Trip to Israel key to women’s renewal of faith
When Billie and Avalon Sunshine come home from a day at Columbus Jewish Day School, they clamor to tell their mother the things they’ve learned.
“The more they learn from school, the more I want to learn,” said Gahanna resident Avery Sunshine, 40, and the mother of Billie, 10, and Avalon, 7.
Though Sunshine was raised Jewish, her family didn’t practice Jewish traditions. Recently, she started attending classes
“Our philosophy from the beginning has always been: Inspire a woman, you inspire a family. Inspire enough families, you can change a community. Inspire enough communities, you can change the world.”
— Lori Palatnik
my kids are. They’re learning it, so I want to know, too,” Sunshine said.
Her real chance to learn about her heritage and religion will come in the form of an eight-day trip to Israel. Sunshine will depart Tuesday with nine other central Ohio women, hosted by the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project.
The project was started by a group of Jewish women in 2008 who wanted to inspire and empower women with Jewish values, said Lori Palatnik, founding director of the Maryland-based group.
The trip is intended to connect the women to their values, engage them with Israel and activate them in their communities, she said.
“Jewish people have a very important role to play in the world,” Palatnik said. “We’re supposed to be a light on the nation. It’s a very dim light because over the years we’ve drifted away from Jewish values.”
Many people mistakenly think Judaism is just rituals or holidays, Palatnik said, but it’s much more.
“The Torah is bursting with wisdom,” she said.
This is the fourth year the Kollel has worked with the project and local leader Chaya Katz said there is a local community of women who have taken the trip.
“We’ve created a sisterhood for women, a bond,” Katz said.
Though the trip means a one year commitment to take classes at the Kollel, no one stops after one year, she said.
“Our philosophy from the beginning has always been: Inspire a woman, you inspire a family. Inspire enough families, you can change a community. Inspire enough communities, you can change the world,” Palatnik said in a statement.
“For a Jewish person, your soul can only get so big outside of Israel. It’s their spiritual home,” Palatnik said.
Neila Lieberman, 33, of Bexley, is also going on the upcoming trip and hopes to learn more about Jewish faith and be a role model for her children, Natalie, 11, and Ethan, 9.
“I’ve always been Jewish but I’ve never understood the reason why behind things,” she said. “Already, I’ve learned so much.”
“We understand the need to strengthen Jewish people outside of Israel in order to have that continuity,” Palatnik said. “So we make sure wherever they are they’re connected, empowered and understand their role in the world.”