Jewish Community Partners

Margalit Goldkin, daughter of Amy Goldkin and Alan Goldkin, is a junior at the Goldie Margolin High School for Girls. Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund provided her with a Teen Israel Experience grant to offset the costs of her NCSY GIVE Israel program. All rising juniors and seniors are eligible for grants of up to $3,000 to attend a recognized teen summer or semester program in Israel. Teen Israel Experience applications for Summer 2024 are open and can be accessed at Lemsky Endowment Fund | Jewish Community Partners (jcpmemphis.org)

This past summer, I had the opportunity to go on NCSY GIVE — an all-girls Chesed (volunteering) program traveling Israel for five weeks. While NCSY GIVE is life changing every year, this summer was especially impactful because of the tragedies that happened since October 7, 2023, and the hurt the entire Jewish nation was experiencing. The girls on this program came from across the United States as well as Israel to spend the summer together, giving back to the Jewish people.

On the first day we headed to a senior care home. At first, we were a bit nervous but once we got into the activity it was very inspiring. Upon arrival, we quickly started talking, dancing, singing, and finding innovative ways to communicate with the seniors, like playing with balloons. There was a man in the home named Ezra who had a love for singing and we had the opportunity to hear him sing, which was a special. He was sweet and his voice was powerful. We all slowly joined with him and had a Kumzitz (singing) that was full of beautiful Achdut (unity); he started crying happy tears. 

The next place we headed was Shalva, an amazing organization for kids with special needs. We learned about and experienced what goes on while playing with younger special needs kids. It was not easy at first and we struggled with communication. At one point, a 3-year-old girl became frustrated because we could not understand what she wanted, and we did not know Hebrew sign language. Eventually, the teacher provided help for us, and it was an amazing experience. The kids were cute and had so much love to give us.

Another great organization we were privileged to help with was Efrat, a group devoted to supporting mothers considering abortion because of various difficulties. Efrat specifically helps with sustaining the mother and the child through this tough time ensuring the mothers are comfortable in taking their first step toward motherhood. Efrat provides mothers with everything needed for their child, including strollers, car seats, and cribs. We helped pack boxes of diapers, wipes, and supplies needed for their childcare, along with handwritten notes thanking the mothers for raising the future generation of K’lal Yisrael (The Jewish People.)  Efrat puts hope into the world, gives strength to our nation and was inspirational to me by making everything come to life.

Visiting Har Hertzl (Mount Hertzl known as Mount of Remembrance) was an extremely powerful day. We barbecued for Chayalim (IDF soldiers) and heard from the wife of a reserve soldier about her experience when the war began. Har Hertzl was very emotional and hard especially because of my personal connection to the army. My brother is in the army, and I was scared for my brother but also proud to know he is a hero because of what he is doing for our country and home. Walking through the cemetery, reading the stories, and hearing about the war was also difficult for me. There was another girl on the program who had an older brother in the army, and I was grateful not to be alone during this tough time as we were able to support each other. We sang a powerful Acheinu (prayer for freeing the captives) and ended the trip by writing letters to ourselves to get later in the summer.

After shedding a lot of tears, we headed to an army base to cook barbecue for the Chayalim. When we arrived at the base, they explained soldiers nearby stopped by the base to get food and drinks. Slowly after we started cooking, the soldiers stopped by for delicious hamburgers, rested on the couches, and talked about what they were doing. Throughout the day we saw what the army truly does for us and how strong they are while risking their lives all the time.

On the second to last week of GIVE, we traveled down south to Ofakim (city in the Southern District of Israel, west of Beersheba) with all three GIVE buses. Ofakim was one of the places that was attacked and experienced the terrors of the war. One of the amazing stories from the war was about a woman who lived in Ofakim and who had Hamas terrorists in her house. She fed them cookies and food while they kept her hostage. She was full of bravery and Bitachon (trust and confidence.)  She and her husband were in the house, contacted and waited for the police while feeding the terrorists and having tremendous faith. It was an amazing story to hear as we stood outside her house.

We were divided into multiple groups to help the community of Ofakim. My group headed to the market and handed out candy and drinks and talked to people to cheer them up on an extremely hot day. I had a conversation with a woman who was originally from Los Angeles and moved to Israel a couple of years ago. She lived in Ofakim when the war started and while watching everyone flee from their homes and evacuate the town, she decided to stay. She told us she could not leave her home, because she had animals that she could not leave behind. This story was amazing and special to hear, because Ofakim was her home, and where she wanted to be, and she did not leave. When I heard this, it reminded me of how so many people are making Aliyah. Many ask, why would someone make Aliyah in the middle of the war? The answer is because we all love Israel and will stay in Israel through everything showing strength for our nation. All together we have something unbreakable.

GIVE showed me the wonders of Eretz Yisrael (Lord of Israel) through Chesed (kindness) we saw Hashem’s beautiful world and heard beautiful stories about our nation. GIVE impacted me in endless ways, and I am grateful for the girls and advisors who made the experience happen. I am grateful to Hashem that I was able to see Israel for the first time and had the opportunity to help our homeland.

Thank you to Memphis Jewish Federation’s Lemsky Endowment Fund for helping to make my NCSY GIVE Israel trip possible.