Strength, Solidarity and Sisterhood:
Our Mission to Israel
For the fourth cohort of the Inspired Women’s Project (IWP) the trip to Israel felt like a trip that might never happen (it was rescheduled three times) and a trip that was destined to happen at exactly the right time. A group of about 20 women had been meeting once a month for almost a year. During this time, we discussed personal growth, spirituality, Israel engagement and philanthropy, all through a female leadership lens. Our program culminated in an eight-night spiritual journey to Israel as a group, deepening our bond to the Jewish homeland. Some of the women would be traveling to Israel for the first time, while others had traveled to Israel before in a different manner. This wasn’t the first cohort to travel to Israel, but this was the first cohort of the Inspired Women’s Project traveling to Israel since October 7, so we knew it would be a different experience.
An Emotional Arrival
We arrived in Israel last month after a long overnight flight and while we were excited to arrive, it was an emotional departure from the plane to the baggage claim. Both sides of the walkway were lined with photographs of hostages with signs reading “Bring Them Home.” We felt grateful to be in Israel as a group, we felt Jewish pride and we felt a longing to be with our people to support them. We also felt sadness for Israel and felt anger toward Hamas. It was at that point that we realized that this amazing trip was going to be filled with a mix of emotions from one moment to the next.
Our typical day was packed from the moment we woke up to the moment we went to sleep. There was extensive time put into developing an itinerary that included fun and cultural experiences similar to the itinerary pre-October 7. We enjoyed Israeli wine at a beautiful winery and devoured delicious food on a culinary tasting tour at Machane Yehuda market. We also supported the Israeli economy by shopping for art, jewelry, Judaica and souvenirs. We had a significant portion of our itinerary devoted to the events post-October 7. We visited the Nova Festival massacre site and toured Kibbutz Nir Oz with a resident. We saw the extensive destruction firsthand and heard powerful stories. We cried together and at every emotionally devastating point, we were shown the amazing resilience of the Jewish people.
Unforgettable Moments with the IDF
There were so many powerful and emotional moments during the trip. One experience that was meaningful to everyone on our trip was the evening that we visited an IDF base near the Lebanon border and enjoyed a delicious dinner with IDF soldiers. We had an appearance by Noam Buskila, a proud Israeli musician who has also protected the northern border of Israel as a soldier and was also recently in Baltimore for The Associated’s Keynote Event last November. He entertained the soldiers, our IWP group and The Associated’s Board of Directors Mission (whose trip crossed paths with ours). The night was filled with boundless energy and contagious joy as we danced together. Tables were pushed to the side and we worked up a sweat with smiles all around. Another memorable experience was Shabbat at the wall. We danced with various groups of women ranging from female IDF soldiers to Jewish women of all different denominations of Judaism. There may have been a language barrier between many of us, but we were all united by Jewish song and prayer.
Strengthening the Baltimore-Ashkelon Connection
There were many connections made with people we met throughout our journey to Israel. A very special day was the day we were in Ashkelon. We visited projects supported by The Associated and participated in volunteer projects with those traveling with The Associated’s Board of Directors Mission as well as the Israel Diller cohort (who will be visiting the Baltimore Diller cohort in Baltimore in April). The day culminated with home hospitality dinners in Ashkelon. IWP participants and Board members split up into small groups to visit families’ homes in Ashkelon for a special home-cooked dinner. The families were incredibly hospitable, the food was delicious and it was a meaningful experience to connect in a small group. Our day in Ashkelon was remarkable because we really understood the special partnership between Baltimore and Ashkelon – we are really just one big mishpachah.
A Sisterhood That Will Continue to Grow
The biggest takeaway of the trip was seeing the resiliency of the Israeli people and learning about the relationships that The Associated has with its partners in Israel. The Baltimore-Ashkelon Partnership has been in existence since 2003. For over 20 years The Associated has connected Baltimore Jews with Jews in Ashkelon. Our trip to Israel and time spent in Ashkelon led us to understand that we are not just partners, but we are family. Looking forward we will continue to stay involved with our Inspired Women’s Project cohort as we experienced Israel together in ways that only we can understand. We started off as a group of women and by the end of the trip, we were sisters. Our WhatsApp group notifications are dinging from sunrise until bedtime with messages of inspiration for our immediate group as well as our Jewish community locally, in Israel and in every corner of the world. Now we know why it is called The Inspired Women’s Project and we are so excited to see what our cohort of extraordinary women will do next.
The Inspired Women’s Project is made possible by the support of the Jane Krieger Schapiro Family Foundation, a supporting foundation of The Associated.
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