“I am a Woman for Israel because the building of Israel is probably the greatest modern project of the Jewish people. How could I not be literally and symbolically invested in being part of that? Working to support prosperity and security for Israel and its people is probably the best thing about Jewish National Fund-USA and Women for Israel. The opportunity to contribute to the building of a 21st century Israel inspires and fulfills me.” Raeefa Shams is a National Women for Israel Executive Board member and a Chai Society donor.
Raeefa Shams is deeply connected to Israel and the Zionist idea. Being a woman of action, not just words, Raeefa set out to find an Israel-related organization in which she could find a sense of meaning and community. In her words, “JNF-USA fit the bill.” She feels part of the Jewish National Fund-USA family and credits the terrific leaders who welcomed her and encouraged her to become fully involved! In addition to her other roles, Raeefa is Co-President of JNFuture Mid-Atlantic, VP of Task Forces for the JNFuture National Board, and a Go North West Task Force member. Speak with Raeefa for a few moments, and you’ll realize she is a bundle of energy and enthusiasm and articulate, intelligent, and thoroughly committed to Jewish National Fund-USA!
Even before becoming involved with Jewish National Fund-USA, Raeefa traveled many times to Israel and built her connection to the country. But on a Jewish National Fund-USA tour for young leaders in 2019, she visited the Western Galilee Tourist Center that Jewish National Fund-USA opened in 2016. She learned that the Center's primary goal- a consortium of tour operators, a support system for small businesses, and now a showcase for local artists - would be a gateway to the Western Galilee region for the 2 million+ tourists coming there yearly. Raeefa was impressed. “They were doing such an incredible job of promoting entrepreneurship and supporting small businesses in the area!” Then Covid hit, and the economy in the western Galilee region was struggling. Then, riots occurring in the midst of the May 2021 conflict between Israel and Hamas severely damaged the Tourist Center. Jewish National Fund-USA’s steadfast support and helping hand helped the Tourist Center and the Western Galilee region withstand both crises. Raeefa says, “Go North West swooped in and developed innovative ways that these small businesses could deliver their goods during Covid and kept them afloat.” Raeefa was delighted to see the rebuilt Tourist Center in the heart of Akko during her most recent visit to Israel in the summer of 2022.
Now enthusiastically committed to the Go North West initiative, Raeefa is passionate about the importance of revitalizing the Akko and the greater western Galilee area, in particular, providing opportunities to young families and small businesses and “promoting co-existence, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and dialogue between different groups in that region.” One small business that benefitted from the opportunities made possible by Jewish National Fund-USA’s involvement in the Galilee is the restaurant Noor run by Basma Hino, a young Druze woman in the Western Galilee who was widowed young and left with a child to raise. Per local custom, it was expected that Basma would stay at home. Instead, she opened a restaurant. In 2019, she joined Western Galilee Now and received advice plus marketing support, gaining a sense of empowerment. Since then, her restaurant has grown tremendously! As Raeefa sees it, “This JNF-USA initiative is about supporting all communities in Israel and ensuring they are resilient, sustainable, and able to attract new people.”
Raeefa is also all about building community in the U.S., something she finds uniquely attractive and possible through Jewish National Fund-USA and Women for Israel. Why? Because the focus is on connecting people across generations and geography, providing philanthropic role models, and fostering learning between people of different backgrounds. This allows opportunities for newer and innovative ideas to flourish. Says Raeefa, “The mission and values of WFI in terms of community building, engagement, and connecting a network across generations of women make WFI relevant to the young as well as the older generation. For students and those starting their professional careers, JNF-USA and WFI can serve as a deeply positive connection to Israel and an antidote to the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments that they may have experienced."
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my ideals with young people who are trying to find meaning in their life, develop friendships and a sense of community, and think about ways to make a difference in the world. JNF-USA is a great way of doing 21st century Zionism in a way that is meaningful and relevant.”
As we celebrate women during Women’s Month this May, Raeefa comments, “I think it’s wonderful that JNF-USA honors its women philanthropists. So many of us are influenced by our mothers, grandmothers, teachers, professors, and other women in our life.” In fact, she credits the philanthropic values of female role models for paving the way for this current generation's view that monies given the need to have meaning and inspiration that go beyond just writing a check.
“Our generation – not just women - want more personal connections…. we want to feel like we are partners in a shared project, and I definitely get that sense out of JNF-USA…. this is something that gives me a lot of pride and joy and individual fulfillment.”
Raeefa currently lives and works in Washington, DC. She is the Director of Communications and Programming for the Academic Engagement Network, a nonprofit organization that works with faculty and administrators to counter antisemitism and anti-Israel narratives on US college campuses.
Written by Penelope Bustin, Chair of JNF-USA Women for Israel of Greater Washington DC and Roni Wolk, Assistant VP National Women for Israel Executive Board and Chair of the WFI Newsletter