A group of 35 young Jews from communities across the FSU recently completed a ten-day Taglit YAHAD journey through Israel, combining visits to historic and cultural sites with Jewish learning, personal reflection and shared experiences.
The participants came from Volgograd, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Minsk, Almaty, Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don, Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk and Saratov. For many, the journey offered a first opportunity to encounter Israel not only as a country, but also as an important part of their own history and identity.
As the group traveled across the country, participants explored the development of Jewish life from ancient times to the present. Visits to the Golan Heights, Caesarea, Safed, Kfar Chabad, Gush Etzion, central Israel and Eilat introduced them to different aspects of Israel’s landscape, traditions and communities.
The journey also created opportunities for meaningful personal milestones. Three young women received Jewish names, one participant put on tefillin for the first time, and several young men were called to the Torah for the first time during Shabbat. These moments became a natural part of the wider experience, allowing participants to connect Jewish traditions with their own lives.
One of the most significant parts of the program was the Shabbat that the group spent in the heart of Jerusalem. Together with the family of Rabbi Yaakov Sominsky and the family of Avigail Komarnitski, head of the Taglit Department at YAHAD, the participants experienced Shabbat in a warm family setting.
For many members of the group, it was their first full Shabbat without mobile phones or social media. In their reflections at the end of the journey, participants described the day as one of the most meaningful parts of the program, giving them an opportunity to pause, spend time together and experience the atmosphere of Shabbat more deeply.
Throughout the trip, the group also met individuals whose personal stories encouraged reflection on Jewish identity, resilience and spiritual growth. Among them was Dasha, a young woman who survived the traumatic events at the Nova festival and later renewed her commitment to Jewish observance. Her personal account made a strong impression on the participants and led to thoughtful conversations within the group.
The journey balanced educational and spiritual experiences with opportunities to explore Israel’s natural surroundings. In Eilat, many participants tried scuba diving for the first time and discovered the underwater world of the Red Sea. The varied itinerary allowed the young adults to experience the country through its history, communities and landscapes while also building friendships with one another.
The group was accompanied throughout the journey by tour guide David Weinstein and Rabbi Yaakov Sominsky, who helped participants understand the places they visited and connect the program’s experiences with Jewish history and tradition.
The program was organized by YAHAD, led by Rabbi Mendy Wilansky, under the Federation of Jewish Communities (FJC), in cooperation with Birthright Israel.
