Young Women’s Mission to Israel: July 2015
By Rebecca “Becca” Fisher
“We Care, We Build, We Save.” This simple phrase took on a whole new meaning for me and 15 other women who went on the Young Women’s Mission to Israel this summer. When you live and breathe these words daily with other women, something very special happens.
A mission is not just a sightseeing trip. On a mission, relationships are built. We saw, first-hand, the work we do as a community to help Israelis get their feet off the ground and stay afloat. Our mission was made even more special because we travelled with a great group of women, a caring and knowledgeable staff, and a superstar tour guide. Away from our many responsibilities at home, we could truly immerse ourselves in educational, cultural, and spiritual experiences.
Participant and Mission Co-Chair Shira Rothschild said, “The most meaningful part of the trip was being with like-minded women who were all there for the same reasons. We all wanted to not only see the historical sights, but also to feel the country by meeting locals, hearing from interesting speakers with different perspectives, and by visiting partnership communities…that are helping to make Israel a better place.”
With four children under the age of nine, I had been waiting a while for the “right time” to go on one of these life-changing trips. This was one of the most meaningful gifts I could ever receive. I had nine days to indulge in “me time.” However, more importantly, I forged relationships and bonds with the most incredible women from our Greater MetroWest community. (We all stay connected on a pretty regular basis.) Our group of women varied in ages, experience, and geography around MetroWest, but we all shared a thirst for knowledge, a hunger for trying new things, and an interest in learning from one another. Connecting with others might have been our greatest strength. Whenever we visited a place that Federation assists, our favorite part was talking with the Israelis and hearing their stories. We wanted to build upon the relationships and the work that women from our Greater MetroWest community had started years ago.
I was one of the three fortunate women on the mission seeing Israel for the first time. Barbara Drench, who accompanied us as mentor, cheerleader, and matriarch said, “There is nothing that I am jealous or envious of except for a person’s first trip to Israel.” I now understand what she meant. While seeing first-hand everything that I was taught as a child in Hebrew School, it all clicked and developed into something deeper. Yes, we toured some of the most famous places in Israel. It was beautiful praying at the Kotel, taking the cable car to the top of Masada, touring Yad Vashem, meeting wonderful teens in the vibrant city of Tel Aviv at the unique Shanti House, and floating in the Dead Sea. However, creating living bridges and fostering relationships with our partnerships in Israel were definitely highlights.
I am already dreaming about my next mission and chance to visit with Ossi Lankri, a wonderful woman whom we met in Ofakim, one of our Federation sister cities. Ossi is a fantastic chef, hostess and friend to her city, to Israel, and to everyone in Greater MetroWest. (Sneak preview: Ossi will visit MetroWest next spring, and I can’t wait to see her again and taste her delicious food!) We also met youth at Ofakim’s Israel Tennis Center who learn English while taking tennis lessons. Mission attendee Anita Dickman said, “I think the most meaningful part of the mission was connecting with the young people who are helped by the money and efforts from Federation.”
At Kibbutz Erez, we listened to mothers who spoke about living in Israel so close to the Gaza Strip. On a daily basis, they keep their children living like happy, playful kids, while at the same time they never stray too far from a shelter as they have 15 seconds to safely get inside. We all tried this exercise and, trust me, it is pretty difficult to get anywhere in 15 seconds by yourself, let alone with your children.
Mission participant Michele Landau said, “It was a moving experience for me to visit Kibbutz Erez and see how Federation dollars have helped to make a very difficult situation of families being under rocket fire from Gaza a little less traumatic. The creativity of making bomb shelters into rooms of daily activity was incredible to see.”
Rebecca Gold, who had gone on the mission 10 years ago and is now a Women’s Philanthropy VP, came on our mission as another mentor or “big sister” to us all. She said, “My recent mission to Israel was with 17 of the most generous-spirited women I have ever had the blessing to travel with…. What I was most appreciative of, however, was how powerfully they validated all I have done and strived for over the last 14 of my volunteer years with our Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy. Nowhere was this more pronounced than at Ossi’s house and the Isha Center of Ofakim. I had been in Ofakim on my first Young Women’s mission… Our Women’s Philanthropy was just embarking on a strategic partnership with the women of Ofakim …. So, on this July visit, seeing all that we had started together coming to fruition and flourishing was tremendous.”
Ossi Lankri said, “I think the way to reach each person, especially for us as Jewish people, is through our stomachs. The privilege of meeting so many wonderful people through the partnership we have, gather them around a big table in my hometown of Ofakim and in my personal home, feels like I am expanding my own family. The ability to discover each and every person’s world, show the love to Israel and care for our community in Ofakim warms my heart. I hope that these days last forever.”
I share Ossi’s sentiments and hope and pray that these days do last forever. I am personally invested in our community, both in Greater MetroWest and in Israel, now more than ever before. So are the other women who went on the mission. Shira Rothschild said, “I already felt so proud to be a part of Federation and Women’s Philanthropy, but after the mission I felt an even greater sense of pride.”
Michele Landau said, “Meeting and being with incredible women for the week in Israel has made Federation, and specifically Women’s Philanthropy, feel much more accessible. I look forward to attending events and seeing my new mission friends in a way that I hadn’t before.”
When I close my eyes and picture Israel, I see the faces of all the people we met who touched our lives. It is one thing for me to read about needs in a book or magazine, but far more powerful to be there and see it with my own eyes. I wish for everyone the opportunity to go on a mission; it will change your perspective and ultimately you will feel so much more fulfilled.
To see more photos from this mission, and to learn more about other women’s missions, please visit our web page.