Our Federation in Israel

By Jane Schiff and Nat Ritter

In mid-April, Jane Schiff, Susan and Nat Ritter and Paula Filler left for Israel and attended the General Assembly (GA) of Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Paula Filler traveled with Jewish Federation of North America National Mission and was joined at the GA by others from the National Women’s Philanthropy Board of JFNA. Nat and Susan Ritter and Jane Schiff traveled together to see our Naples partner agencies. We all met up at the GA and, while there, we saw Susan and Aron Ain, seasonal residents of Naples.

Our trip came at an interesting time in Israeli politics as well as multiple Israeli celebrations. The politics, which, as of the time of this writing, are still far from settled, created protests outside and inside the conference. For your board members, seeing Federation help and care for Israeli citizens was our primary concern. However, we were aware of the politics consuming the country. This article will describe the journey of Jane, Susan and Nat.

While in Israel, three important holidays were celebrated: Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Yom HaShoah

Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day — is marked in Israel by a moment of silence with a siren blaring all over the country.

Yom HaZikaron

Yom HaZikaron is Memorial Day for fallen soldiers. In Israel, almost every family has or knows of a fallen soldier, so it is a much more personal experience in Israel than in the U.S. Solemn music is played on the radio and, at both the beginning and the end of the observance, people stop what they are doing and stand for a moment of silence. We were eating dinner at our hotel when the entire kitchen and wait staff emerged and led us outside as the sirens sounded. We found this to be quite a different experience than the Memorial Day sales that mark the holiday in the U.S.

Yom Ha’atzmaut

Yom Ha’atzmaut — Israel’s Independence Day — starts the moment Yom HaZikaron ends. It is marked with singing, dancing, picnics and an air show that gave us such incredible pride in our Israel. Being in Israel for these three back-to-back holidays was a unique experience that none of us will ever forget.

Naples has, for over 10 years, partnered with two particular agencies that were top destinations — Yad LaKashish and Neve Michael.

Yad LaKashish

Yad LaKashish, “a hand to the elderly,” is easy to explain. This is a place where highend Judaic gifts are handmade by elderly craftspeople … but it so much more! Yad LaKashish provides a social gathering experience that allows lonely people to have a reason to live and get up each day. The elderly people become family and develop a sense of pride. Their products are sold in their gift shop and online. Next time you come into the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center, walk into any room and see the beautiful mezuzah that is their handiwork. To see their pride, visit their workshops and have each of the women and men show you what they are doing and how they do it. See the smiles on their faces when you are truly amazed by the complexity and the skills they translate into beautiful objects. You can then go into the gift shop for gifts to take home!

Neve Michael

Neve Michael is a residential “family household” for children who have been ordered by Israeli courts to leave their home for a variety of reasons. As in the U.S., there are adults who are unable to care for their children. Neve Michael is the only residential home for children in Israel. When children initially arrive at Neve Michael, they go to live in a crisis center, where they remain until they are stable enough to move to a “family” home on the grounds of Neve Michael.

Each “family’ home has about 12 children, a “mother” and “father” (who may or may not have their own children) and some older “sisters” who are national service workers. The national service workers are girls who choose to not go into the Army and, instead, spend two or three years working in a variety of places throughout the country. Neve Michael is one of those places.

Some children stay at Neve Michael for a period of time and then are able to return to their homes. Most children at Neve Michael stay until it is time to go in the Army. Every child attends school, either in the general community with all of the other local children or in the only residential Special Education School in the country. Neve Michael’s campus is on seven acres.

During COVID, a need was identified by the state of Israel for another women’s shelter. As a result, Neve Michael opened a residential women’s shelter two years ago. Now, women and their children have a safe haven if the need arises. It is not the only women’s shelter in Israel, as there are many throughout the country, but Neve Michael provides a residence for the women and their family until a better and safer living arrangement can be made. Neve Michael is a safe campus that has two guards, 24/7, to protect the women and children should that need arise. Counseling is required for every woman, and the small children have a safe environment in which to play.

Visiting our partner agencies is always a highlight of any Federation trip. For the returning traveler, seeing progress in Israel is pride-provoking and, for the newcomer, it is awe-inspiring.

Important work of international agencies Federation helps fund

Each trip to Israel for Federation includes a visit to either a Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) or an American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC or JOINT) Agency. Your annual campaign gift sends money to both these international agencies to help Jews all over the globe. Because these agencies are around the world, when a crisis strikes, JFNA and its agencies can quickly swoop in and help, usually the same day as in the case of the earthquake in Turkey when JAFI and JOINT where able to save a few hundred Jews in remote parts of Turkey and northern Syria.

On our trip, we went to “THE” call center at JAFI, where anyone Jewish who wants or needs to immigrate to Israel starts their journey. Different call rooms represent different languages. In February 2022, six Ukrainian operators swelled to over 40 operators as the Ukraine war ensued. The operators’ work increased from 60 hours a week to 24/7, with more volunteers needed for screening and intervention.

We met Diana, a JAFI client. Diana is the embodiment of the Federation overseas story. She is from Odessa, Ukraine. As a child, Diana attended both summer and winter camps that JAFI and JOINT sponsored. She attended youth groups from both agencies, as well. Diana learned about Israel, about being Jewish and she made wonderful friends. After her schooling, she rose to become principal at the Jewish Day School in Odessa.

In February 2022, she was happy with her life. She lived with her parents and her two boys, ages 8 and 9. Diana was shocked by the Russian invasion and assumed that it would last a day or two. By day three, Diana’s parents implored her to take her boys out of the country. She was like a deer caught in headlights, unsure of where to go or how to proceed. Diana packed one suitcase for each of the boys and left on foot. She went to the school, where there was a bus sponsored by JAFI with a Jewish star on it. After traveling more than 24 hours, she ended up in a hotel in Bucharest. After a few more days, Diana’s parents implored her not to come back home and to make a new life for herself and the boys.

She thought she wanted to come the U.S., as her English is good, and she knew a few people here. But how to get in? Could she become a citizen? Where would she go? Her parents urged her to go to Israel. Diana has a brother in Israel, and she could become a citizen the instant the plane landed. Diana would never need to worry about being kicked out of Israel and her children could have an unlimited future with no stigma of being an immigrant. So, the three of them got on a plane that landed in their new home. Diana’s brother was out of the country for an extended period of time, so she knew no one except JAFI and the JOINT.

Diana has been given an apartment and enough money for at least a year from JAFI. She went to Ulpan (a school for the intensive study of Hebrew) and is learning the language. Her new neighbors showed up with furniture, appliances, food and even a large-screen TV. Diana is overwhelmed. She has yet to find a job. Her Hebrew is still a work in progress, but she is safe, happy and excited. Her boys speak Hebrew fluently and go shopping with her to translate. She has a boyfriend, and her life has possibilities, all because of you! Having the infrastructure in place before the crisis meant that reaction was possible during the catastrophe.

Yeruham

We went to a development town in the Negev, Yeruham. If you saw the play or movie “The Band’s Visit,” you will remember Yeruham. It is a sleepy town near the largest army base in Israel and Dimona, an Israeli nuclear installation located in the Negev desert. Yeruham, a melting pot of Jews from all over the world, started in the early 1950s.

In the middle of the desert, the citizens of Yeruham have a beautiful manmade lake created in the Nahal Revivim streambed. The dam that created the lake was constructed to utilize the floodwaters of Nahal Revivim for irrigation, boating, fishing, bird watching and more. Our guide was Debbie Golan, a cousin of our own Goldie Wechter. Golan led a Zoom session about Yeruham for our Jewish Federation of Greater Naples in 2021 during COVID. She is engaging, knowledgeable and so proud of her town. We had lunch in the home of one of the many “culinary queens” in Yeruham. The “queens” prepare lunches for visitors to Yeruham as there are few restaurants and it gives the families an opportunity to make additional money to supplement their income.

General Assembly

The GA of JFNA featured President Isaac Herzog, who assured the group that the political unrest was the sign of a healthy exchange of ideas and the talks are on a good trajectory. There were workshops that dealt with ideas about the Jewish diaspora and Israel, Israeli society and Israeli politics, to name just a few. Experiences were offered for the remembrance of Yom HaZikaron and the celebration Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Other highlights

In Naples on March 26, at our Israel Fest, we had a cardboard Western Wall. Many of you put notes into slots in our Western Wall. Every one of the notes was delivered to the Western Wall by Nat, Jane and Susan. We toured Hadassah Hospital, thanks to Karen Ezrine’s introduction, and participated in many fun tourist things. We went to Safed. We went to markets. We saw the fabulous new Anu Museum and the new installation of the permanent collection at the Tel Aviv Museum. We took a walking architectural tour of Tel Aviv. We walked to Jaffa and ate Shabbat dinner in the home of a top Israeli chef — all 10 courses! It was indeed a very special 12 days.

JFGN’s November 2024 mission

At the end of our Passover Seder, we say “next year in Jerusalem!” Jewish Federation of Greater Naples is starting to plan a mission to Israel and Dubai for November 2024. If you want to enjoy some exceptional sights, sounds and delicious cuisine, plan on joining us next year. More information will be available in the fall when we start having get-togethers with details.