From May 11 to May 17, Repair the World and Yahel Israel brought 18 young Jewish leaders to Israel for a weeklong session that combined service, learning and community building.

While the highlight may appear to be a trip to Israel, for some of the attendees, the best part is knowing that they’re better equipped to come back home and do an even better job helping Jews in Baltimore.

Andrea Hendler is a Baltimorean who serves as director of Jewish communal engagement and learning for OLAM, an organization that unites Jewish groups to work on behalf of global service, international development, and humanitarian aid. She said that, after a week in Israel with a special group, she feels ready to hit the ground running again here at home.

“I returned home energized and inspired by what I experienced. The people we met, the partnerships we witnessed, and the impact of even simple acts of service reinforced the importance of creating meaningful opportunities for people to engage through service,” Hendler said.

The group was made up of young adults from around the United States. They were tasked with planting lavender at a farm that helps use nature and agriculture for those with PTSD, building furniture for a lone soldier’s home, working at a center for the blind and visually impaired, helping Bedouin students practice their English, assembling food aid packages with at-risk youth and more.

Not only is that kind of work special when done in the Jewish homeland, it directly translates to work that Baltimore community leaders do at home, too.

“For my work at OLAM, the trip provided valuable insight into how service experiences can be designed to foster not only impact, but also learning, reflection and community-building.

Experiencing that firsthand helped me think more concretely about how we can strengthen the broader Jewish service movement,” Hendler said.

Amy Weiss, senior director of field activation strategy at Repair the World, also took part in the trip. She is based in the D.C. area, but Repair the World works closely with the Jewish Connection Network in Baltimore. The efforts that the group contributed to in terms of young people in Israel are particularly notable for Weiss and her team.

“Alongside the Jewish Connection Network, we’ve really built up a lovely presence of service learning in the Baltimore community, and the Jewish Connection Network is really spearheading that work. They’ve engaged hundreds of young adults in service in the local Baltimore community, giving back to their neighbors and giving back to their communities,” Weiss said.

Hendler said that one thing she witnessed in Israel that reminded her of home is how everyone around them seemed willing to pitch in.

“I think Baltimore Jews can relate to that deeply. Our community has a long tradition of volunteerism and communal responsibility. What I saw in Israel was a reminder that meaningful change often begins with small, consistent acts of service and a willingness to contribute where we are needed most,” she said.

Another important element, Weiss said, is that trips like this can help those in charge figure out ways to help connect young American Jews to Israel. Amid political turmoil, high levels of antisemitism and with some young Jews struggling to reconcile their Jewish identity with support for the state of Israel, service can be a touch point that reminds them of what is really important — helping others who are in need.

“Young American Jews are really seeking values-driven and nuanced ways to connect to Israel … we see a widening gap, right? Those rooted in Jewish life are engaging more deeply, while many previously unconnected are drifting further away, and we really, really see that service offers a unifying values-aligned pathway to meet people where they are, open space for deeper exploration of Israel and really build curiosity,” Weiss said.

.Hendler said that, time and time again, she saw people ready to work over the course of their week in Israel. While their service may have been performed halfway across the world, the values, ideas and effort that it took to make it work are incredibly applicable to Baltimore.

“One of the most powerful lessons I witnessed was the culture of showing up. Throughout the trip, we met people who were responding to immense challenges, not because they had all the answers, but because they felt responsible for one another and were willing to act. Whether supporting veterans, helping vulnerable families, mentoring young people, or strengthening local communities, there was a strong sense that everyone has a role to play,” Hendler said.

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com