By Nancy Nelson
My first connection to Israel was when Israeli cousins I had never met randomly showed up in Richmond.
I was in middle school at the time.
A few years later, I had my first trip – I was 16-years old and part of BBYO’s ISI.
We saw lots and had wonderful experiences. Many years later, I travelled to Israel with my mother while my brother was on sabbatical living there. I met all of my mother’s Israeli cousins, and those connections helped increase my desire to return.
I had always said to myself I didn’t want to go on a group trip because I would prefer to do things on my terms.
But when I found out about the P2G teacher mission, I was intrigued (especially since I was a full-time public school teacher in addition to a Jewish educator).
I went on that trip in December 2014-January 2015, and that is when my obsession and love for Israel grew exponentially. I was not only able to extend my trip to spend time with the family I had met several years earlier, but I met fellow educators who became friends.
Ori, Amit, and Yael and I still maintain communication and they are an important part of every travel decision and itinerary when I come to Israel.
Neta, another teacher, came to Richmond a few years later on a mission, and we initiated a friendship that also continues to this day. Because of all these connections, I returned to Israel almost yearly until December 2019-January 2020.
During summer 2023 I chaperoned teens on a P2G teen mission, which is when I met Natali, and another dear friendship was started. Last summer, Sarah and Shuli were in Richmond as chaperones for Israeli teens. Again, connections were made and friendships began.
This past January, I was able to participate in the P2G Dig Deeper mission. Before committing to it, I made sure that all my friends would be available for me to spend time with. They, and my family, were major factors in me making the trip.
Since October 7, 2023, I’ve felt a need to come to Israel and thought I finally had the best opportunity for me. Luckily, things worked out and I was able to come. In addition to the aforementioned friends, I was also able to meet and spend time with 3 students I’ve had in the One2One program.
Spending time with these dear friends and their families was more important to me than staying in a resort hotel, and they were welcoming and accommodating so we could share as much time together as possible.
Celebrating Shabbat in Israel with friends and their families is one of my favorite parts of any trip, and I was able to experience 2 Shabbats on this trip.
The trip was named Dig Deeper (in my opinion) because we were given the opportunity to dig in and see more than just the physical damages from October 7.
We went to Kibbutz Nir Oz, the car graveyard, and the Nova music site. Those were all very emotional and impactful to see, especially after seeing We Will Dance Again a week prior to my trip. Beyond that, we also visited the Knesset and met with Mayan Kahana (member of the Knesset and former Minister of Religious service), and one of our group members ran into Benny Ganz.
While we were there, the members of the Knesset voted on whether or not to open an inquiry into October 7. We were not allowed back in the gallery to observe, but streamed it and saw many hostage families there visibly upset and angry when individuals voted no. The resolution ultimately did not pass, so we were told they have to wait 6 months before voting on it again.
Once we got to our partner region of Hadera, we went to an agricultural farm that, in addition to their normal CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) boxes and program for at-risk teens, were providing weekly oxes for reservist families.
We met Hadassah Ben Ari who compiled a children’s book of stories of Heroes of October 7. One of the heroes spoke to us about the resistance his kibbutz showed, ultimately resulting in the terrorists leaving.
We went to the Golani Brigade base and met with a few soldiers, including line soldiers. We met with women whose husbands have been in reserves for much of the past 16 months and now have support for them and their children both separately and as families, which has given them so much needed relief mentally, physically, and financially.
Also, we saw the art exhibit in our partner region that paired artists (from all over our partnership) with families of those fallen (from the region) on October 7 to create a work to honor the memory of those fallen.
All of these experiences gave us more of a complete picture of the impact of October 7 and the war, and also how resilient and hopeful the Israelis are.
When October 7 happened, I was on WhatsApp constantly checking in with everyone, as I’m sure many others were doing. I have felt so helpless and like my words weren’t enough to these people I love and care about. While I don’t see them every day, or every week, or every month, when we are together it seems like we were never apart. We have fun together, share professional ideas, talk, and experience life together.
The bond I feel with them is special and I feel so grateful to have that. I can’t wait for the next time I can visit, until then, we zoom regularly to keep the connections going.
Partnership2Gether, P2G is a program of the Jewish Agency for Israel. The Jewish Community Federation of Richmond is a member of the P2G Southeast Consortium with Hadrea -Erion as our Israeli partners. P2G’s goal is to build meaningful relationships and deepen connections between Diaspora communities and Israeli communities through joint programming and partnership.
To learn more about Richmond’s involvement and to join the work contact, Sara Rosenbaum, JCFR Chief Impact Officer at srosenbaum@jewishrichmond.org .
