Painting a Mural in Israel!

One of the hardest for me about being a Jew in the Diaspora in the last two years has been the feeling of helplessness.  I spent the last few weeks on a volunteer trip to Israel organized by the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles and Birthright Israel. It was an absolutely incredible experience. This opportunity to get my hands dirty and physically contribute even in the smallest tangible ways to Israel’s recovery was a huge boost to my spirits and morale.

We did many tasks as part of the volunteer effort, including clearing out donations and supplies, agricultural work, making lunches for soldiers, setting up a school, and more, but the most creative and challenging day for me was when we came to a tiny town in the north of Israel called Kiryat Shemona near the Lebanon border. It was a place that had been evacuated and hard hit during the war and was just starting to get its population back. In order to try to entice residents to come back and settle there again despite the challenges, these creative pioneers were opening a small magnet school for gifted kids. Our task was to clean and set up the classrooms to be welcoming and inviting for the students who would be arriving in a week's time. 

It was then that the director looked around and said "I hear you have someone here who is an artist?" I nearly jumped out of my seat with excitement. The director asked if there was any chance that I could paint a "quick mural" that could inspire the kids. She didn't have paints, or a ruler, or basically any of the supplies you need for a mural -- she had a permanent marker, a pencil, and some paper for me to sketch on. Challenge accepted!