We met Yohan and his wife. They are two young professionals who were among the 200 French olim who gathered at a synagogue to receive their Israeli passports and paperwork from the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) as they prepared to make Aliyah. We participated with them in a ceremony in which we all sang Hatikvah, followed by a joyous celebration of Israeli singing and dancing in the social hall. Many shared the sentiment that they no longer feel safe in Paris as Jews and that they don’t feel there is a Jewish future for their children in France. They want to be able to express and practice their Judaism freely. We also met Caroline and her family, and proudly accompanied them on their momentous flight from Paris to Tel Aviv where they were eager to start their new lives in Israel. With our support, JAFI helped nearly 8,000 Jews make Aliyah from France in 2015.

We met Klara. She is a Holocaust survivor. Klara shared with us an award-winning photo she took of a young girl resting in a barn, with a scarf tied around her head. She took this photo because the image reminded her of herself as a young girl who escaped alone from a concentration camp and sought refuge and shelter in nearby farms. Klara is able to share her artwork and her story of survival – of fleeing Romania with her family at age 11, losing her father and becoming separated from her mother and brother, being captured and then escaping the death camp, and ultimately making her way to Israel on her own as an 18 year old more than 62 years ago, where she met her husband and now has 30 grandchildren – through Photography with Joy. This program is offered to Holocaust survivors throughout Israel through a joint project of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the Israel Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, and Jewish Federations.

We met a teen from Ethiopia who fled to Israel with his parents. His father did not survive the journey, and his mother sorrowfully took her own life in front of her son shortly after arriving in their new home. He was left an orphan and he's been living in one of the many Youth Villages throughout Israel that provide a home and school, as well as other support systems, for at-risk youth in the country. We met him as he performed in a youth orchestra as part of the Sulamot Music for Social Change program created by the Israel Philharmonic and Tel Aviv University. This organization establishes youth orchestras in disadvantaged areas throughout Israel and is designed to instill in these children – many of them suffering from physical or emotional disabilities – a feeling of motivation, self-respect, and belonging. Every child we watched perform had a heart-wrenching story, but each one of them clearly had a sense of pride in what they are accomplishing. And this young man’s flute solo of the beautiful song Hallelujah brought tears to the eyes of the entire audience.

These life-changing encounters, and many others like them, were all part of our recent Campaign Chairs and Directors Mission to Paris and Israel sponsored by Jewish Federation of North America. The trip was physically and emotionally energizing and exhausting at the same time. We were shown a sampling of the incredible scope of the work our partner agencies are able to accomplish overseas with the dollars we raise here at home. Every story we heard and every person we met who is benefitting from your generosity is living proof of – and a testament to – the power of our efforts.

Ira Steinberg, UJA Campaign Chair
Rebecca Gold, Women’s Philanthropy President
Rebecca Pollack, UJA Campaign Director
Sarabeth Margolis Wizen, Women’s Philanthropy Director