Welcome to Noya Ben Or, Ella Cohen, Hoshen Peretz and Ido Yaaran, who will be joining our community in the fall as part of the Israeli Emissary program sponsored by the Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County. For the past 20 years, this program has been building a living bridge between Israel and our community. Noya, Ella, Hoshen and Ido are recent high school graduates who have chosen to postpone their army service to spend the year in Upper Fairfield County, sharing their love of Israel with our preschools and religious schools as well as in our adult education programs, local high schools, day schools and Jewish Senior Services. While all four will work together on community events, they will have primary responsibilities at individual synagogues.
Share the energy and spirit of these emissaries and add some cross-cultural enrichment to your family life. Invite them to your home for a Shabbat dinner or to spend a day with your family going apple picking or to a baseball game. Show them a bit about life in the United States and listen as they share their thoughts on life in Israel. This program is not just for the youth of our community. Invite them to one of your adult dinner parties, and let them share their observations about politics, culture and societal issues in Israel. This wonderful opportunity to build bridges is made possible through our Federation’s relationship with the Jewish Agency for Israel.
If you are interested in inviting any or all of the Shinshinim to have a meal with your family or would like to explore the possibility of becoming a host family for three months, please call contact Stacy Kamisar at or Judy Blumenthal at
Shalom!
My name is Ella and I live in Kibbutz Heftziba – a little beautiful place near the Gilboa mountain with my parents, my two little sisters- Hadas and Shaked (we all have names of plants!) and our two dogs, cat and rabbits.
In my school, I took classes in theater and biology. I volunteer in a dog shelter. I love animals and I really enjoy being there. I also volunteer at Magen David Adom, which is an organization of emergency medical services. I’m glad I have the chance to help people and be there for them at their worst situations. In my free time I like to meet with my friends, travel with my family and see new places. One of my biggest dreams is to fly to Africa and volunteer in an orphanage there. I feel I can give a lot of myself and the thought of doing this fills me.
Israel is a big part of me and a major part of my life- this is the place where I was born and grew up. In my Shlichut (emissary mission) I also want to “bring” Israel- the special culture and the Israeli Judaism. I have a lot of motivation to be a part of the community’s life and learn about Jewish life in different places. I think this mission is very important. I want to contribute, to represent Israel, and show the amazing and special sides of it- to tell my story and the story of Israel.
I’m very excited and can’t wait to meet you!
My name is Noya Ben Or. I live in a small place on the Gilboa Mountain called Gan Ner.
I really love to hang out with my friends. Friends are a big part of my life and my daily routine. My hobbies are painting, baking and listening to music. I volunteered for three years as a guide in a youth movement that called Bnei Hamoshavim. For two years I guided 6th and 7th graders and this year I guide 10th graders who just started to guide at the movement and help them to settle in.
I have two younger siblings. One is a 15 years old and his name is Tzuf and another brother named Yair is 10 years old. Both of my parents are massage therapists. My mom, Efrat, is also a Yoga teacher and my dad, Avraham, is also dealing with Tibetian Balls which are really special musical instruments that help people heal. I have two cats and I really love them. Even though I don’t have dogs I really love them too.
I first found out about this emissary program from my older cousin, who had done this year of service four years ago in New Jersey. This is when I decided that I want to do it. Throughout the training this year and all the seminars we’ve been through I understood how much this connection between the Israeli Jewish people and the diaspora Jews is important and how we as young emissaries can help it continue to exist.
My name is Hoshen Peretz. I am 18 years old. I live in Gideona, a small village in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. I have two siblings – my sister Amy is 20, a soldier in the IDF, and my brother Shai is 16, studying at the military boarding school in Haifa. My father is a jeep tour guide and my mother is engaged in education and works for the Rashi Foundation.
I studied biology, nutrition and human resources management at school – mainly because I’m interested in learning about the person, his body and his soul. In my free time I love to travel in Israel with my family and spend time with friends.
I have been a counselor for 3 years in the “Mashatzim”, a youth movement that prepares youth to be youth leaders through the knowledge and love of the land. I am also the chairperson of the Student and Youth Council in the Department of Rural Education in Israel. I am a trainer of Krav Maga and have a black belt in karate. I won the country’s female youth karate championship between 2008 and 2016.
I am very excited and happy to begin my year of service as a Jewish Agency emissary in the Jewish community of Fairfield County.
I’m Ido Yaaran, 18 years old, from Herzliya, which is north of Tel Aviv. I have one younger brother, Roee, who is 16. I used to live in a settlement until I was 12 when my mother decided it’s better for us to move and live close to the big city.
I studied Math, Physics and Engineering science at school, which reflects an adventurous character in me. Challenges, like school, lead me a lot in my life, and this is one of the reasons why I chose to go on shlichut (emissary mission). But it is also mostly because I want to work on building strong connections between Jews all over the world. I was empowered by my work as JC (junior counselor) for the Diller teen fellows, a leadership program for Jewish teens all over the world.
I’m a hard worker, and I try to fill my day with building projects, volunteering, Diller programs, and meeting my friends. I will bring all of this to your community. You’ll barely see me resting, but feel free to reach out and join! Exploring is a key word for me, usually comes in my love for traveling and also questioning who I am, my Jewish identity, hobbies and more. I love changes. But mostly, I try leaving a mark.