Ben Harris, Community Leadership Institute (CLI) Real Estate 2016 participant, recently traveled to Israel with nearly 60 peers from the program. Read about his experiences during the trip below.
For me, the opportunity to take part in the CLI program was about honoring my Jewish heritage, fulfilling a sense of responsibility to the Jewish future and learning leadership skills needed to empower others to do the same. Though this was my fifth trip to Israel, this was my first organized trip and was the most meaningful by far.
As the grandchild of Holocaust survivors, Israel will always hold a special place in my heart. My grandmother hid in the forest and sewers of Nazi-occupied Poland to survive. My grandfather survived principally because he was arrested for being a Zionist and deported to a Siberian work camp. Each made their way to the newly established State of Israel, married and fought in the War of Independence. It was because of their belief in the right of self-determination for the Jewish people that I am here today. Because of their commitment and experiences, I feel an intense sense of responsibility to serve the Jewish community and more importantly help shape its future. The sacrifices they made and the importance they placed on the Jewish community guided the rest of their lives and will guide the rest of mine.
During the trip, we went to Yad Vashem and Mount Herzl. Tzvi, our tour guide led us through an extremely emotional day. It began with a walk through the museum and discussion about the atrocities of the Shoah, described the emergence of Israel from its ashes and ended at the final resting places of fallen Israeli soldiers. The emotional crescendo came when our private security guard stood in front of his friend’s grave. He told us about his friend’s dedication to serving his country and willingness to pay the ultimate price for its future. Tzvi told us that Israeli soldiers feel they are protecting not just Israel, but the future of the Jewish people around the world.
We also had the opportunity to hear from the legendary Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel. The Jewish Agency is responsible for ensuring Jews all over the diaspora can make Aliyah, should they choose or need a place to seek refuge. A fellow CLI participant asked a straightforward question, “Where is the most dangerous place for Jews in the world right now?” Sharansky surprised our group with a three-word response: “The United States.”
The room was silent. He explained that in the history of the Jewish people, Jews have never had a better circumstance than in the United States. Of the roughly six million Jews living in the US, fewer and fewer are maintaining a connection to the Jewish community or identifying themselves as culturally Jewish in any way. He described the greatest threat to the Jewish community as not coming from military eradication, as it has for thousands of years, but from an internal existential threat that has the potential to slowly erode the Jews from the inside. As someone who has dedicated his life to the Jewish community around the world, this was a staggering response. Without the leadership and dedication of people, particularly young people from within the American Jewish community, he feared this threat would become a reality.
I don’t speak Hebrew, and I will likely never make Aliyah, but Sharansky told us that it doesn’t mean that each of us don’t have an equally critical responsibility to this and future generations in the Jewish community of Los Angeles.
I know for many people, trips to Israel result in a transformative experience that creates deep and meaningful connections to the Jewish state. While this trip will no doubt deepen that connection for me, the significance has been to emphasize the need for work at home. Ensuring the future of our community is just as crucial as honoring the past.
It is becoming more evident to me that I cannot honor the sacrifices of my grandparents if I don’t take personal responsibility and display meaningful leadership toward ensuring our community’s future.
It’s my hope for CLI that it will create and empower leaders to recognize that, regardless of our backgrounds, level of observance or political beliefs, we cannot allow the greatest threat to the Jewish community in Los Angeles to come from within.
The real work as a CLI participant begins when our trip ends. But until then, L’hitraot.
The Jewish Federation’s Community Leadership Institute (CLI) is a 15-month program that offers young professionals ages 25-40 a series of monthly skill-building sessions, opportunities to develop and implement social impact projects and receive one-on-one mentorship. The goal of CLI is to develop future board and committee members not just for Federation, but the entire Jewish organizational landscape of L.A. Throughout the program, participants are immersed in hands-on opportunities to learn, grow, connect and lead, including a 10-day leadership trip to Israel. The Israel trip is a highly curated experience designed to encourage CLIers to set aside their preconceived perspectives and to understand Israel through the eyes and minds of the leaders dedicating their lives to shaping Israel’s future.
For more information on the Federation’s Community Leadership Institute, visit JewishLA.org/CLI or contact Gamal Palmer at CLI@JewishLA.org.
