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BACK from page 14

ents' Oak Park home this week
for his first trip to Israel. He will
be studying near the home of his
brother and his family.
"I'm not going there to tour.
I'm going there to sit in the yeshi-
va and learn," he says. "Israel is
the best place for me to be to get a
total concentration for learning,
away from American culture."

Learning Environment

Moshe Sherizen, 17, of Oak Park, with
Doron Podloshok of Johannesburg, during a
National Conference of Synagogue Youth trip
to Israel in 2000.

"Studying in Israel gives you a
sense of who you are," says 19-
year-old Leah Sherizen, who
already spent a year studying in Israel
and plans to return to attend
Michlalah, Jerusalem College for
Women in Jerusalem in the fall.
"In Israel, when you walk down the
streets, you feel a sense of unity with
other people," she says. "These are my
people -- and my land — given to us
by God. We are drawn to this spot.
We're not supposed to be in Oak Park."
"In Israel, everything is Jewish,"
David Zacks says. "In December,
everyone was singing Chanukah songs.
It was totally Jewish."
Azaryah Cohen says: "I think —
and I have always thought — I can be
observantly Jewish anywhere, but •
something connects us in Israel more
than anywhere else — even the
tragedy here connects us."

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Terrorism does not deter travel for the
many Orthodox Jews who have family
in Israel.
"We were there in December for
three weeks," says Shlomo Sperka of
Oak Park, who, with his wife,
Deanna, attended the Israeli bar mitz-
vah of their eldest grandchild, the son
of one of their three married children
living in Israel. "If there were a sim-
chah [joyous occasion] to attend right
now, we would go."
As parents, naturally they worry.
They live in tough spots," he says.
"They still travel but they are prudent.
They take armored buses and they tell
us, 'Life goes on."'
While most students come back
home after school ends, his children
did not.
"They went there to study and all
married Americans who shared their
desire to live in Israel," Sperka says.
"They want to be in Israel because
that's where Jews should be."
Linda and Joel Zacks of Southfield
also traveled to Israel this winter to
visit their son, David, at school in

northern Jerusalem.
"David's school is not in a real safe
area," says his mother. "He has to go
through Arab territory. But all of my
children went to Israel after high
school because we support Israel —
because it's our land. We want them to
be in Jerusalem."

Unwavering Support

"Of course, I'm nervous," says Rabbi
Freedman of his daughter and son-in-
law's return to Israel after a Passover
visit.
"But I can't tell them not to go back
to their studies — to their lives," he
says. They are loyal to Israel and I am
very proud that they are committed to
their lifestyle and to the country."
Rabbi Freedman plans to visit Israel
in May on a Partnership 2000 steering
committee mission.
"It's a scary time," says Rabbi
Spolter, who plans to join a mission of
Young Israel rabbis later this month.
"Yet, we cannot waver in our support
— both financially, and also personally.
"Difficult times force us to make
difficult, and sometimes frightening
choices. They test our mettle and our
resolve. At the same time, they have
the power and the ability to make us
better people and better Jews.
"The vast majority of our members
have family currently living in Israel,"
says Rabbi Spolter, whose brother and
his family live in Kiryat Sefer. "I can
understand what they're going
through. But it's not just my congre-
gants or Orthodox Jews. Now, perhaps
more than ever, all Jews feel as if every
Israeli is a member of the family, and
that when they suffer, we suffer with
them."
For Howard Sherizen, "As long as
the planes continue to fly — and in
the absence of all-out war, we will con-
tinue to send out children to Israel.
We're of the mindset that family does
not abandon family — especially at a
time when we are needed most." ❑