3 minute read
Welcome To Israel. Your Life Will Never Be The Same
By Rachael Ledesma Jewish Community Alliance
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A group of twelve travelers from the Jewish Community Alliance, River Garden Hebrew Home, and the LJD Jewish Family & Community Services took an incredible journey to Israel in September 2022. It was a much-awaited trip, as we were supposed to travel in December 2022 after one year of study with the Myron I. Flagler Israel Learning Seminar. More than two years later, we finally walked off the plane to a sign that read, “Welcome to Israel. Your life will never be the same.” Speaking for the group, I can say we all came back feeling the trip had changed our lives in some way; this journey gave us a deeper understanding of not just Israel, but its people too.
During our nine days in Israel, we visited several cities and saw countless historical sites - but I think what we will remember the most are the feelings we had throughout the entire trip. Visiting the Kotel (Western Wall) for the first time was a touching experience. As we all placed notes and prayers from loved ones in the wall, it was emotional and surreal to visit this place we had only read about or seen in photos.
There were many breathtaking moments on our journey. We visited Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center; as the gravity of what happened to six million Jewish people set in, we were all left speechless and brokenhearted. There were so many incredible moments on this trip, but we found those smaller moments were the ones that would stay with us forever. While visiting the beautiful, quaint town of Tsfat, we came across a Coca-Cola® machine and our amazing tour guide, Julian, pointed out a handwritten note on the machine asking for prayers for a sick woman. This experience taught us more about empathy for others, a lesson we learned many times while in Israel. While we made plenty of memories during this trip, I truly believe the connections we made with the people of Israel will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Meeting and dining with Israelis in our partner region of Hadera-Eiron and listening to their stories about what it was like for them to live and grow up there, made all of us more sympathetic while we gained a better understanding of the people who call Israel home. Experiencing this grand adventure brought our group of travelers even closer together. We spent many evenings doing l’chaims (a toast to health and well-being) and having deep conversations. We discussed ways our agencies could work together in the future - like having some type of corresponsdence between the residents of River Garden and the students of our Michele Block Gan Yeladim Preschool & Kindergarten. Through all of this, our group bonded; we became like a family and we are all so grateful for our amazing experience in Israel. It was an extraordinary journey in which we formed incredible bonds that none of us will ever forget.
Details about the next trip to Israel will be announced in the next few months. All employees at our JCA’s partner Jewish agencies are encouraged to apply. If you would like to support the Myron I. Flagler Israel Learning Seminar Endowment Fund and our next trip to Israel, Please email JCA Development Director, Kendall Sisisky Valliere, kendall.valliere@ jcajax.org.
TWELVE TRAVELERS FROM JACKSONVILLE’S PARTNER JEWISH AGENCIES IN ISRAEL, SEPTEMBER 2022
L’CHAIM! ENJOYING THE DAY AT A WINERY IN ISRAEL. RACHAEL LEDESMA DELIVERS MESSAGES FROM FRIENDS & FAMILY AT THE WESTERN WALL.
THE ISRAEL LEARNING SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS TAKING A BREAK FROM THE SUN DURING THEIR TOUR OF THE WESTERN WALL.
