download PDF - Inbal Hotel Jerusalem

Community
In many of the conversations the Yeshiva participants
have with the heads of institutions, soldiers, the staff at
hospitals and children, they are frequently asked:
“Are you enjoying your stay in Israel? Have you been
to Eilat?”
They proudly reply, “No we have not gone to Eilat. We
are not tourists; we’re only here to support you and
show we care.”
Rabbi Besser emphasizes that especially in these times,
with Israel unjustly treated as the punching bag of the
world, “it is important for ordinary Israelis to know it
has friends; that the Jewish people are with her and
that we care and we show our solidarity by coming to
Israel.”
And from the Flatbush Yeshiva
of Brooklyn, the children and
the parents are coming, and
for many of them, they become
so inspired that they return on
further missions. Such has been
the case of Amy Sasson. She was
recently on her third mission
with her husband, also a former
graduate of the Yeshiva.
So what places in Israel do these
participants visit?
Amy describes her first mission.
Following “a spiritual sunset
experience” at the Kotel soon
after arrival in Israel, the next
morning stated early at Nesach
Yisrael, a school for learning-
disabled children from poor
backgrounds “where we
handed out toys and candy and
Mrs. Susan Franco, one of the organizers of the mission over the past 10 years,
photographed with some students and the principle of the school Rabbi Ronald Levy
while visiting the Oncology ward in an Israeli hospital.
The Inbal Jerusalem Hotel
The missions may be short but “they are lifechanging,”
says Rabbi Beser , seen here flanked by
two very happy participants.
Spring-Summer 2011
18
enjoyed an hour of music and fun together.” Thereafter
they continued to Hazon Yeshiva Soup Kitchen, which
provides life-saving meals to thousands of Israeli
families.” This was no idle observation. “We peeled and
chopped potatoes, carrots and onions and served hot
meals to the lines of hungry people.” Next they visited
Tishma, “whose goal is to mainstream autistic children
and other similar disabilities into regular schools. We
were invited into the classrooms and distributed toys
to the children. The love and patience of the directors,
teachers and volunteers there, and their commitment to
helping children was truly inspiring.”
The last stop before dinner was Shalva, “an amazing
organization that provides afterschool
care for developmentally
disabled children in a loving
environment.” After a personal
tour escorted by Shalva’s
founder, “we were treated to
a performance by the Shalva
orchestra that left us crying and
cheering.”
Dinner followed at an army
base. “As part of Project Standing
Together, we brought barbeque,
candy and gifts to the Israeli
soldiers. Most important, we left
the soldiers with the message
that Jews in America care about
them. Rabbi Besser read out load
the special prayer we say every
day for Israel’s soldiers and we
sang Hatikva together - it was a
beautiful ending to an amazing
day.”