Boker tov. Thank you again for including me at the last minute for the trip. I can’t imagine not having gone, and I can’t imagine what I would be talking about now had I not gone… thank you for enriching my life, bringing out the best in me and giving me meaningful connections to our heritage and to women of real worth. Love u! I hope you are feeling well.
Nechama, i didn’t get a chance w the craziness at the airport this morning to say goodbye. I wanted to thank you for a trip of a lifetime. I am so incredibly grateful for the time I spent with you and all of the leaders. I learned, I laughed, I cried, but most of all I feel a much deeper love and connection to my own Judaism. Yesterday, when you asked us to write down three things we’d like to implement, I didn’t have to think. I had been thinking about this exact topic all week and feel now I am better equipped to follow through on my one percent more. Looking forward to sharing many more experiences with you and all the TJJ moms. ❤️
Good morning Nechama. It was so amazing to see you. I finally made the challah from the ingredients from the challah bake. I’m so excited bc the kids and my husband are excited for it. I’m planning a Shabbat dinner and I’m having my mil over. Thank you for being a symbol of courage, strength and inspiration.
Good morning ☀️ just saying hi. I woke up and went to my old messages to hear the Modeh Ani song you sent us right after we got home. I just really wanted to hear it and it made me smile as I start the week!! Xo
Aww 🥰 we really had such a fabulous time!!! They are a great group of women. Told them they are invited anytime and it does not have to be a formal TJJ weekend 🙂
It was so so wonderful! Thank you for organizing. A beautiful night.
Good Morning!!!! The host family were amazing hosts! They have 3 adorable children and their friends Dina and Rafi and their 3 children were there too. Such a wonderful evening!!!!!!!!!!
Good morning! It was beautiful. Such wonderful hosts, great conversation, and delicious food. We had a great time!
We had soooo much fun with them and their family. It was very special
It was an extremely special and meaningful night sharing it with the Bernstein family. So appreciative you set this up for us!!!
Thank you so much for having us for shabbat. Osey- you are a role model of strength, caring,and resilience. It shows in your amazing children. It was truly a shabbat of inspiration. My daughter loved the conversation. She connected spirituality with your family and your sister and brother-in-law and their family and all the friends. 💗
Thank you again to you and Steve for a beautiful Shabbat dinner! We loved spending time with you and your family. And the meal was delicious!
Shavua Tov!!!! We cannot thank you enough for the most INSPIRING, DELICIOUS, MEANINGFUL, WARM and WELCOMING SHABBAT! We absolutely loved being at your gorgeous Shabbat table with your GORGEOUS family!! We have been talking all day about what an amazing family you are!! Arielle…. You truly outdid yourself and I hope to try out some of your recipes! Marc and I were in awe of how amazing your kids are! You have such a warm and welcoming family and home!! We loved this special Shabbat with you!
I wanted to personally thank you for setting up the amazing evening we had at Rabbi Isaac’s house with Yael. It was especially meaningful because they had family visiting and the Zadie who is 93 years old was there and could not be more amazing. I loved lighting the candles with them and reciting the prayers and it was the most delicious filled meal with just a very, very warm feeling. Thank you so much for making that happen.
I can’t stop telling everyone about it!!
From a TJJ Mom
TJJ Mom
In the summer of 2022, I went to Israel by myself through the NCSY program. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it was a country that I had always wanted to experience. It was very late in May when I decided to look into the trip. I interviewed with Nechama and Yonina and was offered a spot with the broader group. I didn’t participate a lot of the pre-trip activities so I knew very few people before I left. Despite this, I got on the plane from New York and flew solo to Ben Gurion airport.
Once I arrived in Israel, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought it was one of the most amazing places I’ve ever seen. Every day we got up early, had a beautiful breakfast, and got on a bus that took us on our daily adventure. When people ask what my favorite activity in Israel was, I always seem to give the same answer - everything!!
Each day there was something special that stood out, but one of my favorite days was when our group went to Tzfat. We had the most wonderful day in the city and I particularly enjoyed going to the candle store to buy Shabbat candles for my family and other gifts for my friends. That year for Rosh Hashanah I used a set of candles that I bought in Israel which was quite meaningful for me. Since visiting Israel, whenever I travel to a new city in a different country, I make every effort to visit the Jewish quarter and purchase a new pair of Shabbat candles to use on future holidays.
Most recently, my family and I traveled to Spain. There we got to experience the Jewish quarters in Barcelona, Toledo and Segovia. I was with my mom and my daughter in Toledo where we toured a very old Jewish synagogue. This experience with three generations was very special to me. The picture below shows the candles that I brought back from my trip.
I’ve learned so much during the past two years and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know so many different people. I feel blessed and honored to have been a part of such a wonderful trip with an amazing group of women.
TJJ Mom
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