When Yaara Ron Cohen visited JEWISHcolorado in September, it was both a homecoming and a new beginning.
The new beginning? Ron Cohen is the newly appointed Partnership Coordinator for the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council. JEWISHcolorado’s mutually supportive partnership with Ramat HaNegev, which leverages social, human, and financial resources here in Colorado and in Israel as a means to inspire community engagement and development, dates back nearly 25 years.
The homecoming? Four years ago, Ron Cohen came to JEWISHcolorado for the first time as a participant on a Young Adults Mission.
“I remember sitting here in JEWISHcolorado and being impressed by how much effort people made to live their Jewish lives in Colorado,” Ron Cohen says. “I decided that connecting Israel with the diaspora—and connecting Ramat HaNegev with Colorado—is what I wanted to do with my life.”
She started looking for jobs where she could gain experience connecting communities. She volunteered in Ramat HaNegev, guiding mission trips from Colorado. “Whenever there are visitors from Colorado, I told them to call me so that I can give a hand,” she says.
When the new position with Ramat HaNegev became available, it was truly a dream come true.
“I feel like I have come back home,” she says as she discusses issues and exchanges ideas with her counterparts. “I feel like there has been a red carpet rolled out for me on this visit, and I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”
‘Building living bridges’
Ron Cohen sees her role as the person who builds living bridges between the people of Colorado and the people of Ramat HaNegev. She works closely with Ramat HaNegev Mayor Eran Doron and her supervisor Hadas Nissan.
Since October 7, JEWISHcolorado has sent more than $1,418,000 in grants to Ramat HaNegev to support the region’s efforts to take in thousands of evacuees from other parts of Israel that are under threat during the war.
Yaara (third from left) and visiting Ramat HaNegev delegation visits Golda Meir House Museum
“I feel that Ramat HaNegev is a very safe place, perhaps the safest place in Israel,” Ron Cohen says. “Because of that, it is expected of us to help, and we expect it of ourselves to reach out to people who are in need of safety.”
Over time, the needs of evacuees have evolved and, as a result, the response from those who are taking care of them has evolved as well.
“Immediately after October 7, the evacuees did not even have underwear, much less food or clothing,” Ron Cohen says. “Today, they have the time to pack a suitcase before they leave their house, but they don’t know when they will go back home.”
Three communities in Ramat HaNegev have absorbed the bulk of the responsibility for the evacuees by providing housing, education, and mental health assistance. They are also offering social and cultural activities to help displaced persons feel like they belong in their new home.
“These people left their homes and are now living in trailers for the next one, two, or three years—or the rest of their lives,” Ron Cohen says. “They just don’t know what the future holds, and it’s very hard to be a refugee in your own country.”
In her new role, Ron Cohen plans to focus on one-on-one programs that build personal connections between the people of Colorado and the people of Ramat HaNegev. Some of these programs involving teen ambassadors and the JEWISHcolorado Young Adult Division (YAD) have been interrupted by war. Ron Cohen plans to restart them.
“We know the war is happening,” she says. “The message we want to send is that the war is not going to stop us from living.”
She does not see the partnership between JEWISHcolorado and her homeland as one-way.
“This is not just about what Colorado does for Ramat HaNegev,” she says. “It is also what we can do for you. As you are dealing with antisemitism, we are here to strengthen you and give Colorado the power to continue. We are like a big family.”
‘This is the light’
Perhaps Ron Cohen has slipped into her new position with such ease and grace because building international bridges is in her DNA. Her parents were Shlichim in Skokie, Illinois, and she lived in the Chicago suburb from fourth to seventh grade.
“Today, my family still has guests coming to visit us in Israel from Skokie,” she says. “These are friendships that last a lifetime.”
Ron Cohen came to the Negev for the first time when she was 17 years old to do her national service and, she says, “Once I came to the Negev, I stayed.”
Yaara with her children Yogev (9), Ori (15), and Omer (13)
Her family has lived in Retamim for 12 years. The community was established in 1983, but the population dwindled to the point that it was known as a “ghost town.” It was resurrected in 2006 and is now a thriving development with more than 150 families.
“It is beautiful and quiet, and there is a sense of community,” Ron Cohen says. “For us, it is home.”
Ron Cohen loves her home so much she wants to invite everyone to come and visit. When delegations come, she points out, Ramat HaNegev is often a stop on their itinerary. But she wants everyone else to visit as well.
“We really want to host you,” she says with a smile. “We want you to give us a call!”
What the people of Ramat HaNegev are doing for evacuees with the support of organizations like JEWISHcolorado comes from the heart and sets an example for giving.
“Sometimes, you might do the right thing because you know someone is watching you,” Ron Cohen says. “In Ramat HaNegev, we do the right thing because we know in our hearts that it is what we should do.”
Ron Cohen assumes her new position during difficult days, but she reminds her listeners that “the darkest moment comes before the dawn.”
“We have had a lot of darkness since October 7,” she says. “But this partnership, doing good things with each other, this is the light.”