Mia Simring fundraising for Run for a Better Israel
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
New Israel Fund (Nif)On June 1st, I will be participating in the Celebrate Israel Run to support NIF's efforts to protect democracy and equal rights in Israel.
$144
raised by 6 people
$180 goal
My time at BINA - The Secular Yeshiva was extremely formative for me. Â Not only did I delve into text with amazing teachers and learn about kibbutz history (including my grandmother's kibbutz), but I had a chance to volunteer with ARDC (African Refugee Development Center), working with the children of asylum seekers and migrant workers. Â While there, I also went to pray for the first time with Women of the Wall, and did hagbah at Robinson's Arch. Â All the experiences I had that summer changed and deepened my relationship with Israel. Â (And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that my first date with my now husband was at a Tu B'Av rally for the legalization of civil marriages, which was organized by Fishka.) And it turned out, BINA, ARDC, Fishka, and Women of the Wall are NIF grantees.
When I returned the following year for my academic year in Israel, I went on a Breaking the Silence tour to Hevron that helped me understand the complexity of my Jewish religious experience in Israel. I studied at Machon Shechter, the Masorti rabbinical school in Jerusalem, side by side with Israeli classmates, learning Hebrew, midrash, halachah, talmud, and more. Â Both Breaking the Silence and the Masorti movement are NIF Grantees.
It feels to me as though, without knowing it, NIF gave me the Israel I have struggled with and loved. Â My post-honeymoon, long-term relationship with Israel has made me question where I fit in, as a future Conservative rabbi, as a woman, and as a Jew concerned with social justice and human rights. Â The organizations NIF supports are making sure Israel can truly be a place that reflects my Jewish values. Â