Edition 1 - Welcome (or Welcome Back)
The Adventure Begins
Brooklyn, New York
For the past 4 years, I have been living in Brooklyn (most recently, in Crown Heights) surrounded by an incredible community of diverse thinkers with various passion points from bike safety in the city to composting and recycling education to learning Tanya. Being from California and having a small amount of family left on the East Coast, these friends have quickly turned into a family.
My final few weeks in the US have been nothing short of eventful. There have been so many happy tears, big bear hugs, puppy pets, and celebratory l’chaims - too many to count! I truly have felt so blessed to have such wonderful, caring people to surround myself with. Some highlights from these weeks:
A lovely week back home in California to spend time with my extended family and friends from home
Lots of celebrations and memories with my East Coast people including but not limited to: a day trip to the Angry Orchard orchard, surprise visits from my Shluchim from college, the final NY Ad Fam dinner, another Manhattan Bridge run, a nature filled trip to Acadia, Maine…
Not pictured but still loved and experienced:
My final Shabbatot in Crown Heights featuring rooftop talks, singing, walks, and a visit to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden
A weekend in Boston to help a friend move into his new apartment
Randomly running into and giving huge hugs to two friends who just moved back to Brooklyn the day before I left
A quick visit the morning of my flight to a friend whose family is growing beautifully before my eyes
What’s Next
With my fellowship beginning on September 20th, I am taking some time to explore a bit on my own. Today, I am leaving New York and heading to Berlin, Germany for one week. After that adventure, I’ll be flying to Israel to experience Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) in Jerusalem and have some relaxing days in Tel Aviv before the start of my program. Want to hear about my two weeks solo-ing around Germany and Israel? Check back in a couple weeks for Edition 2!
FAQs
Why am I getting this email?
At some point, you expressed interest in receiving email updates about my travels, experiences, and noshes so… welcome! While I am far away (physically) from most of my loved ones, these emails serve as a way to stay connected despite the change.
Why did you start these bi-weekly email updates?
Five years ago, I traveled to Israel for Birthright and an Onward Israel Internship program which lasted about two and a half months in total. While I was abroad, I decided to set up weekly email updates to my friends and family back home in the US to keep everyone in the loop on what I was up to and contain my thoughts and experiences in a sort of digital journal to look back on. Rereading these emails from many years ago allowed me to see myself at that point in time and note how I have changed and grown over the years. I hope to look back at this year’s editions with the same passion in the years to come.
What are you doing in Israel?
I am a ‘23-24 Fellow through The Yahel Social Change Fellowship. This fellowship focuses on volunteer work, learning, and cultural immersion. Throughout my time, I will be living in Lod (Southeast of Tel Aviv), working, and volunteering at various placements across schools, nonprofits, and grassroots organizations, all while learning about creating sustainable social change in this community and others. Alongside 18 other fellows from 8 different countries, this fellowship is diverse and brings people with similar passions together to learn, grow, and create community. This fellowship focuses on creating a more harmonious shared society between Jews and Arabs living in mixed cities, specifically Lod.
How long will you be there for?
The fellowship program begins on September 20, 2023 and ends on June 30, 2024 - overall spanning 9-months.
What is your plan after the end of the program?
Contrary to my typical personality, I am trying very hard to not think about where I will be or what I will be doing a year from now. While a goal of mine has always been to merge together my passions for advertising and doing good, I know that this year will be very telling and changing for me. When there is an update to share on what’s next, I will! But for now, I am attempting to live in the moment and take this formative journey day-by-day.