Erica Robinson--Houston, Texas
Erica is a senior at University of Texas studying psychology and Jewish studies. This Jewish National Fund Alternative Spring Break trip was her 4th trip to Israel and her second service trip.
When asked about her favorite project, her answer was simple. “Aleh Negev. To see a facility like that in an area like the Negev was incredibly moving. To see that there were so many people to staff and facilitate it and so many donors that are willing to give was amazing. I have never seen a facility that is able and willing to take such a wide range of participants. From high functioning to low functioning, they don’t turn away patients they think they can help. Our role here was to beautify the grounds. Although this seems simple, it was one of the reasons I was so moved by our visit here. Most of the residents would not have known the difference if there were flowers and plants outside or if there was only sand, but the whole idea of this facility is that everyone is human and everyone deserves dignity and respect. They want to create a home that any one of us would be comfortable living in, even if the residents don’t necessarily understand the difference. If given the opportunity, I would return again in a heartbeat.”
JNF, through our Blueprint Negev initiative, is making a major impact in the Negev region by partnering with Aleh Negev, an organization that provides children with severe cognitive and physical disabilities throughout Israel with high-level medical and rehabilitative care to help them realize their full potential. Together, we have built a state-of-the-art communal Rehabilitative Village situated in Ofakim that is providing much-needed services and jobs to the area.
Everyday at Aleh Negev the staff assist the residents, transporting them from the facility center to their residences for lunch.
“The staff asked that we [ the participants] stay an extra 30 minutes to help them. Although some participants were uncomfortable with this, they put themselves forward to help and after a couple of hours felt like they were making a difference. Watching everyone taking this chance with something they wouldn’t normally have done was great.”
From picking beets with Table to Table to visiting the JNF Sderot Indoor Recreation Center and playing with the children, Erica describes this trip as “something you’re not going to see on a tourist trip. I was able to experience a different perspective of Israel and it was so special."
Noah Scherz--Atlanta, Georgia
Noah is a junior at the University of Virginia studying physics. His trip with Taglit Birthright fell in January and with much excitement to return, he flew back to Israel with JNF in March.
“Earth’s promise was my favorite project on the trip. We set up a garden for the Ethiopian community to allow them to become sustainable and grow their own local and traditional food. In addition, we built an outdoor classroom adjacent to the garden so classes can be taught outside. I loved this. The teachers were on strike that day which was sort of a blessing because there were tons of kids running around that were so excited and curious to know what we were doing. We were able to interact and play with them - it was a blast. When we left, the kids were so sad; they wanted us to come back. It was the first time I felt I was making a difference in Israel- a powerful feeling.”
Earth’s Promise works with economically-disadvantaged Ethiopians in Be’er Sheva. Their current project is to take vacant parcels of land filled with garbage and debris and, with the help of volunteers and neighbors, clean the plot, lay down compost, and then give out parcels to Ethiopian families to farm.
In addition to several other projects, Noah’s group took a tour of JNF’s Be’er Sheva Riverwalk Park. When asked about his thoughts of the project, he said: “Although it’s a work in progress, you can get a sense of what it will one day become. Be’er Sheva as a whole wasn’t exactly a beautiful place- it’s someplace where you had to look deeper to appreciate its beauty. This park is amazing; although there’s construction- you can tell it will be the gem of Be’er Sheva.”
On this trip, he arrived with enthusiasm and questions and left with a deeper understanding about daily life in Israel provided by JNF. Traveling to different places through the Negev allowed him and fellow participants to discover places that are not considered to be typical "tourist" areas and to experience "hands-on" activities in a part of Israel in need of development and care.
Thalya Salazar--Atlanta, GA
Tali is a student at Ogelthorpe University studying human rights and politics with a minor in economics.
Her first time in Israel was last year on the JNF ASB trip. It offered her a completely different and unique way of seeing the land and its people. This year on her second ASB trip, Tali was able to see the sites and projects that she worked on last year.
“Seeing the progress of work that has been done in just over a year was amazing. It was such a rare opportunity to visit our work and was truly tremendous. Earth’s Promise was definitely the most significant project for me. Every time I go back and learn about the program, I understand that they are making their base stronger and better and it is so inspirational to me. As an immigrant myself (from Costa Rica), I am able to relate to the Ethiopians mentality of wanting to assimilate into Israeli culture but not losing oneself. Our actions of something as simple as building a community garden has showed them that we care and Israel cares about them.”
For Tali, the trip stirred many emotions--mostly the desire and passion of wanting to return and live in Israel to continue giving back.
“I feel like ASB has allowed me to build my base of connections; to make new friends, and learn more about parts of Israeli society that I didn’t know existed. I’m so grateful to JNF for giving me the opportunity of returning. The trip has allowed me to make Israel a more tangible and real place because I know I am making a difference.”
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