Over the last 10 days, I’ve been living vicariously in Israel. Rabbi Spike, along with parent-chaperone Stacy Bedsole, and 27 teens from our Confirmation class, were in Israel for the experience of a lifetime. This was the inaugural journey of the Schiffer Family Teen Israel Trip—a unique opportunity for Temple Emanu-El teens to deepen their friendships and their connection to their Jewish identity with a highly subsidized trip to the holy land. As your rabbis, we operate under the assumption that Temple Emanu-El’s involvement with Israel and Zionism is a given, but it’s worthwhile to remind ourselves why we care so deeply about Israel and traveling to it.
First and foremost, Israel is the only Jewish state in the world, dayeinu. Experiencing the Jewish state firsthand is something most of our ancestors, or even great-grandparents, thought they would never see in the last 2,000 years. However, Israel is also the perfect backdrop, classroom, and laboratory for bringing back Jewish connection and a stronger Jewish identity to our community here in Atlanta. The bonds our teens form in Israel are lifelong. Not only do our teens have a deeper connection to Rabbi Spike, but each one of them returns to Atlanta knowing that they have 26 other people to count on. These are the reasons why Israel is so crucial to our congregation—why we return year after year.
I hope you’ll join me in June 2024 for the next TE Israel trip—one track for families and one for adults only. Not only will we get to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors, but we’ll be walking in the footsteps of our trailblazing teens who’ve set the example of what it means to build a sacred community.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Max
If you’re interested in traveling to Israel in June 2024, click HERE to learn more about our trip.
