The Cupertino Courier

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Rabbi joins young adult group in a show of support for Israel

By SHANNON BURKEY

Cupertino resident Ilana Nankin, a student at UC-Berkeley, just returned from a trip to Israel with her school. She shared her tale of spending a few hours in a bomb shelter as bombs landed all around the hotel where she and her fellow students were staying.

On the ninth day of a 10-day trip, Nankin and the rest of her travel group were sent into the bomb shelter, and although she said she was frightened, she found it a wonderful experience that brought her closer to the country and its people.

"At first all I could think of was that I was going to die," Nankin said. "But then we started holding hands and singing songs of peace in Hebrew, and it was so beautiful. The unity in Israel was incredible."

"Say a prayer; Israel needs it right now," Congregation Beth David was told July 28 in Saratoga. Charles Kirschner of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee urged the nearly 70 people in attendance to show their support and solidarity for the people of Israel.

Rabbi Joey Felson, the founder of the Jewish Study Network, co-hosted the event along with the Silicon Valley Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation and Hillel of Silicon Valley. The event raised $2,500 to send to Israel for food, medicine and supplies. "In light of the war, we wanted to do something meaningful," Felson said.

Nankin said that she worries for the people of Israel, and even though her experience was somewhat harrowing, she longs to go back. "Even though I was in the middle of war, I have never felt so connected to anything in my life," she said.