I’m a Woman for Israel Because...
Keeping up with Maia Aron is like running next to an Olympic Marathon runner.
Her energy, her drive, her passion, her enthusiasm and commitment are focused,
infectious and sincere.
She was born to parents whose families had fled the perils of
Anti-Semitism of the Holocaust, the Ottoman Empire, and various South American
countries who eventually landed in Paraguay where Maia was born. To them,
Israel represented a critical safe place for Jews and a place we share the
responsibilities of strengthening.
Her connections with Israel are deep and wide. Her extended family on
her father’s side lives in Israel. For as long as she can remember, she was
taught the importance of Israel. Her family heavily supported Pro-Israel causes
and stressed supporting the people and the land through action. Her
grandfather, with whom she had a very special and close bond, made Aliyah. He was
a farmer who loved working the land of Israel. He instilled in Maia a sense of Zionism
that shapes the woman she has become.
In 2015, Maia attended her first JNF-USA event - the annual JNF-USA Miami
Breakfast. She found herself looking around and thinking, “Where are all of the
young professionals?”. She reached out to the then-president of JNF-USA Miami Ron
Kriss and spoke to him about it. From that conversation, she launched into
developing and growing JNFuture in Miami which she presided over for two years. Ron Kriss became her
mentor and guided her through her growth in JNF-USA.
Her first JNF-USA trip to Israel was with JLIM (JNFuture Leadership
Institute Mission) in 2016. It was eye-opening and very emotional. She had lost her
beloved grandfather the year prior and knew that she would have so many
feelings about being there without him. During her trip, she went to her
grandfather’s home and noticed something surprising on the wall. It was a JNF-USA Golden Book Certificate with her grandparents’ names on it.
How had she never noticed it before? She was certain that it was a sign that
she was supposed to be there, that it was "bashert", and that she was on the
right path with JNF-USA. Her visit to Halutza enabled
her to see the progress that these pioneers and JNF-USA have made in developing
the land and making it green and confirmed that her grandfather’s hopes of her
finding a way to be close to Israel and the land was being actualized through JNF-USA.
In 2018 she became President of the JNF-USA Board in Miami. Her term as
Miami chapter president ends in September 2022, but her relationship with JNF-USA
is a life-long commitment. “JNF-USA has
been a labor of love. It’s a lot of work, but it’s work that’s good for my
heart”, she adds, “It’s been quite a ride”.
She hopes to follow in the footsteps of her mentor, Nina Paul, as a
woman and a leader. Of Nina - a past president of Women for Israel- she says,
“She’s always been so supportive. I stand on the shoulders of giants. It’s been
a blessing.”
Maia balances her JNF-USA involvement with her career as a commercial
litigator in Miami.
When it comes to JNF-USA and Women For Israel, Maia states, “JNF-USA is
for DOERS. So it’s easy to connect with people who love the same things you
love and want to do the same things you want to do. I love the fact that we
have so much impact on Israelis’ lives.”
Written by Jackie Goldstein. Jackie is
Co-chair of JNF-USA Women For Israel in
Atlanta.
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To become part of Women for Israel and double your impact* this May, visit jnf.org/womensmonth
*All gifts matched up to $1 million through May 31, 2022