Mia Simring fundraising for Run for a Better Israel

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A nonprofit fundraiser supporting

New Israel Fund (Nif)
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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.  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.  While there, I also went to pray for the first time with Women of the Wall, and did hagbah at Robinson's Arch.  All the experiences I had that summer changed and deepened my relationship with Israel.  (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.  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.  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.  The organizations NIF supports are making sure Israel can truly be a place that reflects my Jewish values.  

This fundraiser supports

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New Israel Fund (Nif)

Organized By Mia Simring

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