birthright israel: It 's a
Each year Birthright Israel Foundation is honored and humbled to receive the support of nearly 40,000 donors. These donors include individuals, families and foundations that make the decision to help sustain Birthright Israel and provide the gift of a lifetime. Each donor supports our work for a different reason. Perhaps they are parents of participants and want to help another child experience our homeland. Maybe there was no opportunity like Birthright Israel when they were young, and they feel they missed out on such a transformative experience. Growing up as children or grandchildren of Holocaust survivors may have taught them to have a deeper appreciation for the State of Israel and the Jewish community and a responsibility to protect them. Regardless of the reason, we at Birthright Israel Foundation are forever indebted to our supporters. As we prepare to turn the calendar on what has been a trying year, we look forward to a year full of hope and promise. A year when Birthright Israel buses are flooding the highways of Israel and our participants are thriving and finding community once again. As we imagine what is to come, we know it will be thanks to our wonderful supporters, including the Gould and Shenfeld families. Helaine and Fred Gould have been proud supporters of the State of Israel for decades and it is no surprise their daughter and son in-law, Wendy and Steve Shenfeld followed in their footsteps. Wendy serves as a member of Birthright Israel Foundation’s Board of Directors and their son Kyle Shenfeld, a Birthright Israel alumnus, is a member of our Young Leadership Council. Join us and get to know a family that is truly an inspiration to us all.
JOURNEYS • ISSUE 13
How did you first learn about Birthright Israel? Helaine Gould: We were in temple and Marlene Post, a member of Birthright Israel Foundation’s board, who had been the president of our Temple came over to us and said, "Michael Steinhardt and Charles Bronfman have this great idea, they're going to take every Jewish kid to Israel for free." We smiled and we said, "Lots of good luck. We wish you well and of course, we'll be supporters." But in my head, I said, "What a lovely pipe dream." Well, it became much more than a pipe dream. Steve Shenfeld: For years, our family has given to many organizations, and actually Fred had approached Wendy and me about Birthright Israel and said, "There's a Long Island chapter forming. I think it'd be a good idea for one of the two of you to go and listen to what they're doing, what they're trying to build."
why is supporting israel so important to you? Fred Gould: Well, we did make a decision early in our lives. Without Israel, we wouldn’t have a Jewish homeland. When a Jew finds it intolerable to live someplace, the only place he can go really is Israel. So, to us, supporting Israel is a high priority. Helaine Gould: Israel has been a major part of our lives. When I was 29, Fred dragged me to Israel after the '67 War. I was very, very frightened about going. We got there and the first day I said, "I'm not staying," because it was a war zone. And he said, "Stay one day." And we stayed, of course, and the week changed the rest of my life.
9
