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September 12, 2013 - Image 37

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2013-09-12

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

>> ... Next Generation ...

Americans and Israelis renew ties forged with Community Birthright.

DANA APPLEBAUM I SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

ifgash: the Hebrew
word for coming
together. On Aug. 14,
the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit kicked off its
Mifgash, a five-day event that brought
together 100 participants from several
recent Community Birthright trips with
25 of the Israelis who joined them on
their experience in Israel. Through a busy
schedule of programs and activities across
the city, the Detroit and Israeli Mifgash
participants renewed and strengthened the
bonds that were forged on their trips.
When the Israeli visitors arrived at
Detroit Metro Airport, they were greeted
by a group of 30 excited Americans who
would host them in their homes for the
entirety of their stay. The next four days
were filled with learning, discovery,
discussions and bonding. The program

Galina Stefadu, Dana Margolis,

included interactive dialogues with Reform,
Conservative and Orthodox rabbis; a trip
to the Holocaust Memorial Center; a tour
of Detroit highlighting the Downtown
Synagogue, the Heidelberg Project and a
Quicken insider tour; an afternoon spent
with the Tigers at Comerica Park; a canoe
trip through Ann Arbor; and a NEXTGen
Detroit "Good Shabbos Detroit" dinner at
Aish In the Woods in Oak Park.
Detroit Community Birthright, a
partnership program of Hillel of Metro
Detroit and Federation's NEXTGen Detroit
and Israel & Overseas departments,
offers young adults ages 21-26 a free,
first-time community experience in Israel.
Traveling with peers from their community,
participants climb Masada, swim in the
Dead Sea and tuck prayers in the Western
Wall. They spend a day in beautiful Central
Galilee, Federation's partnership region,

Jessica Curhan and Hayley

Celeste Scherier, Lena Katz (stand- Sakwa, both NEXTGen
ing), Ohad Buchbut and Sarah
summer interns

exploring and enjoying the hospitality of
locals. When they return to Detroit, they
are encouraged to continue their Jewish
journey back home.
"The Mifgash is one of the things
we do to help translate the powerful
Birthright experience into an ongoing and,
it is hoped, lifelong engagement in Jewish
life and community," says Ayelet Kon,
Federation NEXTGen Detroit's Birthright
coordinator.
"Having made deep connections with
fellow Jews from their community on this
trip, it's imperative that we give them
opportunities to stay connected with one
other as well as their Jewish community."
The experience is a powerful one for
the Israelis as well. Erez Opincaru, a
visiting Israeli, spoke during the closing
celebration and said, "This experience
makes me think twice about my own

Judaism, about who I am and what my
part is in this world and community."
A past Detroit Community Birthright
participant wrote, "This Mifgash was
another reminder to me of why being
Jewish is important and makes me want
to keep the faith a little stronger than I do
now."
Describing her overall experience, she
said, "It was life-changing and affected
me in a way I could have never imagined."
Registration for the Detroit Community
Birthright trip departing in December 2013
opened Sept. 10. For more information
or to sign up for the December trip, visit
www.detroitbirthrightisrael.com or contact
Ayelet Kon at kon@jfmd.org . ❑

Dana Applebaum works in the marketing

department of NEXTGen Detroit.

Participants of the May 2013 Birthright trip

Shir Barda, Dan Labcobsky, Ilan

at Closing Circles in Ann Arbor on the final
day of Mifgash

Gitman and Rotem Azoulay

Kolchinsky

Rotem Azoulay, Shir Barda and
Samir Yusufov

December 2012 & May 2013 Birthright

participants and NEXTGen Detroit board
member Michael Rubyan, top right

Sam Noveck and Sivan Turiel Participants of the December 2012

Birthright trip

September 12 • 2013

37

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