DSN WENT INTERNATIONAL WITH A TEN-DAY HESED MISSION TO ISRAEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS. IT WAS A PHYSICAL, SPIRITUAL AND EMOTIONAL JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME.
DSN partnered with Camp Gesher, a day camp in Israel for the children of the Neve Michael Children’s Village in Pardes Hana. The village hosts at-risk children who have been removed from dysfunctional families due to various types of abuse or neglect. DSN’s young adults traveled across the globe to be camp counselors for the children.
Rabbi Chaim Levy, the founder of Camp Gesher, worked with DSN’s staff and a committee of young adults: Sonia Dweck, David Cohen, Henry Barnathan, Jill Mamiye and Joe Gindi to prepare for this historic trip.
One week before the trip, the young adults attended a barbeque orientation, hosted by Jill Mamiye. Rabbi Levy, who had traveled to Deal from Israel, spoke to them about the significant responsibilities of their upcoming trip, and at the same time assured them that they would have loads of fun. Eric Sigoura, DSN’s Director of Security, explained that he would be traveling with the group to ensure their safety and security.
Upon arrival at camp, each young adult was paired up with two campers. Then the fun started! Camp activities during the week included visiting Yarn Park Tel Aviv, Skytown Climbing, a water hike in Ein Chardalit, Superland Amusement Park in Rishon L’zion and Carnival Day, where all the counselors set up and volunteered at stations including foam blasting, face painting and bouncy slides. A beautiful Shabbat weekend in the heart of Jerusalem was arranged by DSN with catered meals.
Lydia Haddad, one of the young adults, decided to write down her feelings about the trip. Here’s what she wrote. “Growing up, I’ve always done some small acts of hesed. Whether it would be delivering food to people in need, taking a special child for ice cream, helping around my house or matching couples together, I never felt the feeling I did when taking care of my campers on the DSN Camp Gesher trip. Going into the trip, I really had no idea what to expect. Yes, I do have younger siblings, but I was never of age to take care of them. I knew that by accepting to volunteer on the trip, I was going to be taking care of kids and that made me quite nervous. But I also knew that whenever I put my mind, heart, and soul into something, I was always able to accomplished it. Before the trip, we were asked to choose the age group we wanted. I had the choice of taking care of kids from ages seven to nine or ages ten to twelve. I was placed with two beautiful 7 year old, female campers. On the first day, we walked into the camp to meet our campers. We played a little game where the campers had to look for us. They knew what color eyes we had, what hair color, what shoe size, and how tall we were. My campers, being the smart little girls they were, found me in just minutes. Meeting them and watching them run into my arms was a feeling I cannot even describe. After just one day, we exchanged phone numbers and sat together on the bus. I helped them overcome their moments of fear during activities, we taught each other Hebrew and English, I learned about their lives, we laughed together, cried together, ate together, danced together and so much more. When dropping them off at camp at the end of day one, I already couldn’t wait to go back the next day to see them run into my arms again. Being an adolescent, it is very hard to wake up early. But once my alarm went off, I was up and out of bed ready to make a change in my campers’ lives. As days went on, we became closer and closer. We learned more about each other and created amazing memories together. In a blink of an eye, I realized I never wanted to leave them. I went from being nervous about taking care of kids, to wishing that the trip would last forever. Not only did I never want to leave my campers, but I also didn’t want to leave all of the new friends I made, including Rabbi Levy. The reason we all felt so connected was because of the mindset Rabbi Levy taught us from day one. He was open, honest, caring and made us feel like we were home. That being said, since I returned home, I have not missed a day speaking and FaceTiming with my beautiful campers. This trip made me realize the important things in life. Not only did we do hesed, but we all learned about ourselves in ways we’d never thought. If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would. But of course, that is not an option so—until next year!
After the trip, the bonds between all the young adults continued to grow and flourish. Lydia Haddad hosted a mazza at her house only three days after the trip! The group learned about themselves and grew in unexpected, beautiful ways. Another participant, Lydia Cohen, explained, “This trip was truly a life changing experience. I am grateful to DSN and Gesher for giving us the opportunity to learn, grow and help find the right balance in our lives!”
By the time it was all over, Rabbi Levy was ecstatic with the results. “There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing the young adults of today take ownership of something and make a difference. That’s what happened on this trip. Forty-two young adults became one unit—an army of hesed.”
Sammy Sitt, DSN’s Executive Director, summarized. “It was truly an honor for DSN to arrange this most special trip. We provided our young adults with an exhilarating experience where they not only helped others who are less fortunate, but they learned about the potential of their own capabilities. We are very proud of each of them. With Hashem’s help, we continue to see that there are no boundaries to what DSN can do to make our community the best in the world!”
