Joanna and I had the chance to visit our daughter Yael, who was in Israel this summer.
It was our first chance to visit Israel since October 7th, and we were left inspired by the resiliency of Israeli society. The experience gave us a recharge for what has been a difficult year. Like many parents, we have dealt with the stress of a child on a college campus dealing with anti-Israel protests. Without diminishing the challenges associated with the rise of antisemitism in America, seeing first-hand the devastation in the land of Israel helped keep things in balance.
Yael is participating in the Ascent Iprogram through the OU-JLIC (Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus). The program brings students across US college campuses together and includes an internship with evening study sessions and group trips. Yael was working for Ourcrowd, which is the largest investment company for Israeli Startups.
Joanna and I wanted to do more than visit – we wanted to find a way to study some Torah together while we were in Israel. We participated in the Pardes learning seminar during our stay. Pardes is a non-denominational organization that brings Jews of all stripes together to learn classic texts from outstanding scholars in a way that makes learning seem very relevant. The theme of this year’s seminar was “Exploring Jewish Traditions on Choice vs Commitment.” In addition to engaging lectures and chavruta (partner) learning, the program incorporated volunteer opportunities where we packed food for distribution to needy families.
We also traveled with the program to the Gaza envelope communities to bear witness to the terrible events of October 7.
We left with some amazing experiences, Torah knowledge and great friendships. Contact us if you would like to learn more about the program. We would love to do it again next year and bring others from the community with us.
A multi-faceted visit to Israel
