Israel Forever Out and About
Our launch into the events scene was the esteemed Herzliya Conference of 2011, where we hosted for the second year "Tastes of Israel," the opening reception for international attendees and honored guests.
We shared a great experience at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, where we celebrated with YLove, Diwon, NU Campaign, and more. People shared with us how their connection to Israel began and we talked about the challenge of feeling a sense of home from so far away. We were thrilled to have been there to listen and encourage them to feel more connected as Virtual Citizens of Israel.
In March we hosted the fabulous A Knight in Shushan Purim Party and partnered with Friendship Circle for their Purim in the Jungle festivities.
We attended our first ever TribeFest conference! 1,500 young Jewish professionals from around the United States gathered together to celebrate the love of Judaism & Israel and we had the opportunity to welcome many of them as Virtual Citizens of Israel!
It was a powerful experience to sit in on the various workshops and hear people speak about their concern for the Jewish Homeland as well as the countless ways these participants were engaging in Israel related projects in their home towns.
Hear Virtual Citizens of Israel William and Heidi Daroff share their love of Israel Forever!
In April, part of the IFF Team took part in the 2012 March of the Living, then welcomed the participants as Virtual Citizens of Israel at the Yom HaAtzmaut celebration at Latrun. A truly magnificent experience to have shared with so many people from around the world!
As the Israel Independence Day celebration season began, we went local. We shared Israel Forever with the University of Delaware, where we joined in their Yom HaAtzmaut celebration. The young adults who coordinated the event left no stone unturned. Students talked of the feeling sparked by a trip to Israel, strengthening our conviction that we were helping people help keep that love alive. The energy was electric as these students milled around the room asking questions, telling stories, and sharing in the pride. There was everything from modern Israeli music to a falafel lunch to face painting of the Israeli flag. Many people that day entered as college students that love Israel and left as Virtual Citizens of Israel!
We were honored to be invited to showcase at the Las Vegas Israel Day festival. Two of our Virtual Citizens of Israel from the area volunteered to represent Israel Forever at this great event with the Jewish Federation and their local JCC. Their excitement was contagious, and we are proud to include Las Vegas among our global VCI community! We are deeply appreciative of Rob & Rachel Festenstein for all of their efforts on our behalf!
We let our hair down and shared the good energy of DJ Mr Bonkerz as the hosts of the JSpace DC launch party in May. Our passion for partnership helped bring friends together for a night of drinks and dancing and some Israel-loving schmoozing.
June was a busy month for our Washington DC team! We were thrilled to participate in the Rockville JCC Israel celebration with our friends in the area, encouraging people to declare their connection to Israel with pride. The energy of the day was incredible with live Israeli music, dancing, food, and friendship - making us all miss Israel just a little more that day than usual...
With the Embassy of Israel in Washington DC, we hosted Bonds of Bravery, an Israeli wine-tasting to launch the Lone Soldier Project to increase awareness of the young men and women from around the world who serve in the IDF. The highlight of the evening was hearing from former lone soldier Lazar Berman speak about his experience. This was an incredible gathering, some people came to be among friends, some came for the wine, but everybody was there in gratitude to the brave individuals from all over the world who leave everything behind to help defend the Jewish nation.
In August, our Executive Director Elana Heideman spoke at Moishe House DC on the Legacy of Jewish Leaders. But it was Jerusalem that continued to hold center stage.
Israel Forever is a proud co-sponsor of the Student Conference on International Law, an expression of our partnership and shared mission with StandWithUs. Israel Forever Founder Richard D. Heideman serves as the chairman of the conference and gave the keynote address, "Holding Sponsors of Terror Legally Accountable."
We have started our Rosh HaShanah celebrations early this year, with a toast of L'Chaim with JSpace. Every event, it just gets better. and better. and better.
If you've attended one of our events, we appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you again soon! If you haven't yet joined us for an Israel Forever celebration, keep an eye on our website and our social media channels for updates and information. We'd love to see you at a future event and have you join our Israel-loving community!