My Israel Story

My Israel story is…

It’s early in the morning when I arrive in Baka for my first interview of the summer with Nina Tokayer. Carrying her baby girl, Ashira on her hip, she welcomes me into her childhood home. She quickly settles down Ashira before we sit down for our interview. She is the first Sabrait in her family, and for her, Israel is filled with connection. As one half of Yonina, she and her husband, Yoni, have together helped to pave the way for Modern Orthodox women to find their own voices.

My Israel story is…

I settle into Rabbi Naamah Kelman’s office, one I’m quite familiar with. The red chairs, and a Torah behind her she begins to tell her story, her love of Israel. Spending time in Jerusalem as a child she recalls the freedom she had to wander, to see the separation between East and West Jerusalem, and then returning to the bustle of New York city. Her experiences in Israel and New York as a child shaped her, giving her the ability to go between spaces, and to find her way to create new sites for education, innovation, and advocacy for women’s rights in Israel

My Israel story is…

Rabbi Naveh Hefez sits at her desk ready to face the world. As the Educational Director for Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel, her story brings to life the dreams her father had of working for human rights through the U.N., by bringing Israelis and Palestinians together in Mechinot and Medrashot to learn and explore, to create a better Israel together.

My story is….

I arrive in the Bedouin village of Lakiya and cannot seem to find the house I remember. The signs pointing to Lakiya weaving lead to a dead end street. I finally give up and wave down a woman for help. She shows me the way. I’m quickly welcomed into the new home of Lakiya Bedouin weaving by Yousra, one of the mainstays of the non-profit organization. I soon meet Khadra whose story is tied to the land, tied to Israel, and yet separate, and important.

My Israel story is…

Rabbi Zavidov sits in her office amidst hundreds of her books, a Torah commentary not far off, a shawl thrown over her shoulders, making her look even more like the rabbi she is. She speaks of her longing for Judaism for God as child, finding her home in Reform Judaism, and then later becoming the rabbi of the first Reform congregation she ever stepped foot in.

אוהב וכואב

A heart that is both filled with love and with pain.

My Israel story is…

Dr. Ruchama Weiss’ office is hidden, but she’s hard to miss once you find her. Her strength and her brightness shine through her commitment to spiritual therapy through Talmud Torah. Growing up Orthodox, she found her way to Talmud slowly but surely, asking bigger and deeper questions, until she found her calling, helping other people heal through the words of the tradition she loves.

My Israel story is…

Alona Lisitsa always knew she was Jewish, but growing up in the Soviet Union, in Ukraine, being Jewish was something to be ashamed of. Running away to Israel with her husband when she was 20 years old, naive as she was, finally allowed her to feel proud of her Jewishness, leading her to explore Judaism, and to create her Israel story.

My Israel story is…

Sitting at a cafe across from my friend, Sonya, I watch the people pass by on Rehov Agronsky. They move passed with their bags laden with groceries, pausing every now and then for a joke or a greeting. All the while Sonya’s cigarette and her espresso waft through the air, mingling with the soft scent of rosemary from the garden. I speak to her in Hebrew over the sounds of the cats in the alley, finding new words for this sacred moment. The Jerusalem stone is cold beneath my feet, and I grasp my scarf tighter around my shoulders, as I take it all in, the streets of Jerusalem, the love I have for this place and the space it occupies in my heart; my Israel story.

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There are many stories to tell; our Israel stories, our Jewish stories, our family stories. This summer I set out to tell Israeli women’s stories; to ensure that their voices are heard in our classrooms, in our synagogues, and in our conversations on the diversity, beauty, and challenges of Israel. These vignettes are only a taste of the work that is yet to be done to bring diverse Israeli women’s stories into Jewish spaces.