Every year the camps at the Jewish Community Center welcome shlichim (Israeli emissaries) to be a part of the staff. This year two female emissaries (shlichot) — Dorin Eliyahu and Adi Shetu — are part of the camp staff and their duties include teaching the campers at Barney Goodman Camp more about Israel during their Kol Israel programs.
The Jewish Community Center is able to bring Shetu and Eliyahu to Kansas City this summer as Israeli ambassadors thanks to a generous donation from Richard Hastings. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}His donation has made it possible for J Camp day campers and staff to learn more about Israel and Israeli culture this summer directly from these two enthusiastic young Israelis.
Eliyahu, 21, is from Cholon, which is a city about 10 minutes from Tel Aviv. This summer is the first time that she has been in America.
Shetu, who is also 21, is from a small town in the south of Israel called Arad. It is in the desert about 20 minutes away from The Dead Sea. This trip is the third time she has been in America. She has visited New York, New Jersey and Atlanta in the past.
Every week both Eliyahu and Shetu have the campers do an activity that incorporates education on Israel during their Kol Israel session. They teach the campers many different things about Israel including geography, history, culture and Hebrew words.
“I always want the activities to be very active. We play Israeli games that we played in Israel at young ages. We choose topics and symbols to talk about every week,” says Shetu.
One activity that Eliyahu and Shetu did with the Barney Goodman campers was give each camper a Hamsah or a Star of David that they brought with them from Israel. The campers were also each given a piece of string so that they could make good luck charms using one of the two very popular symbols in Israel.
“I think it is important to educate children on Israel because of the relationship between the United States and Israel. Children should start to be educated at a young age on Judaism. If they aren’t in Israel physically, they should be educated on the culture because it’s a part of their Jewish identity,” says Eliyahu.
Shetu and Eliyahu have much more in common than just working at Barney Goodman together. In fact, these girls met far before this summer began. Both women work as spokespeople in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), and met during basic training. They were not together long as they were given separate jobs within the department. The two were excited to reconnect through this program, come to Kansas and see the Jewish community. They both heard about this program through the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI).
Shetu had previously taken a trip to the United States through JAFI, where she traveled to different schools in New Jersey to teach students about Israel.
“I was in a group of five Israelis and we traveled from school to school to give presentations about Israel and the culture of Israel. I enjoyed it so much, that when I came back I wanted to find a similar program,” Shetu said.
Eliyahu was excited to come to the States to get to know the American Jewish Community and because she wanted to travel after completing her military service for the IDF.
“I wanted to see the traditions that Jews hold in Kansas and compare to what we do in Israel. Kansas is a very peaceful and quite area,” says Eliyahu.
“When I saw I was coming to Kansas the first thing that came to mind was ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and Dorothy. I thought I would hear southern accents and see a lot of farms. Kansas has a great balance between the suburbs and the city,” says Shetu.
Every summer, the shlichot stay with numerous host families during their time here. These families open up their homes and their hearts to provide a wonderful Kansas experience for the two Israeli young people. Host families this summer are: David Williams and Rachel Rubin; Ace Allen and Donna Oberstein; Robert Tanenbaum and Kelly Jackson; Sharon and Peter Loftspring; Michael Lerner and Audrey Asher; Jim and Jill Maidhof; and Dr. Avery and Laura Bratt.
When the program is over, both shlichot have plans to continue their travels. Eliyahu plans to visit New York and the West Coast to experience different cultures within America.
Shetu and Eliyahu both feel they will be taking much more away from this experience than new friends. This program is a great experience that they feel they have gained so much from.
“I am so thankful for how the community accepted me and how nice and generous everyone was to me. I really got to know myself much better because it’s a situation I have never been in before. I really bonded with the community and this has made me more independent”, says Eliyahu.
Shetu added, “People here welcomed me with open arms and I feel amazing after having done this experience. It has changed me. I feel more independent and more like a leader. I love Kansas and I felt accepted right away.”
DD Gass, director of camp and school-age services at The J, said, “J Camp is so thankful that we were able to have Adi and Dorin as apart of our team as they bring a little bit of Israel to Kansas.”{/mprestriction}
