Anticipating my First Trip to Israel as a Member of Hadassah Evolve

This is Part One of a multi-part post by the author about her upcoming trip to Israel.

My name is Sara Resnick, and I have never been to Israel. When I was younger, I attended Hebrew Day School and knew Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem, better than The Star-Spangled Banner.

As the years have passed, I’ve maintained a strong love for Israel, but I got busy with a husband and two kids. I have taught my children about Israel and given them a foundation to find their own connection, but it has all been through other people’s stories and photos. This gigantic hole in my life is about to be filled in November.

I have had two opportunities to travel to Israel that have been canceled: one due to COVID 19 and the other because of the war with Hamas. I am determined to make it this time.

Since I was born post-1948, I have grown up with the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. At the same time, I’ve known that Israel exists in a part of the world that continues to experience conflict.

I remember hearing horror stories of bombs in malls and buses. But I have always felt that Isreal stands strong, that its people are resilient. As a Jew, I have always felt that Israel was my homeland. I didn’t need to live there, but it would always be there for me.

October 7, 2023, rattled my inherent trust that Israel would always endure.

The horrors of October 7 and the world’s reaction on October 8 left me feeling alone and brokenhearted. I don’t know if it was the horrors of the terrorist attack, the kidnapping and holding of hostages, or the blatant ignoring of these facts by the world that hurt me the most. I needed support and I needed to support the people living in my Jewish homeland.

Thankfully, I found Hadassah, which offered me a community of Zionist women who have become some of my closest friends. My local Hadassah community is an extended family that loves and supports Israel. As with any family, we might disagree on details, but the importance of Israel’s independence as a Jewish state is never in question.

Which brings me back to my upcoming trip to Israel. I will be traveling on a Hadassah tour with 11 of my Evolve Hadassah friends. I was a member of the second cohort of the Hadassah EIE (now Evolve Immersive Experience) program. My cohort spent three nights in New York City with the first cohort, an experience which created a bond so strong that, when this opportunity to go to Israel came up, we knew we had to go together.

I am looking forward to visiting the two Hadassah hospitals, which comprise the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem — Hadassah Ein Kerem and Hadassah Mount Scopus, the Gandel Rehabilitation center— as well as Hadassah’s Youth Aliyah villages  and the shuk  (the Mahane Yehudah Market). I am also excited to be spending Shabbat in Jerusalem.

But I am most excited to be in the land of our forefathers and foremothers.

For me, Israel is still that state on the other side of the globe. The images in my head come from pictures or movies I have seen. I have heard so many stories about how meaningful it is to touch down in Tel Aviv, to experience the spirituality of the Western Wall. I can’t wait to take it all in and experience Israeli life. All the living hostages have been returned to Israel. It is a historic time to visit. I can only hope that the peace we have all been waiting for is finally here.

Today I am still in the “pre-stage” of my trip to Israel. I am deciding what to pack, confirming flights and hotels and just eagerly waiting for my November departure. I hope you will join me on my first Israel experience by reading my upcoming posts and that you will remember your love for our homeland.

Sara is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s where they celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Hadassah members are proud of their Zionist mission and their role as keepers of the flame of Jewish values, traditions and beliefs as well as advocating for women’s empowerment and health equity for all. Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 650 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.