This past summer I attended NCSY GIVE (Girls Israel Volunteer Experience), a five-week volunteer summer program in Israel. Although this was my second time in Israel, it enabled me to connect to Israel on a different level. I believe the way relationships work is the more you give of yourself to someone or something, the stronger your relationship with that person or that initiative will be.
Well, I spent a whole summer giving of myself to Israel. I worked with displaced Ethiopian refugees, children awaiting heart transplants, and victims of domestic violence – to name a few. From these experiences, I gained a unique love for Israel. I also became acutely aware of its denizens’ needs in the realms of social services and medicine, as well as the extent to which Israel devotes itself to supporting vulnerable populations. I want Israel to have the invaluable support it needs from its ally, the United States, to continue functioning as the great country it is.
Chelsea volunteering on NCSY GIVE (Girls Israel Volunteer Experience).
I learned about AIPAC through L.E.A.D, a NJ NCSY leadership program that I am a member of. L.E.A.D helped me come to the realization that I do not need to physically be in Israel to make a difference. I can make a difference from afar by speaking up on Israel’s behalf to legislators.
On AIPAC I will learn how to effectively use my voice to speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. I will learn how to use research to back up my claims, and use hard data to lobby for Israel’s rights and needs. I will learn how to become a change maker and a leader through my interactions with political figureheads and my fellow peers attending AIPAC. I will become an advocate for the land of Israel, its citizens, and Jews worldwide.
Chelsea Kornmehl,
Junior, Ilan High School, Marlboro, NJ
