Shalom friends,

It seems that, for young Jews everywhere, the question of identity is becoming more and more of a challenge. Where does personal identity and Jewish identity meet? How does the identity of a person born in a diaspora country fit with Israel? What happens when a Jew is raised without any religious practices or belief in God? Or in a blended family?

‘Who am I?’ is one of the fundamental philosophical questions. A strong identity is key to building a strong personality ,which becomes a driving factor for success in life and the ability to create change in the world. If young Jews don’t feel connected to their Jewish identity how will they be able to protect themselves from rising Antisemitism? If young Jews don’t feel connected to Israel, how can we make sure that the only Jewish State in the world will be forever?

Not understanding the importance of a strong Jewish identity or the connection to Israel does not mean that these are not critical issues or, as a number of our Israel Forever interns have told us “a gap was filled that I didn’t even know I had.”

Israel Forever interns have joined our team to learn and develop different aspects of their professional skills. At the same time, they are taking impressive strides on their journey to becoming strong Jews. Each is finding a different path to connect with Israel and learning how this connection strengthens their identity and provides inspiration.

These are the first stories from five of our interns.

	No Longer Half of Something by Jordan Amorally Israel Forever intern Jordan Amorelli describes how connecting with Israel showed her that she is more than half of something. READ MORE
	I Choose Israel by Ondria Rees Israel Forever intern Ondria Rees consciously chose to become a Jew when she was just 14 but it wasn’t until she visited Israel on Birthright that she fully understood the unbreakable bond between Judaism, Israel and Zionism. READ MORE
	Internalizing the Eternal: My Journey to My Jewish Identity by Abby Chargo Israel Forever intern Abby Chargo describes how she connected with Israel through deepening her roots in Judaism while at the same time understanding that religion is one of many paths to connect and each Jew needs to find their own way. READ MORE
	From Discomfort to Comfort in Israel by Rachel Brynien I decided to hop on a plane, travel halfway across the world, and embark on a nine month gap year in Israel, instead of going to college. At the time I could not explain to my friends, nor myself, why I was making this decision. Everyone called me crazy, and maybe I was, but something inside my soul was drawing me to the land of Israel. READ MORE
	I don’t believe in God but I do believe in Israel by Sophie Leib-Neri Israel Forever intern Sophie Leib-Neri describes how she found faith - not in God but in Israel. READ MORE

We believe that the best way to learn and develop is through experiences that make one think and feel. This special activity was developed to facilitate introspection and discussion about personal identity, Jewish identity and the relationship between the two.