By: Susan Moray

 

In 1976 I fell in love, head over heels in love. It was my very first trip to Israel and I had fallen in love with my homeland of Eretz Yisrael. I was on a program called “Mishlachat in Reverse” (MIR), a hand-selected group of 40 teenagers from all over the USA, where we spent six weeks in Israel speaking in high schools and spending time with teenagers living in Israel. This was my Birthright. It was my first Federation-sponsored trip, and little did I know it would become the first of sixteen more trips to follow.

 

While every one of my Israel trips has been incredibly meaningful, this past mission was the most impactful since my first trip exactly 40 years ago. I traveled there with sixteen of my Federation colleagues, all from different communities, with whom I am participating in a year-long program called Fundraising University.  Since we had all been to Israel multiple times, this experience was designed to focus on sides of Israel that we don’t usually get to see in a 7-day Federation mission. 

 

I witnessed for the first time, with eyes wide open, Israel with all of her warts and blemishes. Israel, though still a young country, faces much of what we face in the United States – issues of civil rights and equality, asylum seekers and immigration, a changing culture of philanthropy, etc. – all with the added layer of continuous threats from many of its neighbors and enemies. 

 

On our trip I was shown the power of our Federation dollars as they are tackling some of these critical issues. Our overseas partners are working on our behalf to ensure pluralism is taken seriously and that there is true freedom of religion. They have ensured that Jewish marriages, not just common-law ones, are recognized even for people who choose to marry in a ceremony that is not consistent with the Rabbinate’s guidelines. They have created a community center that is building stronger relationships between Jewish Israelis and Israeli Arabs. They are developing employment programs to transition Haredi men into the work force, and educational programs for their sons. 

 

I have witnessed so much change in Israel as the country developed over the course of my 40 years of visits. On this mission I had the chance to watch a new change actively occurring as the next generation of Israelis is defining with what it means to be a modern Jew in a modern Jewish state. On this trip, for the first time, I really opened my eyes to these challenges, and I realized that I am so proud to be a part of Federation who is actively engaging in these issues, and that it’s also okay for me to wrestle with these issues while still supporting unconditionally Israel’s right to exist. Our Federation dollars are having measurable impact in lots of areas, but most importantly we continue to ensure that all Jews, no matter where they live, have the right to come home to the land of Eretz Yisrael, a land I continue to love deeply with all of my heart.