Sixty members of the Young Judaea Year Course who are beginning their program in Jerusalem visited Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem on September 17. They toured the hospital, and saw the Chagall windows in the Abbell Synagogue with Hadassah Offices in Israel ambassador Barbara Goldstein, who told them they are the future of the Jewish people.
Barbara Sofer, Israel director of public relations, shared her history as a Young Judaean in Connecticut that led to her moving to Israel. "When I came to Israel, I realized I could live my life on a Jewish calendar instead of fitting the Jewish part of me in a general calendar. You'll be experiencing the holidays for the first time in Israel. It may move you as it moved me. This year, there's a lot to learn, but also listen to your heart."
Suzanne Patt Benvenisti, head of the Hadassah Offices in Israel, grew up in Texas and took part in the Year Course when she was 18. She met her husband while they were both working at Camp Tel Yehudah.
The Year Coursers also heard from intensive care nurse Hila Shmuel. Her family moved from Ukraine to Israel when she was 19. "I didn't know anything about Israel when I was your age," she told newcomers, mostly from the US, with a few from Canada and England. "Suddenly we were living in Israel." She described her personal journey to becoming an Israeli, studying nursing and taking care of seriously injured patients in the Intensive Care Unit on October 7.
The Year Course participants arrived in Israel two weeks prior to their visit. Young Judaea’s Year Course in Israel is a nine-month gap year program for high school graduates.
Read More
Chagall's Windows: A Source of Light in Dark Times
Support Young Judaea Scholarships
Young Judaea Alumni Impact Study