2 minute read
Fostering Our Relationship with Israel
The Riverway Project:
FOSTERING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE STATE OF ISRAEL
By Andrew Oberstein, Coordinator for Social Justice and Young Adult Engagement
Israel
On the second Friday of each month, the Riverway Project gathers together for Soul Food Friday, a Shabbat experience specifically targeted to young adults. Each gathering brings over 200 people in their 20s and 30s together at Temple Israel to welcome Shabbat with live music, food, and wine.
On November 13, 2015 we had the wonderful opportunity to include some very special guests in the celebration. Seven young adults from Israel joined the Riverway community as part of a delegation through Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ BostonHaifa Connection. The group traveled to Boston on a mission to explore the many complex aspects of Jewish identity. Through meetings and visits with various schools, synagogues, and other organizations, the Haifaim caught a glimpse of the vibrant, thriving Jewish community we are fortunate to experience in Boston. For most of the visitors from Haifa, the visit to Temple Israel was the first time they had stepped foot into a Reform Jewish community. There was a deep sense of excitement and enthusiasm among the group as they experienced a brand new type of worship experience. The trip leader later expressed that “the group had such a moving experience during Qabbalat Shabbat. Each of them shared with me that they never experienced something so beautiful and moving.” That evening, the Riverway Project was also fortunate enough to welcome Consul General of Israel to New England, Yehuda Yaakov. Consul General Yaakov addressed the crowd, speaking on the importance of fostering and maintaining a relationship between American young adults and the state of Israel. Hosting Consul General Yaakov was an opportunity to further engage our community in the issue of US-Israel relations, an important value of the Riverway Project. His thought-provoking words sparked lively discussion and planted the seeds for even deeper connections to be made. To top it off, the evening concluded with a feast of traditional Israeli food. Between bites of hummus, falafel, and Israeli salad, American and Israeli young adults had the opportunity to mix and mingle, learning more about each other’s culture, experiences, and Jewish identities.
This exciting event was not the first time Riverway has opened the door to engagement with Israel. In the past few years alone, we have been visited by other Israeli groups including a delegation from the IDF, hosted speakers from a broad spectrum of Israeli organizations, and even led our own Riverway Project Birthright trip to Israel. In 2016 and beyond, we look forward to even more opportunities to connect Riverway participants to Temple Israel’s core value of being “Ohavei Yisrael, lovers of Israel, committed to the vitality, peace, and well-being of the Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world.”
beautiful and moving. ”
