter where I go or what I learn, I will do for those who couldn’t.”
Welcome Home, Camp and Israel Participants
By Lois Rubin, NFTY in Israel Committee Chair
Why welcome home our kids from Camp and Israel? A congregation needs to say welcome home too, because these lived our movement’s values each and every day. We as a congregation want to hear what they want to share. We want to listen as they relive the highs of their summer, the quiet moments, the special moments. Relationships were cemented as lifelong friendships began. We want our kids to know that we support them, missed them, and are glad to have them back in our congregational home as well, back at their Jewish address. We want them to know they are important to us and to the future of our Judaism. We want it to be clear to them that we are interested in what they have to say.
My Heart is Still in the East
By Alyssa Weisman, 2012 NFTY in Israel alumnus
Although many things have changed since Alyssa returned to North America after a summer in Israel, her heart is still in the east and it always will be. Read about what made her summer so meaningful.
Israel (with me in it)
By Stephanie Seiden, 2012 NFTY in Israel alumnus
NFTY in Israel asks each participant to make choices for themselves about their personal Jewish lifestyle through examples of the Jewish people throughout history. Traveling through Israel in any fashion is a wonderful experience, but I truly believe had I not traveled with NFTY, I would not have gained a full understanding of who I am as a Reform Jew living in this modern world.
Israel, the country that continues to inspire
By Benjamin Lutz, NFTY in Israel Participant Excerpt from an original blog post from Temple Beth Tikvah (Roswell, GA) As an American Jew, I always felt a connection to Israel but I never knew why. Once we landed and seeing the Jewish majority all in the streets, everything suddenly touched me that after the long struggle, Jews finally have a homeland… …Visiting the Kotel (Western Wall) touched me the most. The physical reminder of the temple and that fact that Jews from all around the world come to this same spot really shows how Judaism still continues strong today. If you are [...]
From Israel: “Laying the Groundwork for Future Generations of Jews”
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, URJ President, writes about his experiences in Israel meeting with a KESHER Taglit-Birthright Israel group and participants on the Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa program.
Follow the Journey: Episode 1
We’re bringing some of the excitement of NFTY in Israel experiences directly to our communities in North America! Watch exclusive documentary interviews of participants sharing their thoughts and feelings about their experiences so far and their relationship with Israel.
This is part one of the interview series, featuring teens from Congregation Beth Israel in Austin, Texas.
Stay tuned, more are coming over the summer!
From North American Reform Temples to the Ancient Temple in Jerusalem and then back home again
By Rabbi David Wilfond, Director of Education, NFTY in Israel
Our NFTYites, in coming to Israel have come on a pilgrimage, a circular path from their home (and home Temple) to Israel (and the site of the original Temple in Jerusalem) and then back to home again. Our hope is that our NFTYites will return home with a deeper appreciation of our Reform Jewish customs today and the origin of many of these traditions in our people’s practices at the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.
The First Steps on our Journey
During the journey, questions that arose were, “What would I have done?” “How would I have reacted?” “How could this have happened?” “Where was the rest of the world?” “How can I ensure such atrocities never occur again?” To say that everyone was excited to reach Israel is an understatement. To now understand some of the reasons why a Jewish homeland is so important to the Jewish people turned their excitement of visiting Israel into a much deeper yearning. As the plane landed in Tel Aviv, everyone applauded. The next steps on our Journey were about to begin.
