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Wishing our 2005 Young Emissaries “B’hatzlacha!”
Now, one year later, it seems safe to say “mission accomplished.” “You guys have been amazing,” wrote SNEC Young Emissary program director Sharon Conway recently in an open letter bidding the teens goodbye. “You have taught me so much about Israel while, at the same time, helping me see my life and our lives as Jews in America with new eyes. Your enthusiasm, energy and love of Israel are the key to your success…I know you will be successful in the next challenge in your lives: the army. You are the future leaders of Israel.” And so, over the past few weeks, the 13 remarkable teens n one year older and decades wiser nmade their way home, looking forward to reuniting with their families and beginning their service in the Israel Defense Forces. In light of the story that continues to unfold in Israel as the Ledger went to press, we wanted to take the time to thank them once more for all they have done to enrich our community…and to wish them shalom and hatzlacha n much luck always. We look forward to seeing them again someday. Rivka Abeve Age: 19 Afula/Worcester, MA “To be an emissary means to show the Jewish people here the beauty of living in a Jewish country and see them appreciate it… Now I am more connected to my home, my family, my country, my friends, my Ethiopian roots, the Jews outside of Israel, and my community here.” Rabbecka82@walla.com Reut Arato Age: 19 Kibbutz Beit Hashita/Westport-Weston-Wilton-Norwalk “If you would ask me what is the thing that most amazed me this year, I would answer: the huge amount of love that the people here have for Israel and through Israel, for me…Coming to a place to fulfill a quest, a mission, to bring Israel from my heart and soul to the people, made me feel at home, made me feel like a part of it.” reutarato@walla.com Hila Arie Age: 19 Afula/Great New Haven “When people read those words, I am probably going to be a soldier in the army. So I am supposed to say how much I am going to miss you, which is true, but you know me already, you’re going to see me earlier than expected.” hilaarie@gmail.com Mor Goshen Age: 19 Nir Ha’Emek, Afula/Eastern Fairfield County “I learned from each and every one of the people I met: how is it to live in a community, what it means to be a Jew outside of Israel, and how meaningful Israel is to us all.” morgoshen@gmail.com Ya’ara Hendel Age: 18 Gan Ner/New London “It is very ironic about this program n they send you to bring Israel closer to America, and eventually America brought Israel closer to me. The more I tried to get people to think fondly about Israel, the more I did so myself. I loved my country before, but never as much as I do after this year, and this feeling only grows every day.” emilyrugburn@gmail.com Aviv Laitman Age: 19 Gan Ner/Worcester, MA “Being an emissary is a 24/7 job, from teaching kids about the Jewish state to talking about the situation in Israel…even putting a Hebrew bumper sticker on my car n when people know where you’re from, it’s another reason to drive carefully…The connections I’ve made with people in my community. That is a living bridge.” avivlight@gmail.com Aviel Maftsir Age: 20 Kfar Yehezkel/New London “Here is what I’ve learned…that serving in the IDF and doing this year of service is not only serving my country, it’s also serving my people…that the more I see how big, how beautiful and how diverse the world is, the more I will love my little moshav (settlement) in my small valley in my tiny country.” avielmaftsir@walla.co.il Zohar Mazor Age: 19 Moshave Moledet/Eastern Fairfield County “I’ve learned from all the friends I’ve made here. The lesson I’ve learned here is that each person is a lesson on their own. I took a lot from the people here.” zoharmazor@gmail.com Yael Soberano Age: 19 Afula/Greater Hartford “I worked in many different places and met many people of all ages, religions and races. I understood that people around you make who you are. All of the new things that I was part of and all of the new people that I met influenced me.” yaelsoberano@gmail.com Shlomi Yehiav Age: 19 Afula/Providence, RI “Living here as part of a Jewish community has opened my mind and taught me so much and about so many things. I learned about a new culture, about Judaism, about a new way of life. But most of all, I learned about myself. All the amazing experiences I had here shaped this year, but shaped my life, too.” yehiav@gmail.com Dana Zax Age: 19 Afula/Providence, RI “Talking, thinking, working, living, breathing Israel all day long gave me a new perspective…realizing how important Israel is, wanting to let people see it through me, and really seeing it for myself…Being Jewish was so obvious to me in Israel, but here it’s different. Coming here made me understand what community means. I’ve been appreciating and loving the fact that I’m Jewish.” danazax@gmail.com Binyamin Zinstein Age: 18 Kibbutz Beit Hashita/Greater Hartford “Sing, smile, jump, run, be nice, and be Jewish!” z_ben@walla.co.il Tali Zion Age: 19 Gan Ner/Greater New Haven “When I first got here, I was scared and confused and didn’t know what to expect. I was a bit nervous. After all, how could I, little Tali, bring Israel to people?...I hope that I left in this great community a little bit of myself and my love of Israel.” tali.zion@gmail.com |
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