COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia mobilizes
financial and volunteer resources to address the
communities’ most critical priorities locally, in Israel and
around the world.

Around the World: Jewish Federation Mission
Participants Refl ect on Life-Changing Israel Trips
ADVENTURE, CULTURE AND MEMORIES to last a lifetime. Th e Jewish
Federation of Greater Philadelphia provides experiences for people of all ages and
backgrounds to travel and connect with Jewish communities from around the world.

While in-person missions are still on hold due to COVID-19, the Jewish
Federation has off ered a number of tailored, engaging and immersive virtual trips
for the community.

“We have pulled together as a Jewish community during the pandemic and
have been able to explore the world through technology,” said Arielle Shemesh,
missions and travel manager of the Jewish Federation. “I hope that soon we will be
able to travel in-person again and connect face-to-face with Jewish communities in
America, Israel and around the globe. When that time comes, we will be ready to
take you on an incredible and life-changing experience.”
As the possibility of resuming group travel becomes more of a reality, we spoke
with past participants from the Jewish Federation’s various missions to Israel to
refl ect on how their trip expanded their worldview and their Jewish identity.

Baruch Hashem, here’s to next year in Jerusalem! For more information about
travel experiences with the Jewish Federation, contact Shemesh at ashemesh@
jewishphilly.org. Philadelphians
Love Israel
Marilyn & Jonathan Goodman:
Honeymoon Israel, 2019
Ali Sayer: Israel360, 2018
Going on Israel360 made me feel
more connected to my Jewish
identity. I felt as though I was
somewhere I belonged. Visiting
the historical sites of our ancestors
made me feel closer to those who
came before us, and experiencing
the newer innovations was
exhilarating. It is easy to say the
Jewish Federation assists in Israel,
but going on this Mission allowed
me to experience first hand the
work being done there.

24 When we learned we would be
traveling to Israel, we were looking
forward to making new friends,
tasting new foods and seeing new
sights. However, our trip to Israel
was so much more. It allowed us to
connect with a place, a destination,
and a concept as something that
felt familiar and foreign at the same
time. Israel gave us such wonderful
gifts and memories that have
shaped our lives and our futures as
Jewish people.

Melinda Berkman:
Women’s Philanthropy Mission, 2018
Paul Fires:
Men’s Entrepreneurship Mission, 2016
The Women’s Mission to Israel was an
important part of exploring my place
within the Jewish community. Being
surrounded by such wonderful, strong
and inclusive Jewish women during
my trip reinforced my belief that
raising my children in this community
was the path for me. Beyond bonding
with my fellow trip members, I got to
meet some incredible families from
the Negev region and see the work the
Jewish Federation does to support
growth and protect communities.

I felt a connection as soon as we
landed, a connection of being a
Jew in a Jewish country. It was that
indefinable feeling, which embraces
and envelops you as nothing else
can, a sense of belonging which
reaches people at all levels of
observance. I prayed with my
Mission friends, walked among
catacombs unchanged by millennia,
and experienced the enormity of our
Jewish history and of our communal
responsibility to each other.

MAY 6, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
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