Eight young adult visitors from Ramat HaNegev recently spent a week in Colorado meeting people, exploring the area, and engaging with local leaders as part of JEWISHcolorado’s 25-year partnership with Ramat HaNegev. JEWISHcolorado sat down with two of the visiting Israelis to talk about how the trip has changed their perceptions and what messages they will carry home with them.
Yishai Shaul
Yishai Shaul is a father of five children, ranging in age from 6 to 19 years old. He spent 14 years with the Border Police and recently transitioned to a new career as a Chinese medicine and Reiki therapist. He lives in Retamim.
A year ago, my wife Inbar was in the group of young adults who came from Ramat HaNegev to visit JEWISHcolorado. When she came back, she said to me, “You must go on this trip. It is so important to learn about Jewish life in America because it is so different from Israel.”
I come from an Orthodox background, and my attitude has always been that anyone who practices differently is wrong. When Inbar came home, she talked about her experiences with a wonderful Reform rabbi in Colorado, and there was smoke coming out of my ears! I said to her, “Are you crazy?” I thought that people who do not live the way I do were just looking for an easy life. Inbar and I talked a lot before I made this trip, and I came prepared to meet people, feel their hearts, and understand them better.
After two weeks here, I realize that Jews in America are not just looking for that easy life. They are trying to keep Judaism alive in a country that is not predominantly Jewish. In Israel, being Jewish is the reality by default. But people here must work at being Jewish—they must really want it.
Before this trip, I was critical of Jews in the U.S. Now, I admire them.
Yishai (fourth from left) at Base Denver
We met Rabbi Dave Yedid and Daniel Eisenberg at Base Denver. I have never seen anything like this. They have built this community in a way that shows they care so much about people. They don’t ask questions, they don’t force their ideas on anyone, they welcome everyone.
I really enjoyed going to Boulder, where you have the city with its less spiritual side of shopping so close to hiking with amazing views. There is something special about the people who live there. They can do the ordinary things of life and then one minute’s walk away they can be in this beautiful, spiritual environment.
At Temple Emanuel, we meet Rabbi Elizabeth Sacks. I could feel how much she cares about Israel. It was fascinating to me to see that there are non-Jewish people who go there. Some may be the spouses of Jews, and Temple Emanuel welcomes these people. To me, that is the bridge we need to build to connect to the rest of the world. We need each other. Jews must get along with each other, and we must open the circle of Jews to include everyone. When you do that, people realize that Jews are okay and say to themselves, “We should not be against them.” This will be the salvation for the world, the way to end wars.
Yishai (left)
Before I came on this trip, it seemed to me that the partnership between JEWISHcolorado and Ramat HaNegev was one-sided. Colorado helps us, visits us, raises money for us, and prays for us. I never thought about the other side—the Jews living in Colorado. I never thought to ask, “How is your life? Do people attack you? Do they ruin your property?” On this trip, I heard about the ways that some people lost their longtime friends after October 7th.
So now I ask myself, “What can I do for Jews in Colorado?” I will start by going home and talking to people who don’t know much about the partnership, explaining to them about the relationship. I will spread the word.
And in my prayers, three times a day, I will keep Colorado in my heart. I will pray that people here have a good life and stay safe and healthy because the people here are now my sisters and brothers, and I must cherish and care for them.
Anav Silverman Peretz
Anav Silverman Peretz has three children, ranging in age from four to six years old. She works as an English teacher and a journalist. Her home is in Midreshet Ben Gurion.
I grew up in Calais, Maine. We were basically the only Jewish family in town. My father had met my mother in Israel, and she then moved to America. At home, she spoke Hebrew to us, and we had family in Israel, so I always felt a deep connection to the country. When I was 18 years old, right after I graduated from high school, I made aliyah. I know New England well, but this was my first trip to Colorado.
I came on the mission because I was curious. In my work as a journalist, I write human interest stories about Israel, specifically about Ramat HaNegev and Southern Israel, highlighting day-to-day life. Midreshet Ben Gurion is not an American hub. There are few English speakers, so I was curious to know more about this partnership we have. What does it mean for Ramat HaNegev to have this connection to JEWISHcolorado?
You can read about the partnership, but when you meet the people, you have a better understanding of what it actually means. There is a great depth to the connection between Israel and the Jewish community outside of Israel.
Israel belongs to everyone. I chose to live there, but the Jews in Colorado are as much a part of my homeland as I am. This trip really strengthened my belief that no matter where we live in the world, Israel is our home. We who live in Israel have a responsibility to make sure that everyone feels that connection to us as a people.
Anav (backrow, third from left)
Visiting the Golda Meir House Museum in Denver was a thrill for me. She is such an amazing lady with such love for people. She did everything to keep the connections between the Jewish people who live in the U.S. and the people of Israel alive. To me, she is a wonderful example of what our mission is about.
One experience this week that I will not forget was the result of a wrong turn we made walking home on Shabbat. I was with another member of our group, and we turned the wrong direction on Alameda and walked a long way. Because it was Shabbat, we did not have our phones with us. Eventually, we ended up in Cherry Creek! We asked directions at a gas station and the guy pointed us back the way we came and said, “You have four miles to go!”
By the time we got back to our host family’s neighborhood, our host was out on his scooter, driving up and down the streets, looking for us. To me, there was a lesson from the whole experience. People are so caring. Even if you cannot call them, they will be out looking for you. That tells you everything about the Jewish community here. Whether you are lost in Denver or in the middle of a security crisis in Israel, there is someone looking out for you.
Anav (third from left)
There are eight very different people on this trip. We all left our families behind, and some days we were not able to talk with them, so we became a family to each other. I feel like I have gained seven brothers and sisters for a lifetime.
I knew about these mission trips because I had friends who had gone before me, but what I had heard is nothing compared to what I have experienced. I now realize that the partnership between Ramat HaNegev and Colorado is alive thanks to the people who are part of it on both sides of the ocean.
As an English teacher who took two weeks away from the classroom, I will be expected to do a presentation to the faculty when I get back. That means 50 teachers who might know nothing about JEWISHcolorado now will know about Jewish organizations, places, and people in Colorado. My message to them and to JEWISHcolorado is one of appreciation—for this important relationship, for the work that is required to keep it going, and for the privilege to be part of this visit.