A couple of weeks ago while eating sushi in Tel Aviv a posh young woman walking down the street called out my name. I was delighted to see her as I recognized who she was. T* is one of NCJW’s very first scholarship recipients at Tel Aviv University (TAU). She is additionally the only person to receive a full scholarship three years running from 2003-2005. A former student in the NCJW Women and Gender Studies Program, T exemplifies the values of NCJW. She is courageous, compassionate, and empowering. While enrolled as a student T worked as a security guard three nights a week and tutored underprivileged young girls. Our scholarship made it possible for her to finish school and then pursue her life’s passions.

After our chance encounter, I went back to read parts of T’s original scholarship application. She wrote, “Wherever I go, I will apply the things that I have learned in the NCJW program. These studies constitute the most important things in my life and hopefully will afford me a stepping stone to a better future.” Her future has indeed been bright. Today, T is a successful business owner and leader in her own right. She owns and teaches classes at a cool yoga studio in Tel Aviv, where she employs 13 yoga instructors. Her assistant is another former NCJW TAU scholarship recipient with whom she has remained friends with as a result of the scholarship’s meetings. Talk about networking!

It seems as if I meet a lot of people while eating. I was having falafel the other day at Hebrew University at a newly opened stand.  There, I ran into another familiar face: N, who runs the falafel stand and was an intern at the NCJW Research Institute for Innovation in Education (RIFIE) when I first began working for NCJW 14 years ago. Now 30 years old N came to RIFIE as part of a work study program for at-risk high school students. The program helps these students develop work skills. They in turn, hopefully, enter the army like all other young people in Israel. N went on to become a cook in the army. He is now the operator of successful restaurant and makes the best falafel in town!

After 14 years with NCJW, it is a true delight to see former students, who have grown into young adults, taking their place in Israeli society and succeeding. I know that without NCJW’s support both of these new entrepreneurs would have had a much harder uphill battle at reaching such a level of success. Now, if I could only find an NCJW graduate who makes great Italian food or teaches Pilates…

* Full names are not being used in order to protect the students’ privacy