NCJW’s Leadership Journey to Israel was nothing short of transformative.

Over the course of a powerful week, more than twenty women from across the United States came together to listen, learn, and bear witness. We saw up close the impact of women’s leadership, resilience, and partnership in Israel today. The experience left us informed, inspired, and deeply connected to the work NCJW is doing on the ground in Israel.

A Glimpse Into Our Week:

Our trip featured an intentional balance of spiritual grounding and active advocacy. From a meaningful moment at the Western Wall to sitting in on a meeting held by the Israeli Knesset’s Committee on the Status of Women, our experience allowed us to:

• Learn about NCJW’s Connecting for Impact (CFI) program for gender equity and NCJW’s work to help build the feminist field
• Bear witness to the tragedies of October 7 by visiting the site of Nova Music Festival and the Kfar Aza Kibbutz
• Mewt with women members of the Israeli Knesset, Merav Ben Ari, Merav Michaeli, and Pnina Tmano-Shata
• Tour the Israeli Supreme Court and sit down to speak with Israeli Supreme Court Justice Daphna Barak Erez
• Hear from Israeli and Palestinian women working for peace

Daily Reflections

For a deeper look into each day, read our daily blogs below:

• NCJW President Laura Monn Ginsburg on Day 1 and 2
• NCJW Past President Dana Gershson on Day 3
• NCJW Past CEO Nancy Kaufman on Day 4
• NCJW Executive Vice President Jody Rabhan on Day 5

All Photos & Additional Thoughts

• Click here to view all photos.
• For some further trip reflections, you can read more from Jody Rabhan here.

We want to thank Rabbi Lana Zilberman Soloway for being our guide, both spiritually and literally, throughout this whole journey. As well as our trip co-chairs, Laura Monn Ginsburg, Dana Gershon, and Nancy Kaufman. And our NCJW colleagues on the ground in Israel, Kalela Lancaster and Eynat Meytahl, for all they did to plan and execute our incredible experience. Lastly, we want to thank all participants who were part of this journey. We often heard from speakers that they not only appreciated our being there, but also recognized that our trip participants had signed up before there was a ceasefire in place. Courage means showing up — whether in Israel, in our own communities, or anywhere justice calls us — and these women know it.

We will carry this experience forward with purpose and faith — guided, as our foremothers were, by the conviction that our actions today can bring about the world we dream of tomorrow. 

Learn more here about NCJW’s work in Israel.