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Community
And that was only Day One.
Over the ensuing days
they would visit inter alia,
Emunah Ethiopian Day Care
Center, Bikur Holim, Tel
Hashomer Hospital, “where
we heard soldiers tell their
stories of how they were
injured fighting for Israel
and the extraordinary steps
they take to save lives.”
At Israel’s Blind Museum,
“We learned what it was
like to navigate through
life without the blessing of
sight,” and at Aleh, where
severely disabled children
receive top-quality medical,
educational and rehabilitative
care, “we interacted with the
children in their classrooms
and then got together to
dance.” Before returning
home to New York, they
would visit more institutions
and army bases and “apart
from the presents we give
out to children, patients
and soldiers, we present a
check to the organization
or institution from our
fundraising activities,”
explains Rabbi Besser.
One of the program’s most emotional encounters occurred
in January 2010, where Rabbi Besser and Connections
Israel sponsored a special cultural exchange “where we
bussed teenagers from Sderot for a Yom Kef (fun day)
at the Inbal Hotel. “The youngsters from Sderot came
well prepared. They revealed to our kids what daily
life was like in their town under fire from the terrifying
rockets. They gave us a PowerPoint presentation and
spoke of their experiences and anxieties.” Following
this exchange, the Yeshiva of Flatbush has ‘twinned’
itself with a school in Sderot.
The Israel Connection
What impact do theses missions have on the students?
“Life-changing,” say Rabbi Besser. “You know, these are
teenagers across the entire spectrum, from youngsters
who easily could have spent their vacation with their
parents on a sunny beach in Cancun to kids who saved
up every penny in order to come to Israel; not to party
but to give and connect with people less fortunate than
themselves.”
‘So you think you can dance.’ Rabbi Beser seems to know
all the right moves.
The Inbal Jerusalem Hotel
Spring-Summer 2011
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The word “connectivity”
acquires fresh meaning
with the young participants
asserts Besser. “We speak
today of the “I” generation.
You just have to look at the
current nomenclature of
connecting gadgetry- iPhone
and iPad and then you have
iPod, iTunes. The “I” is
emblematic of the society
we live in. Come to Israel,
and they discover the “we”.
That “we” is the Jewish
People and the epicenter is
Israel.”
The essence of the program
“is to understand that
Chesed, Torah and intense
social experiences can be
cool and are an essential
part of our lives as religious
Jews. Thus these kids come
charged up and leave Israel
completely inspired by their
experiences.”
Besser quotes from an
Israeli song, which loosely
translates, “that when you
come to Israel and see
its true beauty, you are
blessed.” However, what
is “true beauty”? Is it the
mountains, the sea, the lakes and the forests? Is it
the antiquities of the past or the facades of modern
Israel? “When a tourist visits Israel,” says Besser, “they
invariably see the customary sights but may well miss
its true beauty.” For Rabbi Besser, Israel’s “true beauty”
is its caring people, who dedicate their lives to helping
or safeguarding others. “When our students interact
with these wonderful people, they discover Israel’s true
beauty and are blessed.”
Most instructive, says Rabbi Besser speaking as an
educator, “the students see how dedicated and passionate
people can make a difference to the lives of others. Our
youngsters are enriched by these ‘close encounters’ and
they want to be a part of it. I so often pick up from many
children this feeling of inadequacy: “What can I do? I’m
not rich enough, smart enough nor important enough.”
These trips transform their mindset. They discover their
abundant potential to be agents for change. It’s amazing
how a small act of visiting a hospital, a child care center
or an army base and engaging with the people there,
will make such a difference to their own lives. They feel
a sense of empowerment that they had not experienced