14 | MAY 2 • 2024
J
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F
or most people, an ongoing war is a
reason to stay away. Yet, for a coa-
lition of Frankel Jewish Academy
students, they realized that they had to
stand up and make a difference for the land
and people of Israel. The students joined
20 other American teens to travel 6,000
miles to Israel and participate in Jewish
National Fund-USA
’s Teen Volunteer in
Israel Mission, where they trekked across
the country to make a tangible difference
in the lives of Israelis affected by the Oct. 7
terrorist attacks.
Whether making care packages for Israeli
soldiers or visiting children at rehabilita-
tion facilities, the Frankel students brought
relief and joy to a country in desperate
need of both. One highlight was a visit to
an Israeli farm, where the students got their
hands dirty planting and harvesting crops,
something of extreme importance given the
country’s labor shortage.
“While in America, I knew I wanted to
do something hands-on to support Israel,
”
said Frankel student Spencer, aged 17.
“Once I arrived in Israel on this mission, I
knew I was part of something special. We
not only had a positive impact on the peo-
ple there, but the mission had a profound
impact on me.
”
In addition to supporting Israel, the
mission also served as an educational expe-
rience, providing the Detroit participants
with a firsthand view of the realities Israel
faces every day.
Each stop in Israel’s south showed how
close Israel’s adversaries were to its borders,
while a visit to Hostage Square in Tel Aviv
served as a stark reminder of the families
that still haven’t been made whole. And
yet, despite the tragedy, the students’ main
impression was to be in awe of the resil-
ience and unity of everyday Israelis, who
have banded together like never before.
“This trip was amazing,
” said Ryan,
another Frankel student. “I was shocked
that we were able to do so much for
our brothers and sisters in our war-torn
homeland. I’m forever grateful for this
experience. Going to Israel is an impactful
moment in a Jewish person’s life; however,
to go for more than tourism, to go in the
time of greatest need to provide this sup-
port was beautiful.
”
In between days of traveling through
and working on the Land of Israel, students
spent the night at Alexander Muss High
School in Israel’s brand-new “Muss South”
location, a state-of-the-art campus located
in Be’
er Sheva. Jewish National Fund-USA
’s
premier college-prep, study abroad in Israel
experience, Muss has been working with
Frankel Jewish Academy to send more
Detroit Students
Join Volunteer
Mission to Israel
Frankel teens make a difference in the Holy Land.
JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
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