Israeli Chronicles — Connecting Israel & Cincinnati
My Israel Story
What is my Israel story?
My Israel story is a story of family. A story of my grandfather who came to Israel with Aliyat Hanoar (Youth Aliyah) as a teenager, escaping the war from Czechoslovakia, becoming an educator, a school principal for 35 years, and my grandfather. Saba Yosef took me hiking, walking the fields and dirt roads of Israel; making me fall in love with the smells of the Israeli spring blossoms, the taste of grapefruit picked right off the tree, the hills, and the sea. Telling me endless stories from the Bible that are all rooted in the land, correcting my Hebrew, and making me really listen to the words and respect the language.
My Israel story is a Hebrew story.
My Israel story is a story of loss. A story of growing up fast in a restless country.
My Israel story is a story of shlichut. Of becoming a shlicha (community emissary). Of seeing Israel for the first time from afar, of understanding the belonging, the connection, the distance, and the challenges often experienced in the diaspora when it comes to Israel.
Why am I telling you this?
Because I think I’m not the only one with an Israel story.
And I know that these stories are worth sharing and hearing. They open another door to Israel, to Jewish peoplehood, and to understanding and practicing Jewish identity.
That’s why I thought we should hear from members of our community— Americans and Israelis living here, in Cincinnati. It’s why I’m inviting you to join me for “My Israel Story,” a series of real conversations about individual connections forged with Israel.
First, join me for “It’s All About Jewish Peoplehood” on September 21. When we think of Israelis, we think of those people who live full-time in Israel. But truly, Israel is the homeland for all Jews living all over the world—it’s what unites us as a people. Scott Joseph, the cochair of Partnership2Gether, will share a decade of adventures in connecting people in Israel with people in Cincinnati, proving that 6,000 miles isn’t all that far.
Then, on October 31, two “lone soldiers”—people from outside of Israel who choose to fight for Israel, without family in the country—who were born and raised in Cincinnati will share their stories. Leibel Mangel and Shay Edelman will talk about their Israeli Defense Forces service—from their decisions to enlist, to time spent in combat deployments, to life after the Israeli military.
The third talk on November 9, “International Practice,” will bring together three Israeli doctors who are completing fellowships at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. From providing military medical care to treating Israel’s diverse population, Dr. Oded Volovelsky, Dr. Itay Ayalon, and Dr. Gilad Hamdani will share their adventures in practicing multilingual medicine.
Next, on November 30, join me for “Me, My Mom, and Israel.” At the age of 36, Barb Miller set out with her older sister and her mother on what she thought would be an inspiring trip to Jewish Budapest and then to Israel. But when the three arrived in Jerusalem, her mother unexpectedly died in her sleep. Miller will talk about how the experience was the start of a lifelong journey of inspiration and connection with the Jewish state, and the work that she has done with the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati for the last 17 years.
On December 8, bring your culinary curiosity to our fifth talk in the series, “A Taste of Home: The Culture of Israeli Cooking.” At Rotem Greniman’s house, her cooking goes beyond nourishment of the body—it’s an expression of Middle Eastern culture and character. Join Rotem for this culinary experience as she prepares one of her signature Moroccan-Israeli dishes, and shares who and what inspires her cuisine.
Our sixth talk in the series, entitled, “In Sickness and in Health,” features Bonnie Ullner, who shares the story of the summer when she sent her teenager on a youth trip to Israel, and got a phone call that her daughter had fallen gravely ill. But, as Ullner would come to learn, her child was in the best place possible. On January 12, Ullner will talk about how Israeli doctors saved her daughter’s life, and how she’s paying it forward by caring for Israeli doctors here in Cincinnati.
Lastly, I invite you to come along on a rabbi’s personal journey through Jewish pluralism in Israel on January 24. In Israel, many Jews see Orthodox or secular (non-religious) as the only possible options for religious observance. But that is changing, as a minority of Reform Jews and other activists push for more religious freedom. “The Plow, the Pistol, & the Prayerbook” will feature Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit-Halachmi, as he shares the journey he took: from his childhood living in a secular agricultural village, to his time in the IDF, to his ordination as a Reform rabbi in Israel, and the work he’s doing to make Jewish spirituality more widely accessible.
I hope you’ll join me to hear these remarkable stories. Be prepared to be inspired to start thinking about your own Israel story!
