by Rabbi Lana Zilberman Soloway and Rabbi Paul Kipnes

Traveling to Israel nowadays is an important act of solidarity and of Jewish peoplehood. Israel has never faced more challenging times.

Ever since October 7th, so many have asked us: What can we do? We are proud to be Rabbis of a congregation who puts Israel at its center. Over the last six months, we as a community have collected and distributed funds to multiple individuals and organizations in Israel via our Israel Emergency Fund. We wrote letters to Israeli soldiers and to families of the hostages. We’ve held vigils and special services and hosted many Israeli speakers and activists. We keep on holding Israel close in our hearts and minds, not forgetting for even a moment that while life continues here, war continues there.

Now, there is another opportunity for us to connect with Israel, this time physically. We are inviting you to travel with us to Israel this summer: to bear witness, to show up on the ground, to extend our love, care, and support to our Israeli siblings, and to tell them: we are one people, one heart, one family.

Or Ami’s Solidarity Mission is about encountering and understanding where the people of Israel stand – in our hurt, in our healing, and in our hope. The mission is about bringing comfort and being comforted. It is an act of empathy and a confirmation of shared memory and destiny. 

During our four-day mission, we will visit the Hostage Square in Tel Aviv and spend time with the activists and families of the hostages forum to hear about their struggles. We will volunteer at Israel’s largest civilian relief center, organized and run by volunteers from “Brothers and Sisters for Israel.” We will harvest fields in order to provide fresh produce for the country. We will drive south to meet with survivors of October 7th, spending time at their new resilience center, visiting Magen David Adom’s new state-of-the-art Marcus National Blood Services Center, and meeting with families who’ve lost loved ones at the Kibbutzim. We will visit the site of the Nova Music Festival, which became a huge memorial to the hundreds of beautiful dancers who were ruthlessly murdered there. We will also visit Mount Herzl, Israel’s national military cemetery, and pay our respects to over 600 soldiers who gave their lives during this terrible, bloody war. 

We will do all of that and so much more, together as a community. We will cry, hug, and reflect. We will hold each other up and we will stand strong. We are confident that this trip will be like no other, and it will remain in our hearts forever. 

Want to go and stay longer? Beautiful. Join us for a four-day extension in Jerusalem and the area. Spend time with your Rabbis, visit some of Rabbi Lana’s favorite places, experience Shabbat in Jerusalem, and fall in love with Israel like never before. 

Want to stay even longer — Awesome! Rabbi Lana will be thrilled to design an itinerary that will match your interests and desires for as many days as you want.

This is our time to show our love and support for Israel. Register for a journey that will change your life. We can’t wait to travel with you.

Rabbi Paul and Rabbi Lana