{"id":27942,"date":"2012-07-10T21:58:06","date_gmt":"2012-07-10T21:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=27942"},"modified":"2017-01-22T09:37:56","modified_gmt":"2017-01-22T14:37:56","slug":"yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Yachad Israel Free Spirit Trip: Illuminating Hearts by the Light of Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cSo, Ally, this trip you\u2019re about to go on,\u201d people would challenge. \u201cDo you really think the participants will be able to\u00a0appreciate it?\u201d That question would be directed toward me as I described my excitement about staffing an upcoming Taglit-Birthright Israel trip<\/a>. The program was a unique one for adults with cognitive, physical, and developmental disabilities in partnership with Yachad, the OU\u2019s National Jewish Council for Disabilities<\/a> and Israel Free Spirit (IFS)<\/a> \u2013 the OU\u2019s Birthright Israel program.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Trip participant with staff member at the Mount Bental Observatory in the Golan Heights and former Israeli bunker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over the last several years, I have devoted my free time to working and volunteering with the special needs population in a variety of settings. I was a counselor in summer camps, a volunteer on various travel trips and\u00a0Shabbatonim<\/em> (weekend programs), and serve as a weekend counselor in a group home for young adult women with disabilities. My experiences have molded my outlook on the power of the human capability to change the life of another person just by simply welcoming them. It taught me that we do not have to be a rocket scientist or billionaire to the change the world, but that we can change one person\u2019s world through the power of our everyday actions.<\/p>\n

However, I have also become used to fielding questions along the lines of, \u201cWhy do you bother?\u201d\u00a0 Questioners may assume that having a disability makes you incapable of thinking, feeling, or appreciating. They may assume that opportunities such as connecting to the Jewish land is suddenly less important for those who some deem \u201cless important.\u201d In response, I usually keep my answers brief. All of us were created in the image of G-d, Who created each person exactly the way they should be. It is never up to another human to determine the limitations of another. Accordingly, each of His creations deserves a fair chance. For some, this chance needs to be tailored a bit more \u2013 and that is what Yachad is for.<\/p>\n

When Birthright trips tour Israel, there is a common theme among the groups–unity. Jewish young men and women are able to experience their Jewish birthright. They can unite and rejoice in their land; they can bond with a new group. IFS Yachad also experiences these special connections. But unlike other groups, Yachad staff works with special enthusiasm to ensure that this connection was brought to levels each participant could connect to.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A trip participant with two of the three Israeli “Mifgashim” soldiers that accompanied the group.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The OU\u2019s Israel Free Spirit staff greeted our group of men and women aged 18-26, as we gathered from across the country at JFK to embark on a journey together. Participants came with a wide range of disabilities, including autism, Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy. They came from different levels of observance ranging from Hasidic to unaffiliated; each came bearing unique personal challenges, but all had a single goal in mind.\u00a0 We met as 32 anxious strangers, and we left as a family, united\u00a0B\u2019yachad<\/em>, as one.<\/p>\n

We helped one another learn new lessons about the land and Jewish history. We held hands to help each other cross the slippery Jerusalem stone. We proudly donned our Birthright T-shirts and filled the\u00a0Kotel\u00a0<\/em>(Western Wall)\u00a0with our personal prayers. And after a long day or particularly meaningful activity, we would come together as a group to reflect and share our thoughts. For likely one of the few times in each of their lives, the entire room was focused on and genuinely interested in their opinions. Instead of being looked at for what others deemed them incapable of, they were encouraged to stand up before the group and express themselves.<\/p>\n

We focused on what we can do, we rejoiced in our abilities.<\/p>\n

Before our eyes, we watched participants from across the country bond over a common love for Israel, share common struggles–such as physical challenges with walking, difficulties with social interaction in big groups, making new friends, fear of leaving home or flying–and use them to form new connections. Even the most introverted participants<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The group singing Israeli songs to the beat of drums and music on a Kinneret boat ride.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

began to shine, their hearts illuminated by the light of Israel, new friendships, and fresh experiences. They blossomed with the extra effort Yachad put in to help them feel connected to their roots. Finally, our group experienced it for themselves, connecting to the Jewish land their own way, not through secondhand accounts. We traced the steps of our forefathers as we danced and sang in the streets.<\/p>\n

We felt proud.<\/p>\n

After visiting the\u00a0Kotel<\/em>\u00a0for the first time, one participant shared, \u201cI feel like being able to go on this trip, I won the lottery. I finally sense a direct connection to G-d.\u201d As we shared more thoughts and stories, there were tears and laughs and hugs all around. \u201cBeing here makes me think of my grandparents and relatives who passed away,\u201d said another. \u201cIt makes me want to keep our family traditions alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The land of Israel was given by G-d to the Jewish people to love and protect through every generation. IFS and Yachad reminded us that our Judaism is a shared, holy gift that we all deserve to rejoice in. Through this trip, Yachad taught us that all of us have a\u00a0neshama<\/em>, a Jewish soul. Accordingly, every\u00a0neshama<\/em>\u00a0longs to connect to its roots, each in its own way. It taught us about our collective responsibility toward each other and the effort we must each contribute to ensure this. It showed us how to look at others as an equal member of the Jewish nation, each seeking to live a meaningful life.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Trip participants with staff member Alexandra Levy, roasting marshmallows over a fire following a great evening at the Bedouin hospitality tents.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During times of hatred and intolerance throughout the world, our trip served as a beacon of light setting an example for people of all backgrounds. Walking the streets of Israel, our group was stopped countless times. \u201cWho were we? Where were we from?\u201d they all wanted to know. Some onlookers even went so far as to stand up out of respect for the beautiful and contagious unity before them.<\/p>\n

You ask, will they appreciate the trip and the Land of Israel? On the contrary, they taught me how to appreciate it! For this, I forever stand up for you, Yachad.<\/p>\n

Yachad reminds us to open our hearts and minds, to see the light in each Jew and welcome them into our communities. Most importantly, you need not go on a ten-day trip across the world to make this happen. If we take a few moments of each day to look beyond ourselves, we will see small opportunities to help another, to break down the walls of judgment and to foster\u00a0Inclusion<\/em>.<\/p>\n

With our collective efforts, each\u00a0neshama<\/em>, each soul, will be able to stand united\u00a0B\u2019yachad<\/em>, as one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cSo, Ally, this trip you\u2019re about to go on,\u201d people would challenge. \u201cDo you really think the participants will be able to appreciate it?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":797,"featured_media":27946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","category-israel"],"yoast_head":"\nYachad Israel Free Spirit Trip: Illuminating Hearts by the Light of Israel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cSo, Ally, this trip you\u2019re about to go on,\u201d people would challenge. \u201cDo you really think the participants will be able to appreciate it?\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yachad Israel Free Spirit Trip: Illuminating Hearts by the Light of Israel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cSo, Ally, this trip you\u2019re about to go on,\u201d people would challenge. \u201cDo you really think the participants will be able to appreciate it?\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-07-10T21:58:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-01-22T14:37:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/6-IFS-trip-e1485095819253.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"534\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alexandra Levy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alexandra Levy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/\",\"name\":\"Yachad Israel Free Spirit Trip: Illuminating Hearts by the Light of Israel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/6-IFS-trip-e1485095819253.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-07-10T21:58:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-01-22T14:37:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/4a5ed759824bc274f2349a86f207e462\"},\"description\":\"\u201cSo, Ally, this trip you\u2019re about to go on,\u201d people would challenge. \u201cDo you really think the participants will be able to appreciate it?\u201d\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/6-IFS-trip-e1485095819253.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/6-IFS-trip-e1485095819253.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":534,\"caption\":\"Trip participants with staff member Alexandra Levy, roasting marshmallows over a fire following a great evening at the Bedouin hospitality tents.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/\",\"name\":\"OU Life\",\"description\":\"Everyday Jewish Living\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/4a5ed759824bc274f2349a86f207e462\",\"name\":\"Alexandra Levy\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alexandra-Levy_avatar-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alexandra-Levy_avatar-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Alexandra Levy\"},\"description\":\"Alexandra S. Levy, originally from Yardley, Pennsylvania, now lives in New York City. She graduated last year from Queens College with a BA in Psychology. A Yachad volunteer, she currently has a one year AmeriCorps fellowship placement at UJA-Federation of New York, and is pursuing a career in Marketing.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/author\/alexandralevy-me\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Yachad Israel Free Spirit Trip: Illuminating Hearts by the Light of Israel","description":"\u201cSo, Ally, this trip you\u2019re about to go on,\u201d people would challenge. \u201cDo you really think the participants will be able to appreciate it?\u201d","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Yachad Israel Free Spirit Trip: Illuminating Hearts by the Light of Israel","og_description":"\u201cSo, Ally, this trip you\u2019re about to go on,\u201d people would challenge. \u201cDo you really think the participants will be able to appreciate it?\u201d","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/","og_site_name":"OU Life","article_published_time":"2012-07-10T21:58:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-01-22T14:37:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":534,"url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/6-IFS-trip-e1485095819253.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alexandra Levy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alexandra Levy","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/","name":"Yachad Israel Free Spirit Trip: Illuminating Hearts by the Light of Israel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/6-IFS-trip-e1485095819253.jpg","datePublished":"2012-07-10T21:58:06+00:00","dateModified":"2017-01-22T14:37:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/4a5ed759824bc274f2349a86f207e462"},"description":"\u201cSo, Ally, this trip you\u2019re about to go on,\u201d people would challenge. \u201cDo you really think the participants will be able to appreciate it?\u201d","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/yachad-israel-free-spirit-trip-illuminating-hearts-by-the-light-of-israel\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/6-IFS-trip-e1485095819253.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/6-IFS-trip-e1485095819253.jpg","width":800,"height":534,"caption":"Trip participants with staff member Alexandra Levy, roasting marshmallows over a fire following a great evening at the Bedouin hospitality tents."},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/","name":"OU Life","description":"Everyday Jewish Living","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/4a5ed759824bc274f2349a86f207e462","name":"Alexandra Levy","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alexandra-Levy_avatar-96x96.png","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alexandra-Levy_avatar-96x96.png","caption":"Alexandra Levy"},"description":"Alexandra S. Levy, originally from Yardley, Pennsylvania, now lives in New York City. She graduated last year from Queens College with a BA in Psychology. A Yachad volunteer, she currently has a one year AmeriCorps fellowship placement at UJA-Federation of New York, and is pursuing a career in Marketing.","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/author\/alexandralevy-me\/"}]}},"acf":[],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/797"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27942"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55062,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27942\/revisions\/55062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}