“My Israeli Story”, a project by JEWISHcolorado’s Israel & Overseas Center, offers our community a chance to connect with and learn about the diverse stories of our emissaries. Each feature will spotlight a different shinshin and their family’s unique journey.
Shalom! My name is Shoham Suisa, and I’m honored to share the story of how my family came to Israel. My roots trace back to Morocco, where both sides of my family settled after being exiled from Spain during the Inquisition. That exile lives on in our name, Suisa, a street name in Spain, now part of our identity.
On my father’s side, my grandmother Mazal was born in the Moroccan town of Midelt, and my grandfather Yizhar in the small village of Tamazirt. Each made aliyah at a young age—Mazal at just four years old to the Gevim transit camp near Sderot, and Yizhar at nine, straight to Moshav Mahsia near Jerusalem. Though their journeys began separately, fate brought them together years later in Sderot.
Shoham’s grandparents, Mazal and Yizhar
My mother’s side shares a remarkably parallel story. My grandmother came from Casablanca, and my grandfather from Kenitra. They first moved to France, where they spent time in Marseille and the Rivesaltes camp- a former concentration camp turned transit center for Jews preparing to move to Israel. My grandfather arrived in Israel in 1963, followed by my grandmother a year later by ship. Both settled in Sderot- my grandfather in a modest hut and my grandmother in a small apartment shared with extended family. They met in 1968 at a house disco party and built a life together in the city that had welcomed them both.
My mother was born in Sderot and later moved to Moshav Talmei Yaffe, where my family lives today. She met my father thanks to their shared roots—they were neighbors growing up in Sderot.
Shoham’s grandparents, Mazal and Yizhar
Now that I am in the United States as an emissary, I find myself reflecting deeply on my family’s story. Both sides of my family share not only a similar journey, but one that shows the broader experience of many Moroccan immigrants to Israel. Serving as a Shinshinit feels like a natural continuation of the choices my grandparents made, to leave behind everything familiar and build a future in the Land of Israel. In a way, I feel as though I’ve never really left Israel, because it is at the heart of my work. It’s present in every story I share, every connection I make, and every moment I spend here in Colorado. Their legacy is my inspiration, and I’m so proud to carry it forward.