Laurie Konheim and Sharon Janks co-chaired The Jewish Federation's Leadership Mission to Poland, Germany and Israel in 2005. Mosaic sat down with Laurie and Sharon in Israel to reflect on their experiences.

How did you enjoy this mission?

Laurie Konheim: The Leadership Mission this year was incredibly special. I have been to Israel many times, but I have never been able to experience Israel the way I did on this trip. Our group was small, 24 donors, and we were able to meet intimately with major leaders in all of the countries and see more sights throughout the trip. I really have to mention one Federation family in particular – Leonard and Annette Shapiro. I am pretty sure they had been to Israel more than anyone in the group, however about halfway through the trip they took me aside and shared that this mission was one of the best trips to Israel they have ever had.

Sharon Janks: In contrast, we also had a few individuals on our mission who had never been to Israel. It was quite fascinating to see it through their eyes while watching them connect with the land and people of Israel.

Please share some of your reflections from Poland and Germany.

Laurie: You simply cannot visit Poland without seeing what was the most horrifying death camp in human history – Auschwitz. The utter evil of it all was enormous. The sheer numbers at Auschwitz surprised us all; it was shocking even if you knew all the details before. While in Poland, we also visited the only functioning synagogue in Krakow. Inside the synagogue was an elderly gentleman taking our tickets; we started to chat with him and discovered he was a Schindler Jew. After everything he had been through, there he was, sitting at the entrance to this synagogue. We were very moved.

Sharon: Our next stop was Germany. All of a sudden, you leave Poland and you arrive in Berlin, a modern city. Of course, you cannot forget that it all started in Berlin. But the Germans are trying to make homage to the Holocaust. The new memorial we visited was an important step for them. We also met with Israel’s Ambassador to Germany, Shimon Stein, who told us that Germany has become Israel’s largest trading partner in Europe. The other interesting piece we saw in Germany was a Jewish high school, which surprisingly has a significant non- Jewish population. These Jewish teenagers see themselves as equals and the fact that the school has a Jewish curriculum is a positive for everyone. It gave us hope that even in the place where one of the worst tragedies in history happened, the human spirit can move forward to thrive.

Though you’ve been to Israel many times, were you inspired by anything you saw?

Sharon: There is nothing quite like experiencing firsthand the programs that we support. Our programs make a real difference in people’s lives. They are not fluff; we support smart programs with real substance. It really makes you proud of what we are accomplishing as a community.

What were some of the highlights in Israel?

Sharon: We visited the “Keep Our Children Safe” program in South Tel Aviv, which was created by the Federation to help disadvantaged children in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Israel. This program allows kids to get the only hot meal they will probably receive all day, it keeps them in school until 4:30 p.m. and pays for extracurricular activities that their parents would never be able to afford. To be able to see these children’s faces and the happiness our Federation is bringing to them through our support was very rewarding. We also visited a food bank for families that just don’t have enough money to feed their children. It was sad to learn that 1.5 million Israelis are now living under the poverty line. Our Federation programs are helping to meet their needs.

Laurie: When we arrived in Israel from Berlin, we went straight to the Federation- sponsored program Café Europa, a support and socialization group for Holocaust survivors. To go from Auschwitz to this group thriving in Israel was very moving. Yad Vashem was another highlight. To have come out of the darkness in Poland and Berlin, then to visit this beautiful, newly renovated museum in our Jewish homeland was indescribable. At the end of the museum, you look out over Jerusalem to see our people thriving again in our own land. We were all just overwhelmed. We also stood at an IDF outpost on the Gaza border and spoke with soldiers who are sitting on the front lines fighting against terrorism. One of the most remarkable heroes we met was a young woman named Tamara Fabricant, a survivor of the Dolphinarium terror attack four years ago. She lost twenty-one of her friends that night and has gone through six surgeries herself. Yet, Tamara still has the will to live and still loves this country. I think the whole group was speechless after meeting her.