22 | APRIL 6 • 2023
OUR COMMUNITY
V
isiting Israel is a life-changing
experience for every first-
time traveler, and this year’s
Motor City Mission to Israel was no
exception — one that had a profound
impact on many participants, but not
necessarily for the typical reasons. For
the first time in 30 years, JARC, a Metro
Detroit nonprofit dedicated to provid-
ing housing and services to adults with
developmental disabilities, accompanied
two people they serve on a trip to Israel.
They joined the 140+ trip participants to
experience the country, its culture, deep-
en their understanding of their Jewish
faith and make new community connec-
tions. A bonus for the other attendees
was the important and unexpected ben-
efit of understanding what comes with
spending time with people who have
developmental disabilities.
With a goal of enabling the people
they serve to live life to its fullest, the
two people served by JARC, Brooke
Dunn and Jonathan Arens, accompanied
by JARC staff members Jacob Gottlieb
and Shira Woodside, would go on to
gain a new perspective of their religion,
face and overcome fears, and have a last-
ing impact on many fellow travelers who
got to know them on the trip.
“There are a lot of preconceived
notions about people with develop-
mental disabilities. Having this oppor-
tunity for community members to see
Brooke and Jonathan being just regular
people, they told us, was eye-opening,”
Woodside said.
Brooke is normally shy in large
groups, at times unsteady on her feet
and needs assistance, and has had a life-
long fear of heights. Jonathan is a quiet
man, but his wants are made known
through his contagious smile. Both had
a few fears to overcome but, in the end,
their success changed the idea of what
they thought they were capable of and
what other travelers expected they could
handle.
THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
Their trip began with a long walk from
Jaffa to Tel Aviv to see the iconic Ben-
Gurion statue on Frishman Beach. This
walk was the first walk of many on the
trip, especially with Brooke and Jonathan
always opting to walk from one place to
another when given the option. While
both are typically active and love walk-
ing in their daily lives, they were amazed
by the nature they were surrounded
by, which was much different than the
nature they see while walking at home.
Several people asked Brooke what she
does at home and were surprised to hear
that she graduated high school, works at
Meer Apartments at Jewish Senior Life
as a dining room attendant, and attends
workshops at Soul Studio. Woodside
said, “Just knowing Brooke’s background
changes people’s ideas of what they can
expect, especially finding out she grad-
uated high school, is employed and has
many skills.”
In Tel Aviv, they explored the vibrant
Carmel Market, where they tasted their
first authentic hummus. Jonathan loved
How a trip to Israel changed the lives of two
people served by JARC.
Life-Changing Trip
PAT BASKIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
JOHN HARDWICK
Shira Woodside,
Brooke Dunn,
Jacob Gottlieb and
Jonathan Arens
continued on page 24