metro

Michigan Moms
To Head To Israel

'Mega mission' trip also
planned for December.

During a previous moms' mission to
Israel are Lisa Knoll of Huntington
Woods, Aviva Gelberman of Southfield,
Mary Aaron of Bloomfield Hills, Jennifer
Kreiger of Huntington Woods, Rebecca
Rubin of West Bloomfield, Rachel Hulen
and Estie Tolwin, both of Huntington
Woods, Molly Schneider of Berkley,
Stacey Block and Jenny Kaplan, both of
Huntington Woods.

Robin Schwartz
Contributing Writer

U

ndaunted by news of air raid sirens,
people rushing to bomb shelters,
Palestinian terrorists firing rockets
at Israeli cities and Israel's military striking
back against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip,
Amy Chimovitz, 39, a wife and mother of
four from Oak Park, is packing and prepar-
ing to travel to Israel with nine other Metro
Detroit moms.
The group will be among 200 women
from across the country taking part in a
subsidized trip sponsored by the Jewish
Women's Renaissance Project (JWRP)
scheduled for July 20-29, one of several
held each year. At press time, there had
been no change in plans. The JWRP was
established in 2008 to empower women to
change the world through Jewish values.
"I am going to assume I will learn
what to do when an air raid siren goes
off:' Chimovitz said. "I've been reading
[Facebook] posts from rabbis, friends and
family members who are currently in Israel.
They have stated that all the missiles being
shot into Israel have successfully been shot
down in the big cities. Everyone has been
given ample time to seek shelter. People are
sleeping in bomb shelters, but this is not new
to the Israeli way of life."
Chimovitz will temporarily part with
her husband, Jared, and children Yael and
Shayna, 12-year-old twins, Naomi, 8, and
Danielle, 5, for the journey which is expected
to include stops in Jerusalem, Tzfat, the Dead
Sea, Masada and other sites. Visiting an army
base, challah baking, celebrating Shabbat in
the old city and attending Jewish learning
events are also on the agenda.
Israel's Ministry of Tourism sent out a
memo July 11 stating, "Tourism to Israel
continues as usual. At the present moment,
more than 100,000 foreign tourists are on
holiday in Israel, enjoying the many attrac-
tions and activities the country has to offer."
Chimovitz last visited Israel two decades
ago as a teenager.
"Sixteen years ago, my sister was in Israel
studying," she recalled. "She went with some
friends to eat lunch at a cafe in Jerusalem.
Four hours after she returned to her school, a
suicide bomb attack occurred where she had
been eating. Life in Israel can be a challenge.
I have faith that HaShem and the Israel
Defense Forces will keep me safe."
Chimovitz signed up for the trip through

16 July 17 • 2014

Amy and Jared
Chimovitz of Oak Park
with their children,
Yael, Naomi, Danielle
and Shayna

Aish Detroit. Rebbetzin
Estie Tolwin of
Huntington Woods,
Aish Detroit's associate
director, is leading the
local group; she plans
10.
to take at least 96 more
women to Israel in
December on a mega mission of moms.
"The goal is to inspire mothers to bring
our Jewish values into our homes in a real
and meaningful she explained. "Each
woman on the trip com-
mits to staying involved in
follow-up programming
for at least a year post-trip
by attending monthly
Jewish learning, social or
social action programs."
Tolwin added that while
some participants have
Estie Tolwin
expressed concerns about
the escalating tensions,
from her experience "it feels a lot safer when
you are on the ground."
She says some of her own children plan to
meet her in Israel while she's there. An Aug.
18-27 summer family mission made possible

through a grant from the William Davidson
Foundation is also planned.
A letter sent to JWRP leaders reads in part,
"We are all watching and monitoring the
situation in the Middle East. Our office gets
updates regularly from the Moked Teva [civil
authority that monitors all activity and sends
out security alerts and updates], and they
are in contact with the army and national
security We are careful and deliberate about
our trip decisions in these circumstances and
take all the necessary precautions."

Mega Mission Takes Shape
Informational meetings about the Dec. 8-17
mega mission of moms have been taking
place. Jewish women with children under age
18 (and at least one child in middle school
or younger) are eligible to participate. So
far, 120 local moms have applied and were

interviewed, and 83 women are set to go on
the trip. Participants include women who've
never been to Israel before and those who
have made trips there in the past.
Space is still available; registration will
remain open until mid-September.
"I'm a little nervous," said Jennifer
Fishkind, 44, of Bloomfield Hills, a mega
mission participant. "But, I'm so excited
and appreciative for this opportunity to
experience Israel with my friends and other
moms."
Fishkind, a blogger with 3.5 million fol-
lowers on the projects and ideas website
Pinterest, has three children, Jake, 15, Joey,
12, and Aidan, 9. She decided to join the
mission after taking a Melton (adult Jewish
learning) class. She previously visited Israel
with her family as a child and again as a
teenager.
"I went to Sunday school and had a bat
mitzvah, but I never really understood why
we do the things we do," she said. "The class
gave me the chance to reconnect and appre-
ciate being Jewish and going to Israel is just
another way to build on that."
The Israeli Ministry of the Diaspora
allocated $250,000 to the JWRP for Aish
Detroit's mega mission alone. Participants
pay for their plane tickets (or use frequent
flier miles) and a $36 registration fee, Aish
Detroit pays $350 per participant, and
the JWRP provides the rest of the fund-
ing (approximately $2,500 per woman). A
bike-a-thon was held in May at Kensington
Metropark to raise a portion of money.
"When you inspire a Jewish mom you
inspire an entire family:' Tolwin says. "Most
moms don't have the time, opportunity or
interest to explore their Jewish identity as
an adult, yet as we raise a Jewish family this
is the most important time. That's why this
trip is so impactful."

❑

For more information or to apply for the mega
mission of moms, go to www.jwrp.org/apply
and select "Detroit" from the drop down menu
or contact Lisa Knoll at lisak@aish.com .