JANUARY 4 • 2024 | 15
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the religious schools or youth 
movements. 
A sizable portion of the 
Shinshinim’s job in bringing 
Israel to the community is 
bringing it to the younger 
community — students — 
who they’re able to connect 
with easily considering their 
close age. 
Shahaf and Itamar’s main 
worksite is Hillel Day School. 
Ofri and Itay’s 
main worksite is 
Frankel Jewish 
Academy. Erela’s 
main worksites 
are Jewish 
Federation of 
Detroit and 
JCRC/AJC, along 
with work at non-Jewish high 
schools. 
For the Shinshinim, work-
ing specifically in Jewish day 
schools, interactions with the 
students have transformed 
since Oct. 7. 
Before Oct. 7, the students 
may have not fully understood 
why the Shinshinim were 
there, what their purpose was 
or what their own purpose was 
in relation to the Shinshinim. 
Since Oct. 7, the students 
have been asking for the 
Shinshinim’s opinions, asking 
insightful questions and show-

ing great interest in having 
them around. 
“They want to know how 
our families and friends are. 
They’re intrigued to know 
about our personal lives and 
perspectives about what’s 
going on,
” Ofri said. “
And 
because we understand they 
want to hear from us, we’ll go 
into classes and give them the 
opportunity to ask us whatev-
er’s on their hearts. 
“The importance of this, 
other than the fact it’ll enrich 
them, is it’ll let them know 
what Israelis really feel like,
” 
Ofri added. “It’s really import-
ant they have us as represen-
tatives.
” 
Erela doesn’t work in a 
Jewish school but has been 
attending a public high 
school’s monthly Jewish Club 
meetings. Her experience with 
those students has been some-
what different — the students 
don’t necessarily want to ask 
questions. 
“They don’t want to know 
because when your friends in 
class post ‘from the river to the 
sea’ and they don’t want to lose 
that friend, they don’t want 
to know more,” Erela said. 
“They’re scared to post things 
on social media. They’re 

The Shinshinim attended the Detroit Friends of Israel Defense 
Forces Gala.

continued on page 16

Itay 
Nussbaum

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