Reflections

Our first day was a success and the exact momentum I needed to launch me into a successful and growth-oriented trip….pun most definitely intended. So quickly, there are women who started as strangers to me and are now like caring maternal figures to look out for each other.

I appreciated getting to be in the moment and not having to make a plan to see the beautiful country. I got to be present during very meaningful conversations. As a single mother, it is so inspiring to hear other women who have their own journeys and are giving me encouraging feedback to help me on my own.

Knowing there are so many women on this journey all around me on any given day brings me a sense of community and belonging, which transcends the collective and speaks to a deeper truth about being in Israel. The Jewish people are like a big family and this experience opened me up to the many different identities within the global Jewish community and why each is an important and essential asset to the greater community. It is powerful that the women who want to help me learn from their life experiences are also here on their own journey, learning alongside me. The growth from every angle is inspiring.

Understanding we all can add value and complement the strengths in each other is a standard of quality for which I strive to be and live by. Being my authentic self requires me to act on one of the trip’s main goals: celebrating our collective unity without conformity. Some of the most impactful connections so far are speaking with moms from Mumbai and mothers of lone soldiers from around the world.

Even after just one day, I am feeling the spiritual and emotional growth setting in. I am so excited to see the points of growth that come up internally for me and the collective Jewishness we are investing in, as I am becoming who I always was.

Erica Cohen
Jewish Federation of Reading
Reading, PA