Almost a year on from the October 7 attacks, tens of thousands of Israel's small businesses continue to struggle with the aftermath of that fateful day.

According to the business information company CofadceBDI, Israel could see as many as 60,000 businesses shutting their doors by the end of the year. Between high interest rates, inflation, a shortage of manpower due to many fulfilling their military reserve obligations and supply chain interruptions, some 46,000 businesses have already closed shop since October 7.

These businesses are the glue that keeps the Israeli economy together employing some half a million people, many of whom have been evacuated from their homes because of the war. Thus, it's not uncommon to see many storefronts in Israel shuttered and once bustling communities transformed into ghost towns.

That's where the peer-to-peer lending platform SparkIL has stepped in to provide a lifeline to the businesses who need it the most, by enabling individuals across the world to directly support the small business of their choice in Israel. Since October 7, SparkIL has rallied more than 2,000 microlenders to contribute a total of about $5.5 million to over 300 Israeli small businesses.

SparkIL was established in 2022 in partnership with The Jewish Agency for Israel and The Ogen Group. For a loan as small as $25, lenders in America and worldwide who are passionate about Israel have a tangible, on the ground way to help the Israeli people at their darkest hour. The minimum investment for Israeli lenders on the platform, meanwhile, is a loan of NIS 50.

"For nearly a year, countless business owners in Israel have had to accept the new normal of not only halting their operations but being evacuated from their homes and in need to reinvent themselves," Na'ama Ore, CEO of SparkIL, said. "That is why we have decided to harness the passion and generosity of both Jews around the world and Israelis who are eager to help, empowering them to become social lenders through our platform. Each loan represents the importance of mutual responsibility as an Israeli society and as a Jewish people to support each other."

At an event in New York on Sept. 15, Americans had the opportunity to meet the owners of several Israeli small businesses that have received assistance from SparkIL as they navigate the deep disruption of their operations during the ongoing war. The business owners in attendance included those from Oryosss, a cafe chain with two locations in the Gaza Envelope that has experienced significant physical, economic, and moral challenges due to the owner's service in the IDF reserves; Hoshen Judaica, which provides opportunities for artists with special needs; B-Green, a beekeeping business that before the war had already seen broader challenges given that the honey bee is disappearing at an alarming rate from the world; and Hooga, a business specializes in creating engaging and aesthetically pleasing content that fosters connection among families, friends, and communities.

"The cafe was open for a month and a half, and then came October 7, and my two businesses were shut down," said Or Shukron, owner of Oryosss. "For me it was a total financial crash. It was the end of the world. Thanks to SparkIL, I really managed to preserve this place and reopen it. At the beginning of the war, I was certain that I was going to close both of my coffee shops despite all the investment and despite all the goodwill to take care of my community. Thanks to the SparkIL loan, I was able to support myself financially and reopen my businesses."

"When the founders of SparkIL launched the platform in 2022, we rooted the initiative in the global Jewish people's sense of mutual responsibility and aspired to secure a vibrant Jewish future for generations to come," said Amira Ahronoviz, CEO and Director General at The Jewish Agency as well as the Chair of the Board of SparkIL. "Today, it is clearer than ever that SparkIL is powerfully advancing these values and objectives — by forging connections between Jews around the world who are yearning for ways to directly support the Israeli people during their moment of greatest need, and Israel's small business owners who are facing immense adversity and working tirelessly to make ends meet during the war. In New York, to witness those same business owners give an American audience a living, breathing picture of their experience was nothing short of magical."

Sagi Balasha, CEO of The Ogen Group, said, "It was very exciting to see at the event how SparkIL has managed to make it this far. From the Israeli entrepreneurs who we brought to New York, to donors, to the potential lenders who were in attendance, the wide array of activity and enthusiasm among the crowd demonstrates the growing number of individuals across world Jewry who are becoming active daily partners in this initiative to support Israel's small business owners — at a time when they need us more than ever."

In the North of Israel, Moran Stark, owner of Shakdia Ltd, a boutique tourism company in Holta, is deeply grateful for the contributions she's received from Jews around the world via SparkIL.

The divorced mother of two is a member of the Galilee Regional Council in a town that has yet to be evacuated even though it's a mere 10 kilometers from the Lebanese border. Stark has hosted delegations from all over the world and is the CEO of a company that would rake in some NIS 6 million a year. Then, like a punch in the gut, the COVID-19 virus came without warning, and it took her two years to recover until foreign tourism came back to Israel.

Once Stark began to regain her footing, the war came with a vengeance. This time, Stark didn't wait patiently for the situation to resolve itself.

"I decided to reinvent myself," Stark said. "After COVID-19, I understood there's no future in tourism right now so I'm on to the next venture. SparkIL has given me the breathing room I need to be able to start this new chapter in my career without stressing about every shekel."

Aviva and Yoel Auerbach, who own a pizza restaurant in the Upper Galilee, were evacuated on October 7 due to their proximity to the northern border.

"We turned to SparkIL — which, in our view, is a philanthropic-social venture that saves families," Yoel Auerbach said. "At that point in time, the loan was like oxygen that enabled us to breathe and survive, until the government started to also help us with our situation."

Earlier this year, The Ogen Group shared data demonstrating that the need for microloans is greater than ever indicating that in June there was a 176% jump – almost threefold – in the number of applications submitted by families and individuals for interest-free loans compared to the same month last year. That translates to some 1,015 new applications, compared to 365 in the previous June.

However, none of this would be possible without the support of those in world Jewry who felt paralyzed after October 7 and wanted to find practical and meaningful ways to help those impacted by the war.

Robin and Richard Galpern of Richmond, Va., were inspired by the story of Oryosss, a cafe chain with two locations in the Gaza Envelope. Since the start of the war, the business has experienced significant physical, economic, and moral challenges due to the owner's service in the IDF reserves.

"During a visit to Oryoss, we heard about the SparkIL model and thought it kept in line with Jewish values and was an amazing opportunity to prove that we support Israel. Giving to these businesses doesn't require a lot of effort or money," Richard Galpern said.

After investing a small amount over the phone while in Israel, the Galperns decided to go bigger for their daughter Sabrina's bat mitzvah and pre-purchased 100 gift cards of $25 each for their daughter to distribute on her big day.

"We're a philanthropic family and we live that wholeheartedly. This is a chance to expose her friends to the act of giving even if they may not have the means to do so right now. It taps into the philanthropy of the next generation," he explained.

In addition to lifting up those who believe in working hard for what they have, Richard said his family "fell in love with the fact that SparkIL gets someone interested in Israel. You form a connection with the land, the people and the businesses whether they're Jewish or not. This is an amazing way to humanize the philanthropic process."

The post Extending a lifeline to businesses who need it the most appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

While Dan Elbaum, The Jewish Agency for Israel's Head of North America and President and CEO of Jewish Agency International Development (JAID), is certainly dismayed by the at times violent protests on college campuses, he's still optimistic that there is much to be salvaged with today's youth. Elbaum sat down with Israel Hayom and spoke about why there are many students worth reaching out to who have compassion for Jews on campus and why the spirit of Jewish students remains high despite the struggles they're facing.

 1. How do you explain these massive protests on campuses across the United States and how they turned into what we are seeing today?

What we are seeing is a perfect storm of three things. First, a simplistic and almost cartoonishly false portrayal by the media and on social media of Israel's legitimate steps to protect its population and free its hostages from an enemy, a terrorist organization, bent on their destruction. Second, a history of universities encouraging all conflicts, regardless of their nuances and individual characteristics, to be neatly pigeonholed as a struggle between oppressors and the oppressed. And third, a systematic disregard of the opinions and rights of Zionist students on the campus community.

When we look at the situation from that perspective, the question really becomes one of not why did this happen, but rather, why did it take this long to reach this point?

2. What is your assessment of how university leadership have handled these protests? What more could they do to enhance the safety of Jewish students?

I will answer in generalities as there have been several universities that have behaved in an exemplary manner.  Yet, it has been shocking to see the complete lack of moral clarity and blatant insensitivity shown to Jewish and Zionist students when the request is as simple as merely asking the University to enforce their own rules and regulations. Please understand that I am not a person, nor is my organization an organization, that lightly makes these types of statements. Yet, it is difficult to imagine any university treating any other minority's safety, feelings, and emotional and physical wellbeing as cavalierly as so many Universities have treated their Jewish students. Sadly, this has been true since October 8 and remains true to this day.

This would be egregious under any circumstances yet is somehow even more hurtful for two reasons. First, many of those harassing Jewish students are not even students. And, secondly, there has never been any community in American history that has revered the university system more than American Jews. Our story is one of overcoming quotas and other hardships to become a part of this system and supporting it every possible way. I really do not know a better way to describe it than nothing less than shameful.

3. What are The Jewish Agency's campus emissaries, known as the Israel Fellows, doing on the ground right now as a resource for Jewish students? How have their activities and approaches changed since October 7?

If there has been a ray of hope on our college campuses, it has been our Israel Fellows and the Jewish students involved with Hillel and other pro-Israel organizations. At its simplest level, the fellows are there to answer hard questions, be a resource to Jewish and pro-Israel students, present a human face of Israel, and instill pride in our shared history, culture, and background.

Bear in mind that nearly every single one of our fellows has family and friends who are serving or have served in this war. Many have lost family and loved ones on October 7 or in the months afterward. Yet in the face of the largest challenge that their country has ever encountered, they have been there for American Jewish students every step of the way.

4. Hundreds of students have been arrested, suspended, put on probation, and, in rare cases, expelled from colleges in the US due to the protests. Do you think this is an appropriate form of punishment? When do protesters' actions cross the line from free speech to behavior that necessitates disciplinary action?

This is not a complicated question. Indeed, President Biden said it well the other day. You have every right to say and believe anything that you wish as long as you are not threatening others. You do not have the right to bar Jewish students from going to class; you do not have the right to break into university buildings, you don't have the right to damage things that do not belong to you and you do not have the right to call for genocide.

I do think that it is striking that universities have not seemed to care that much about free speech when the rhetoric was directed against other minorities. Many of the same institutions that were quick to expel students, correctly in my opinion, when the speech was directed against African American or LGBTQ students, suddenly find the issue somehow more complicated when Jews are the victims. In that situation, it is not only important that Jews ask why that is, but that we encourage our allies to do the same.

5. Have you had a chance to visit any US campuses since October 7 and see for yourself what's happening?

Yes and in every case, I must say that as shocked and saddened that I was by some of what I saw and heard, I left inspired by the Jewish students at Hillel, Chabad as well as our Israel Fellows. This is not what they signed up for, but this is what they are doing. For all of those older American Jews who are discouraged by what we see from the next generation, I would urge you to speak to some of these Jewish students. You will feel a lot better.

I also want to point out something relatively new that truly bears watching. It has been the voice of Israeli students on campus as well as Israeli Americans who grew up in America with one or two Israeli parents. They have been a crucial voice of leadership on many campuses and another inspiring part of Jewish life on campus.

6. What advice would you give to Jewish students navigating their final days of the academic year while these protests are occurring?

I would tell them three things:

1.      Be proud of who you are and don't let anyone else define you. You have worked hard to get to where you are and do not allow others to derail you and all that you are doing.

2.      Know that you are not alone and that there are resources at Hillel, Chabad, their local Jewish federations, and other good people who have your back.

3.      You will always remember this time in your life and look back on it in a way that is different than maybe any other time after. Ask yourself how you want to remember what you did during this time and do your best to act accordingly.

Also, I think that it's important for students to remember that the overwhelming majority of their fellow students are not antisemites nor are many of them involved in this movement. There are a great deal of reachable people, and we must never forget that.

7. How do you think these protests will influence students' and parents' decisions when enrolling in colleges and universities for the next academic year? Do you think a significant number of prospective students may stay away from schools that have been hotspots for protests, including Ivy League or other elite institutions?

It is early to say, but I cannot count how many parents have identified the current atmosphere as an important factor in their child's college decision. College is a place where you should be exposed to other ideas, and we should not shy away from schools for allowing students to articulate views with which we disagree. But it is appropriate and proper for us to ask the question of how much that school prizes our children's safety and make sure that we are satisfied with the answer. Shamefully, many universities have failed that test and I do think that they have considerable work to do if they want to regain our community's trust.

The post Jewish Agency leader's message to Jewish students appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

In the fall of last year, Noach Lurman was just starting his third year at University of Maryland where he was studying Biology. Then, October 7 happened and Lurman, with only a year and a half left until graduation, decided to leave the school.

"After Sukkot, I went back to school and was greeted by pro-Hamas protests on campus. It felt like it came out of nowhere. Before, I thought nobody cared that I was Jewish, and now, there was antisemitism all over our school's social media feeds, I saw a Magen David spray painted on a trash can. It was clear to me then that I needed to make aliyah," Lurman said.

Lurman made aliyah with Nefesh B'Nefesh and its partners Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, and JNF-USA and is now residing in Jerusalem where he's taking the rest of the year to take the necessary exams needed in order to get into medical school and Bar-Ilan University.

However, despite the hostile environment on campus, making aliyah was always something lingering in the back of his mind.

"I didn't leave only because of antisemitism," he acknowledges. "I mostly left because I wanted a life that had a deeper meaning and I knew I could get that in Israel. After visiting here multiple times, I knew that life here is special."

As such, even before October 7, Lurman had conversations where he spoke with Nefesh B'Nefesh officials and asked how he can pursue his dream of becoming a surgeon in Israel.

Now, Lurman is facing one more year of undergrad at Bar Ilan before he works on getting into medical school. And although he'll have to do it all in Hebrew, he is undeterred.

"Finishing my undergrad in Hebrew will not be easy, but I'm determined to break this barrier. I just have to learn the material and I'll break through," he said.

While he has a long journey ahead of him - medical school, an internship, and specialty courses – Lurman is looking forward to spending this year getting acquainted with Israeli life.

"I'm looking forward to keeping one day of Passover now, and going on a few shidduchim (matchmaking dates)," he joked.

He's also impressed by the resilience of the Israeli people, something he saw firsthand when a mere twelve hours after Iran launched hundreds of drones and dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel, many left their homes and resumed life as usual.

"Hashem runs the world. If this happened in LA, it would feel like an apocalypse. But as I'm talking to you, I'm sitting outside studying and people are playing in the park," he said.

New olah Giselle Grossman, too, is in awe of Israeli resilience which she's seen in action twice in her short time here. The first was the morning of October 7 while she was on a MASA program.

"When the sirens began, I woke up disoriented and had no idea what was going on," she said. When she started seeing if anybody she knew was at the Nova Party she recognized one of the victims of the Nova party. Although she wasn't friends with him, she was invited to his birthday party through a friend which was set to take place on October 12. He was buried on October 11.

"We never thought something like this would happen," she said. "Most people my age knew someone at the Nova Festival and this was devastating."

Not knowing how the war would unfold, Grossman had three hours to quickly pack her bags and fly back to her native Rio De Janeiro - a 50-hour commute that took over three flights and a bus ride.

Once back in Rio, she realized then that she was no longer home.

"I was back where I grew up, but it didn't feel like home. I was still a bit traumatized from October 7, but I knew I had to go back to Israel and make aliyah," Grossman, who ended up making aliyah with The Jewish Agency for Israel, said. She also added that her Zionist upbringing made this decision an inevitable one.

Now back in Israel, she's studying at Ulpan Etzion a Jewish Agency-funded program that offers five months of intensive Hebrew study for Olim from all over the world who hold college degrees. In a typical program year, Ulpan Etzion provides Hebrew-language study and accommodation to around 1,600 men and women aged 22-35, from more than 30 countries.

"Uplan is great. We have so much support from staff. When the Iranian attack happened Saturday night, everybody was concerned about us. We even had faculty members who offered to stay with us and not go home for the night," she said.

While Grossman is still shaken by those two harrowing experiences, she recognizes that there's danger everywhere and is taking solace in the solidarity one can find in the Jewish state.

"Even though Saturday's attack happened, I have no plans to go back to Brazil or anywhere else. I kind of freaked out Saturday night, but we still have a sense of security here. There are people we can count on and we never feel alone."

Now, Grossman, who was a licensed doctor back in Rio, is working hard to power through any language barriers to pass a medical exam in Hebrew so she can eventually become an OBGYN here in Israel.

"Life in Israel is great. If you want to go to the beach it's there. If you want mountains, then you have that too. I love the feeling of being a Jewish person here despite the challenges. I'm not afraid to be exactly who I am here and a bit of hard work is not going to intimidate me," Grossman said of the some-ten years of study ahead of her.

As for Ayeda Pisaha, who made aliyah from Ethiopia when she was 14, she's an immigrant who is finally at the end of that long academy journey.

Pisaha was in the middle of her third year studying accounting at The Jerusalem College of Technology's Tal Campus when she got pregnant. The debilitating side-effects some women experience during pregnancy took a toll on Pisaha who decided to postpone completing her last year.

As luck and destiny would have it, Pisaha subsequently had five children – each pregnancy coinciding with exam times, and her last year of studies became six.

Finally, in April, she attended her graduation ceremony, dressed in celebratory traditional Ethiopian garb, with her children by her side.

"It made me so proud to share that moment with them," she said. "With each pregnancy, I continued to study and refused to give up. I was determined to leave JCT's doors with a degree and that's what I've done."

While she acknowledges it was not easy to juggle five young children, run a household, and study, Pisaha is a testament to being able to do just that if one is patient and has faith that anything is possible.

"It's not a disability to have a family," she said. "It's not an excuse not to pursue your dreams. There are always challenges in life, everybody has them. The key is how to respond to those challenges."

"I loved my time at the Jerusalem College of Technology and it's a place where only good things have happened to me," she said.

As Israel celebrates Yom Aliyah day on Friday, these three Olim - who all came to Israel to begin their journeys from scratch - are proof that making aliyah and staying in Israel is hard work, but the results are well worth the sacrifice.

Noa Amouyal is a journalist and editor.

The post Overcoming challenges to make a home in Israel appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

What is it like to be a woman in the workplace?

For Dr. Ahuva Spitz, chair of the Bachelor of Science in the nursing program at the Selma Jelinek School of Nursing at the Jerusalem College of Technology, it's about wearing many hats.

On a recent Thursday morning, Spitz conducted a lecture in front of some 40 women who are enrolled in the school's Selma Jelinek School of Nursing, where she gave a comprehensive overview of diabetes. Immediately after, she interviewed a prospective candidate to head the college's new nursing program in English, which will begin next year. In between meetings and lectures, she navigates the other myriad of issues associated with running a program with a multi-million-shekel budget.

With International Women's Day on March 8, Spitz and her students are examples of strong women being able to find that elusive balance between caring for their families, being devoted to doing God's work, and excelling in the workplace.

"I really love what I do," Spitz said during our interview, which occurred in the college's simulation lab, where six sophisticated mannequins were hooked up to equipment and students learned how to treat patients during these high-intensity simulations.

Today, JCT's Selma Jelinek School of Nursing serves more than 1,200 students annually. It is widely considered one of the top nursing programs in the country, having received the Health Ministry's National Prize for Excellence, and ranking first among 24 nursing schools nationwide.

The four-year BSN curriculum includes theoretical studies and clinical experience in various nursing fields. The theoretical studies include courses in the basic sciences, social sciences, foundations of the nursing profession, and advanced courses. Practical studies take place in leading medical centers in Jerusalem and throughout Israel.

Spitz, whose specialty is in nursing and emergency medicine, has witnessed the school's nursing program blossom over the past nearly 15 years.

"In 2008, we had 36 women in the class. The following year, we had 60," she said. "Now, we have almost 200, especially since interest in the program skyrocketed after the COVID-19 crisis."

"Last month we had a graduation ceremony where 140 girls graduated from our two classes. I looked at all of them and had tears of pride in my eyes. Today, they're all working in nursing. These women are going to carry on with their careers and they're signing up for master's degrees and they want more out of their education."

JCT alum Shana Abramson is an example of just that. As a nurse of 10 years, Abramson works in the cardio-thoracic department at Shaare Zedek Medical Center. Her already stressful job has become even more harrowing during the aftermath of the Iron Swords War.

"I've seen soldiers suffer through debilitating pain and multiple injuries," she lamented. "Sometimes we see soldiers who are managing their physical pain, but they're haunted by nightmares."

Each day, Abramson works with a team of medical professionals to determine the right way to address each person's pain in a responsible manner so not only do they not become dependent on the medication, but that they can wean off it when they're ready to do so.

"We tell them to use it now to help them get back on their feet, but then they need physical therapy to recover. And then we taper down the medication once the pain is under control," she added.

What strikes her most about working in a hospital in a post-Oct. 7 world is how grateful each of her patients continues to be despite the horrors they witnessed.

"I had a patient who was a soldier and was critically injured. His friends were killed in an ambush in Gaza, and he was hospitalized for nearly three months," Abramson recalled. "He had to go through 18 surgeries, including an amputation. When he left the hospital to go to rehab, he said goodbye and he couldn't stop thanking us for treating him. The truth is, we should be thanking him. But he wouldn't accept it, so we kept thanking each other in an endless loop of gratitude."

Abramson credits much of her success to her time at JCT. "JCT creates the best nursing students in the country. Some have their bachelor's and even a master's – they want to study nursing, learn Hebrew, and meaningfully contribute to the country."

Helping others is exactly what drove JCT student Tamar Segal. The Toronto native, who is currently in her second year in the school's nursing program, said she was always interested in this profession due to its "unique combination of caring for someone that requires you to be strong physically and mentally. I'm someone who hates seeing people in distress – I always want to be able to help if I can."

Segal came to JCT following her completion of National Service at Hadassah Medical Center. On October 8, Segal returned to Hadassah as a volunteer to help and be productive, while awaiting the start of the academic year, which was delayed due to the war.

Spitz suspects that a major motivation behind her students' sense of duty to care for others lies in the fact that her students are religious, with many belonging to the Haredi community. As such, many students who may have been reluctant to enter other fields that might have clashed with their values, see nursing as a good fit for them through which they express their values.

"Being a nurse allows them to stay within their comfort zone of nurturing, where motherhood and raising a family are values that are held in high regard in the religious community," Spitz said. "From a logistic perspective, the work is convenient because it can be done in shifts, so they have time to care for their family as well."

Spitz acknowledges, however, that the hospital setting can prove to be quite a culture shock for her Haredi students who have grown up in an insulated environment.

The program trains students to expect the unexpected and to treat every patient as a human being who needs to be treated with dignity and respect.

"The focus is not on the body. It's on the totality of the human being," she said.

As an institution that prides itself on combining both holy and secular studies, Spitz acknowledges that working in a hospital can combine those two worlds as well. She recalls a time when a foreign exchange doctor from Germany rushed to retrieve Spitz when one of her patients was dying.

However, the doctor – who was Christian and unfamiliar with Jewish traditions – didn't approach Spitz for medical reasons, but rather spiritual ones. "She was looking for a rabbi but assumed I'd have an idea of what to do in this scenario because I'm Haredi. She, as a gentile, understood that the patient needed to be uplifted spiritually at that moment. We summoned members of his family and explained it was time to say goodbye. After he passed, we ensured he had enough people for a minyan and said Kadish so his soul could have an Aliyah."

Yet, even in 2024 after the COVID-19 crisis and with Israel still in a devastating war, nursing can sometimes be an undervalued profession.

"International Women's Day is about appreciating the work women do that is taken for granted. It's important to have this one day to focus on our contributions. But I understand people can't think of us all the time," Segal acknowledges.

Spitz is in awe of her students who find value in their work even in these times of crisis.

"Being a nurse allows you to tap into all the values of chesed (loving-kindness)," Spitz said. "These are the values our students are raised on. And sometimes they come to work, and they see miracles."

Noa Amouyal is a journalist and editor.

The post Inspiring the next generation of nurses appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT) community has developed solutions to protect Israel on both the civil and cyber fronts.

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Ever since Oct. 7, when Hamas was able to sabotage Israel's standard telecommunications systems in order to infiltrate into the country and murder some 1,200 people, high-tech companies have been searching for solutions to enable communication between authorities if standard methods are compromised. JCT's unique solution came from the College's Schreiber Lev Tech Entrepreneurship Center and its Take Action program, which called on students and alumni to come up with solutions for better practices in an emergency situation.

On the civil front, FullStack Systems Ltd. has created a web-based solution enabling civil defense units to communicate with each other during emergencies if internet service is down. This solution operates via telephone rather than cellular network, and consequently is not dependent on internet connectivity. It enables voice messages to be transmitted to alert civil defense units in times of emergency, even if traditional internet services are malfunctioning.

The system works by enabling automatic dialing to a large list of the civil defense unit participants, whereby they can receive alerts about possible infiltration or suspicious activity. Since it is not dependent on internet connectivity, the system is able to communicate with kosher cellular devices as well, thereby making it inclusive for Haredi Jews who are participating in these civil defense units. The simplicity of the system also makes it attractive to participants who are older and potentially less technologically savvy.

Today, there are some 60 civil defense units across the country and each of them stand to benefit from this system.

"This web-based system can instantly send voice messages to one or all of the participants with the push of a button, regardless of functioning internet capabilities," said Efrat Amitai, a project leader at FullStack Systems Ltd. "In some municipalities, these alerts are done via WhatsApp, but this app is dependent on functioning internet or Wi-Fi. As we've seen, that can easily fail or it's easy to miss messages due to an overwhelmed network or simply human error where people fail to notice a message they receive."

Rami Triestman, the company's CEO, explained that the system was born out of his own personal experience as a member of a civil defense unit.

"One night, I went to bed and I browsed through my WhatsApp messages and it took me a few minutes to realize that we're in the middle of an emergency situation. I decided to develop a system that would not be dependent on the internet and sends direct messages to recipients that can't be misconstrued or missed," he said.

Triestman added, "The system leverages 'old-fashioned' technology, by utilizing a simple phone call. With one push of the button, everyone on the list is told how they must proceed and if this call is an actual emergency or a drill. If the person doesn't answer the phone, the system continues calling until the person picks up and can even bypass a user putting his phone on silent. This frees up the civil defense unit leader to worry about the issue at hand instead of spending his time sending messages and calling people hoping to reach them."

Eran Yomtovyan, director of the Schreiber LevTech Entrepreneurship Center, said, "We're very proud of the work Rami has done in coming up with creative solutions to reinforce Israel's security. Graduates of the Jerusalem College of Technology have gone on to do meaningful work enhancing Israel security networks. From working in Israeli-owned defense companies like Elbit to finding ways for Israeli civilians to protect themselves, it's gratifying to see our graduates use what they've learned here at the Jerusalem College of Technology to protect Israel and make it stronger."

Meanwhile, in a separate initiative, with the internet inundated with antisemitic content online, many Jewish advocates have felt frustrated in their inability to respond to such harmful rhetoric in an efficient manner. In response, JCT students developed Savee, a chrome extension using generative AI technology. The extension analyzes texts and simultaneously collects facts to counter anti-Israel and antisemitic narratives online from a validated database. Then, the tool summarizing the database formulates an accurate facts-based response.

Once the user downloads the extension, they can then highlight the text they object to, right-click the highlighted section and then the tool generates an answer debunking said text within seconds.

When activated, Savee sends the highlighted text to a Botify system, which converts the text into mathematical representation in order to analyze it. The system then connects to a pre-verified database and looks for the most relevant data for the specific text in question. Lastly, the system prompts chat-GPT to phrase a summarized answer based solely on the facts found in the database.

On the Savee's website, they illustrate how this can be done in a matter of seconds. In a video, they share how one can, for example, generate an auto response to popular antisemitic accounts on X (formerly Twitter) like Jackson Hinkle by instantly pulling a relevant response from its database.

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To date, Savee has responded to 700 posts per day, reaching 7.3 million users in order to combat antisemitism, Jew-hatred, and Holocaust denial content on social media. JCT students Ido Schwartz, Ori Kessler, and Eliya Liv came up with the idea during a hackathon at the College which aimed to find technological solutions for the challenges of Holocaust survivors as well as Holocaust education and memorialization. Savee's founders are all third-generation descendants of Holocaust survivors.

"In our research, we were amazed by the scope of the phenomenon of Holocaust denial and its significant growth potential," the students stated. "We aim to counteract the phenomenon by raising awareness of existing yet not sufficiently accessible facts. This is especially important in today's digital sphere, where even the truth may be subjective until it is proven otherwise."

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Hundreds of Israelis marched through the streets of Modiin on Thursday holding placards calling for the immediate release of the hostages who have been in Hamas captivity since the terrorist group's brutal attack on Oct. 7.

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"There will be no victory until every hostage is saved!" a young eight-year-old girl chanted through a megaphone at a march calling for bringing the hostages home from Gaza.

Marching beside her, were participants of Momentum, a global movement that inspires Jewish women to connect with Israel and their Jewish values.

Despite being at war, the organization brought 80 dedicated Jewish mothers to Israel who dropped everything to show solidarity with Israel during its darkest hour.

The Mother to Mother Unity Trip, organized in partnership with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, kicked off last week and brought Jewish mothers from the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and Mexico. For 20 of the mothers, coming to Israel had extra personal significance as one of their children is currently serving as a lone soldier in the war.

The trip, which centered heavily around acts of volunteer service such as cooking with other Israeli mothers for soldiers; and harvesting crops to assist farmers who cannot attend to their land because they were either killed during the war or have been called up for reserve duty were all done in the hope of boosting Israeli morale on the home and war fronts.

On Thursday, though, the mothers were visibly moved by hearing from Hagit, the cousin of the Tal family who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Hagit said her family only learned of the kidnapping by seeing videos of Merav Tal, her boyfriend, and his two children on Telegram the day of the attack. Hagit has been advocating for the Tal household ever since as the rest of the family is too grief-stricken to leave the house.

After the group were stunned to silence by her words, Momentum participant Linda Norton, from Sarasota, Fla., spoke on behalf of the group and said, "We're here to tell you that we love you and we want to do whatever we can to support you and to bring your loved ones home. You're our family and we're here for you."

Momentum Founding Director Lori Palatnik agreed, adding that it was critical for Momentum to show up for their Israeli counterparts as they're coping with unimaginable amounts of grief.

"Today, Israel and the Jewish people face unimaginably difficult times. Mothers have had their babies taken from their arms and families have been torn apart by brutal acts of terror. At Momentum, we couldn't stand idly by while our Israeli sisters are in so much pain. As a result, we've mobilized our dedicated community of Momentum mothers who have chosen to show up for Israel and its women and demonstrate their unwavering support of Israel in an emotional display of unity," she said.

Therefore, as an organization created by Jewish mothers for Jewish mothers, it was natural that Momentum do what it can to support bereaved Israeli mothers in their time of need. The mission underscores that in times of grief, the Jewish people are strongest if they're unified.

The trip is just one aspect of the organization's comprehensive Momentum Mobilizes Campaign. The multi-pronged initiative was spearheaded in the early days of the Iron Swords War to create a connection to what's happening in Israel through the lens of the organization, deliver support through educational initiatives, and to inspire action through opportunities to do something positive.

Momentum is carrying out this campaign by tapping into its extensive community of alumni that span over 23,000 women from 34 countries, who through their immersive experience in Israel, have returned to their home countries to be dedicated ambassadors for not only the country but Jewish values.

That work of Momentum's dedicated community is not only limited to activism in Israel. Last week, too, some 700 momentum participants attended the March for Israel rally in Washington DC.

There, Momentum mobilized their board members, Momentum fellows, community leaders, and hundreds of past and future participants from across the country to take action and join the Momentum team in this historic event. The organization subsidized buses for partner organizations to come to the rally, handed out over 500 t-shirts and signs, each proudly worn or displayed, further amplifying the unified voice and collective determination of the Momentum community in advocating for Israel.

Additionally, Momentum's Hugs4Heroes campaign, which encourages Momentum women and their families to strengthen the IDF and the country by showing solidarity with soldiers and displaced families by sending and delivering of letters and pictures of support, and the upcoming initiative 'Bring The Light Home,' a global Shabbat candle lighting viral campaign to help bring more light into the world by inspiring more women to light candles in this time of darkness are two additional ways the organization is supporting its Israeli brothers and sisters.

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When President Joe Biden visited Israel earlier this month, he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visited victims of the October 7 massacre by Hamas which left 1,400 Israelis dead. As the first president to visit Israel in a time of war, he listened to their stories and heard their pleas.

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His visit, Ruderman Family Foundation President Jay Ruderman says, was "huge" for Israel.

"To tell Israelis, 'We will support you in whatever you need,' to visit during war, it's huge," he said. "It's also a powerful message to the world and the United States where America is strongly behind Israel."

Biden's actions mirrored his words of support. Last week the US Navy dispatched the USS Mount Whitney to the Mediterranean Sea, and the president has asked Congress to approve $14 billion in funding to Israel as part of a $105 billion military aid package that also includes aid to Ukraine.

"Biden understands this is a battle between good and evil – pure evil that's manifested in the form of Hamas," said Ruderman, who previously served as the liaison between the IDF and Diaspora Jewry, and as Leadership Director for AIPAC in Israel. "They beheaded people. Shot them randomly. They wanted to kill everything in their path."

This strong showing of support, Ruderman pointed out, is not done for purely sympathetic purposes. The US is backing Israel at this critical moment because the world now has "terror on its doorstep. The IDF is the frontline to stop it."

After spending 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ruderman argues, the US is, understandably, not too keen to have an active military presence in the region again and, thus, is helping equip Israel to stop the spread of terror before it's too late. Yet, there is a vocal minority within elite academic institutions in the US and political echelons of power that are opposed to Biden's approach.

These voices – most notably from the notorious "Squad" – Ruderman dismisses as "politically insignificant."

"The president of the United States – the leader of the Democratic Party – came out so strongly in favor of Israel," he said. "These radical left voices mean nothing to him."

US Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have been the most vocal of the lawmakers advocating for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas before the hostages have been released. This is only one example of how members of the Squad have "lost their humanity," according to Ruderman.

"It's disgusting. This is the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas acted like animals and they blame that on Israel?"

He also singled out Tlaib, who accused Israel of bombing a hospital in Gaza even though Israeli and American forensic evidence demonstrated that the destruction was caused by an errant rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. As of this writing, Tlaib's tweet is still up on X (formerly Twitter).

"It's completely irresponsible. There are people who have an interest in this conflict and are flaming it and spreading it," Ruderman said.

Luckily, Ruderman points out, recent polls show that the American people are hardly in lockstep with the squad's mindset.

"The majority of Americans are solidly behind Israel. They see this as a fight between good and evil," he said.

While Ruderman believes that the squad doesn't pose a threat to the US-Israel relationship in the future, he can't say the same for elite American institutions that are making their campuses an increasingly hostile environment for Jewish students.

"Things are bad in the United States. It's not just anti-Israel sentiment but antisemitic sentiment. You're seeing schools like the University of Pennsylvania calling for Jewish genocide," Ruderman said referring to a recent rally where a speaker claimed that the murdered Israelis in the October 7 attack were "legitimate targets."

"College campus leadership has been very weak. Not only in their inability to decry the worst recent atrocity to happen to Jews, but their inability to protect their own Jewish students. I have no problem with supporting the rights of Palestinians, but when you dismiss the fact that the leadership in Gaza is run by antisemitic terrorists then you're not smart at best or lost your humanity at worst," he said.

Higher education in the US prides itself on protecting its minority populations, but fails to consider Jews as such, he argued. "Jews aren't seen as a minority. Shame on these universities who see themselves as world centers of learning," he added.

Fortunately, Jewish students are fighting back.

"There are many brave Jews standing up on college campuses who are defending Israel. They're documenting these actions being taken and statements being made by students, so people understand there are consequences for their words. It's a difficult time for Jews. Most understand that this is not just a fight for Israel but a fight for the Jewish people as a whole," Ruderman said.

Since the October 7 terror attack, the foundation has pledged over $600,000 in emergency relief grants, including grants to support mental health services and strengthening civil defense systems in the ultra-Orthodox community.

"Everyone knows someone who has either been killed or taken hostage. Everyone is going to funerals and shivas. The current government is not functioning. It's on Israeli society and private organizations to protect their own people," Ruderman lamented. "This is the worst crisis Israel has experienced since 1948."

Despite these hardships, the facts that most Israelis are doing whatever they can to help, and that Jews back home are beginning to understand that this war is very much one of Israel's survival, give Ruderman hope for the days ahead for Israel and humanity as a whole.

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Miriam Levy Turner worked her fingers to the bone removing posters proclaiming "Death to Israel" on the streets of Geneva.

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It was 2014 and Operation Protective Edge – one of Israel's many conflicts with Gaza – was causing a wave of anti-Israel sentiment across Europe.

Even though Turner was born in Israel and grew up in a kibbutz, she was not your typical pro-Israel advocate. Her connection to Israel was sporadic at best and her life in Geneva was a fully assimilated one. After leaving Israel at age 22, she became enmeshed in Swiss life, enrolled her three children in secular schools, and married a non-Jew.

But seeing posters encouraging death in her home triggered an anger within her that she didn't know she had.

But instead of staying angry, Turner decided to be proactive about her family's future. "I saw myself staring at my children's future 10, 20 years down the line. How can I tell them to not marry a Jew when I did the same? How can I tell them to keep the mitzvot when I don't bother to do so? How can I tell them to be proud of being Israeli when I left the country in my youth?"

That line of thinking encouraged her to enroll in the Momentum Year-Long Journey, an immersive experience that kicks off with an eight-day trip to Israel. Afterward, the organization sticks with each woman throughout the year and guides them to be meaningful contributors to their local Jewish community.

Last month, Momentum brought 100 women from France, Belgium, and Switzerland to Israel after working with The Jewish Agency for Israel on a pilot trip for 20 French-speaking women last year. Participants of that experience proceeded to recruit women in their communities for this year's trip, which marks Momentum's first full cohort of French speakers in Momentum's history.

Momentum, a global movement that helps women deeply connect to their Jewish values and to the State of Israel, prides itself on partnering with a wide-ranging array of national, local, and international organizations who helped make this trip possible. As such, the organization worked again with The Jewish Agency and diverse local organizations, such as Shofar, an online educational resource, and Roche, a network of Jewish businesswomen and community organizations across France.

Momentum is a particularly enriching experience for the unaffiliated who are introduced to the many ways that Judaism can enhance their lives and amplify their own connections to their children, husbands, and community.

That was certainly the case for Diane Evard of Cannes, France. Evard, who only embraced Jewish customs for the High Holy Days, was mostly cut off from the Jewish community and came because her sister-in-law encouraged her to do so.

"We tell them they're Jewish even though their father isn't," Evard, who also married a non-Jew, explained. "I wanted Momentum to teach me how to explain what Judaism is and how they can feel more connected to their religion."

Along the way, though, Evard experienced a magical byproduct of the Momentum experience – an immersive experience with other women who, up until a few days prior, were complete strangers.

"I thought I was the only one like me – alone, a Jew surrounded by non-Jews. Turns out there are a lot of us and this yearning to give our children something to hold onto in terms of spirituality is a common goal. We all wanted to feel like we were part of something."

For some other women, embarking on the Momentum journey was one of the few times they were able to do something for themselves in a very long time.

Sophie BeEnsamoun of Marseille spends her days as a custodian at a local hospital – literally cleaning up after the sick. When she comes home, she takes care of her niece since her brother is sick. She rarely, if ever, takes care of herself.

Coming on the Momentum trip was the first time she was able to breathe a sigh of relief and know what it feels like to have other people looking out for her.

"Momentum did a big mitzvah by bringing me and other women like me," she said. "I've never been to the Kotel. I never observed an entire Shabbat where I chose to put my phone away and spent quality time with a community. I never knew there was such solidarity in the Jewish community."

Bensamoun is open about the fact that she's had a difficult life riddled with emotional and financial challenges. Being part of the Momentum community acted like a balm to her soul she didn't even know she needed.

And when she speaks about her time walking through Jerusalem or the mystical city of Tzfat with other women who also have challenges of their own but put them aside to focus on self-improvement and foster a community, it doesn't take long for her to burst into tears.

But while these women knew they were Jewish but didn't have the knowledge to properly tap into it, for Elizabeth Marciano of Shofar, France, her Judaism came as a surprise later in life.

She was already an adult when a family member revealed to her a secret: Her mother was Jewish, which meant she was too.

Her father, a Catholic, belonged to an antisemitic family who didn't want Marciano's mother's status as a Jew out in the open. So, it was hidden for decades until the truth came out when she turned 18 and her parents divorced.

She decided to explore Judaism on her own to make up for the years it was shrouded in secrecy. While on Momentum, she's learned so much and frequently sent messages to her grown boys telling them of the treasure trove of knowledge she was exposed to on the trip.

"I think this trip changed my mind for the future. I want to come back to Israel and get closer to religion, help my children get more connected to Israel, and teach them. I hope we all can do more now," she said.

It's a sentiment many of the women shared as they returned back home. Some even with a new Jewish name that they selected for themselves at Eretz Beresheet overlooking the Judean Desert.

Evard chose to be called Amitsa Yehudit (brave Jew). She picked it out from a book of baby names she has kept since she had her daughter many years ago.

"There were many other women who didn't have a Jewish name," she said. "It felt empowering to choose something for ourselves. It's like we were starting anew. We're so much more than what our parents dictated for us at birth. Being able to choose our future and have agency over our lives is so exciting."

And, most of all, with Momentum, these women are now able to choose exactly what kind of Jews they want to be.

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Bar and bat mitzvahs tend to be a formative moment for the child being celebrated as they transition into adulthood, but not the attendees. This certainly wasn't the case for Miriam Barker, who was fascinated by a childhood friend's bar mitzvah that she attended in middle school.

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Between the singing and the dancing, Barker was able to appreciate the beauty behind the coming-of-age custom.

"It was a beautiful introduction to Judaism, and I was really touched by how the Jewish people really value passing on tradition. I also read a lot about the Holocaust and the Jewish people's story of resilience against all odds really resonated with me," she said.

Barker herself became a successful adult against the odds. Born in China and adopted at 2, Barker was raised Baptist by a single mother.

As a teenager, she distanced herself from the Church, but as she grew into young adulthood both her and her husband – whom she also met in middle school – found themselves searching for God within the Jewish faith.

"I started being more open to the idea of a higher being. My husband introduced me to his rabbi and I listened to YouTube channels about Judaism. During Purim of 2020, my rebbetzin spoke to me about Esther and how she stood up for the Jewish people and how there can be duality in customs – after all, you fast but then it's followed by a celebration. This idea of being joyous and connecting with God everywhere really resonated with me. It was then I knew I wanted to be Jewish until the day I died."

With her conversion made official last year, Barker recounted her journey into Judaism on the sidelines of MedEx, an event for medical professionals considering aliyah hosted by Nefesh B'Nefesh.

Some 400 medical professionals attended the annual event earlier this month in Teaneck, NJ, where they received expedited processing and networked with Israeli medical professionals, employers, and on-site licensing officials. The event was geared toward those in the advanced stages of aliyah as well as young professionals who are contemplating a similar move in the future.

Tony Gelbart, co-Founder and chairman of Nefesh B'Nefesh said, "MedEx is an integral part of our aliyah vision. It is not enough to simply help Olim move to Israel, we must make the journey as streamlined as possible. Through this in-person event in New Jersey, MedEx paves the way for medical professionals across North America to cut through bureaucracy to enable physicians and medical professionals to concentrate on building their professional and personal lives in Israel."

In cooperation with Israel's Aliyah and Integration Ministry, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL), and Jewish National Fund-USA, alongside Israel's Health Ministry and the Israeli Medical Association, Nefesh B'Nefesh launched the MedEx stand-alone event to enable medical professionals to take major steps toward transferring their North American medical licenses before making aliyah – all in person and in one dedicated location. This year's event at the Glenpointe Marriott in Teaneck offered that streamlined experience to physicians, nurses, dentists, physician assistants, podiatrists, psychologists, ophthalmologists, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, audiologists, dietitians/nutritionists, dental hygienists and medical laboratory professionals.

Barker, a registered practitioner, hopes to make Aliyah with her husband in the next year and a half. While she made some useful connections at MedEx, she realizes there's still a lot ahead of her before she moves to Israel, where she hopes they will settle somewhere in Israel's north.

As a nurse, her presence in the periphery will be particularly welcomed considering Israel is experiencing a looming medical personnel shortage, with the north and south being impacted the most.

There simply aren't enough medical professionals to meet the needs of the country's growing population.

And the problem is only going to get worse.

As olim (immigrants) who came to Israel from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s begin to retire in the next few years, the talent pool of medical professionals will shrink.

What's more, due to new regulations set to go into effect in 2026, which will render medical diplomas acquired from countries abroad who have far less stringent medical standards obsolete, that talent pool will further dwindle. This will leave Israel with an unprecedented medical crisis.

The crisis is amplified in Israel's periphery, where 63% of medical professionals have obtained their degree from countries that will no longer be recognized. In the Negev, for example, 51% of medical professional degrees will no longer be recognized in three years due to the new restrictions.

"The goal to increase the number of medical personnel, specifically in the Negev and Galilee regions ,is modern-day Zionism at work and will provide the shot in the arm the medical establishment in these communities need," Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf said. "This initiative also helps promote the quality of life and resilience in the periphery and that is one of my office's core issues. As such, we hope to provide opportunities for immigrants to be absorbed into strong communities that offer a myriad of employment options upon making aliyah."

Dr. Sefi Mendelovich, Deputy Director General of Israel's Health Ministry, added, "Recently, the Ministry of Health has dedicated itself to addressing the shortage of doctors in the Israeli health system. Among other initiatives, we are working to bring some 600 doctors to Israel each year - which will triple the current number. This is a national undertaking of the utmost importance."

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As such, since its inception, Nefesh B'Nefesh has assisted more than 840 physicians and 2,900 medical professionals with their Aliyah process. Most are now employed in hospitals, Israel's health funds (HMOs), and the private sector.

"There was a long time where Jews could only dream of Israel," Barker said. "They were kicked out and they yearned for it. Now, there's a privilege to be able to hop on a flight and go to Israel whenever you want. My husband and I want to contribute to this young, growing country. Yes, there are Jewish communities in LA, Miami, New York. But do we really want to tell the next generation, 'Yeah, we had Israel, but we chose Miami?' I don't think so."

"Our number one priority is to be Jewish and be proud of it and the only way to fully commit to that vision is to be in Israel," she concluded.

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Atman Errachid found himself surrounded by a cheering crowd as he watched his home country of Morocco play Spain in the World Cup. Such exuberance would have made sense back home, but Errachid was delighted to see such enthusiasm from an audience one wouldn't assume would be so thrilled about their victory – Israelis.

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Errachid is in Israel currently earning his master's degree in Jewish Studies at the University of Haifa, a campus that is home to a diverse student body. There, shared society is not a theory or an elusive dream one hopes for – but a reality.

Errachid is leaning into this unique aspect of the campus and has become a coexistence advocate of sorts. Always open to hosting Shabbat dinners at his campus dorms – where all faiths are welcome – as a visitor in Israel, Errachid is fascinated by Israel and Jewish life and culture. But most importantly, he longs for the day that Jews and Muslims can have open and honest conversations with each other without letting political conflict get in the way.

​​"We're delighted to host students from Morocco at the University of Haifa," said Naomi Reinharz, CEO of the American Society of the University of Haifa (ASUH). 'The school is a beacon of diversity, where Jewish students, Arab students, and students from many other backgrounds study side by side. Including peers from Abraham Accords countries further enhances our vision for a shared society, not just for Israel, but the world.'

This is all the more reason why being engulfed by a cheering crowd for his home country made Errachid feel that dream may not be so far-fetched. "Those watching the games with me were from all walks of life – Arabs, Jews, Christians," he marveled. "I'm proud to be from Morocco – it truly is one of the few places where Jews and Muslims are proud of its success." "I'll remember that night forever," he said, recalling how he sat on the campus' grassy knoll and students of all backgrounds came to take pictures of Errachid, beaming and holding a Moroccan flag.

The wide-ranging support in Israel for Morocco is not limited to the world of sports. Given Israel's significant Muslim minority and the notable community of Jews of Moroccan descent, many Israelis had a soft spot for the African country long before normalization became official. In contrast to the other Abraham Accords agreements, the joint declaration signed by Israel and Morocco in December 2020 represented a restoration of ties rather than a first-time normalization deal.

In fact, the abundance of Moroccan history in Israel courtesy of Jews who left the country in the mid-20th century is one reason why Errachid wanted to study here. "I'm interested in our history – our shared history between Muslims and Jews – and a lot of that can be explained by generations of Jewish Moroccans who are now here. We all have a collective memory, which is worth exploring," he said.

Errachid is one of the first Moroccan students to ever be granted a student visa to study in Israel, with others following shortly after. Nacima Kerouad, from Tangier, is one of them. Kerouad is a master's degree student studying diplomacy at the university, who also wants to know more about Jewish culture. "I want to discover Israel by myself, on my own terms, without people telling me what I should think about the country," she said, "I wanted to see for myself what it's like being here."

And so far, she's fascinated by what she's seen. "I get to meet a lot of people – Jewish, Arab Israelis, Druze. When I speak to them, it's very enlightening because everyone has their own opinion about Israeli society, politics, and conflict. Yes, these opinions sometimes clash, but they are all legitimate parts of the diverse Israeli society. There's more that brings them together than drives them apart."

Although Kerouad can't pinpoint the exact moment she became fascinated with Jewish culture, she knows it happened thanks to her father. "When I was a teenager my father used to buy books about the history of Morocco and those books would discuss our Jewish community," she said of the community which at its peak was some 250,000. "This wasn't some insignificant minority. They were part of our identity. They were part of us."

After spending time across the country – Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Golan to name a few – she feels most at home in Haifa, which reminds her of her beloved Tangier. "Haifa has this special energy to it – it's indescribable. It's a wonderful city that has its own charm," she said.

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