By: Jillian Feiger
Director of Joyce Zeff Israel Study Tour (IST) and Jewish Student Connection (JSC)
In this week’s parsha, Balak, the Israelites return from defeating various nations. Balak, the King of Moab, asks Balaam to curse the Israelites. En route to curse the Israelites, God stops Balaam and tells him not to curse the Israelites but to bless them.
Balaam becomes the messenger for Balak, who wants to curse the Israelites. He then becomes the messenger for God, who wants to bless the Israelites. Being the messenger is important and so are the words that are being shared.
This summer on Joyce Zeff Israel Study Tour (IST), we saw firsthand how powerful words can be and how important it is to be the messenger for others. Throughout our time in Poland and Israel, we heard stories about people’s experiences on October 7 and the subsequent 9 months. We are now the voice to share their stories.
We became the messenger of Bernard’s story, a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor in Krakow. Bernard survived being in a ghetto and five concentration camps before being liberated. He shared his life lessons and the perseverance and positive attitude he still holds for life.
We became the messenger of Ofer’s story, a member of Kerem Shalom. Ofer, and his wife Roni, were volunteer first responders in their kibbutz on October 7. He talked about his experience from that day and how he and his wife have continued to live life over the past 9 months. Temporarily living in Ashalim, a community in Ramat HaNegev, Ofer shared his vision for the future and expressed his gratitude to JEWISHcolorado for supporting his community.
We became the messenger of Ismail’s story, a Bedouin from Rahat. On October 7, Ismail woke up to a message from his nephew who was in a kibbutz in the Gaza Envelope that was under attack. Ismail and several other family members decided to drive to save him, but on the way, they encountered hundreds of Israelis fleeing from the Nova festival. Ismail and his family paused their own rescue mission and instead drove hundreds of people to safety.
We became the messenger of Amit’s story, a Nova music festival survivor. Amit, a seasoned tour guide, guided us through his physical and emotional journey to safety on that day, including the stories of friends who were killed.
We became the messenger of Jacob’s story, a lone soldier from Los Angeles. On October 8, Jacob entered Gaza with his unit and spent the next 8 weeks on the frontline. He shared the reality on the ground in Gaza—the toll it took on him—and what it is like being a lone soldier and an American defending Israel during this time.
We became the messenger for the seven Israeli teens from our partnership region, Ramat HaNegev, who joined us for a week of our trip this summer. They shared what it’s like knowing that they will join the army next year and the ups and downs they have experienced in the past nine months.
I have heard countless stories in the past 10 years of leading IST. Returning from IST this summer, I feel an added responsibility to share about the people we met and the experiences they shared with us. The above stories are only some of the many we heard and will continue to share beyond this summer.
Please email Jillian Feiger at jfeiger@jewishcolorado.org with questions or comments.