Over the Rainbow

To each, his or her own pot of gold

Keshet in Hebrew means rainbow. And what lies at the end of the rainbow for a parent in Moscow or Kiev whose child is serving thousands of kilometers away in the Israel Defense Forces? What might an IDF soldier dream of who hasn’t had a motherly hug in over three years?

After a week together, a mother parts from her soldier son as she returns to Russia.

Two days before Israel’s 60th Independence Day, one hundred soldiers and one hundred parents found a pot of gold. Under the auspices of Keshet (rainbow), and sponsored by Steve Bellowitz of Cherry Hill, NJ, one hundred parents of soldiers, who would otherwise be unable to do so, were flown into Israel to see their children who are serving in the IDF. “It was a logistic challenge,” laughs Tnuat Aliyah’s Keshet coordinator Matti Sharfshtein. “Just getting all the soldiers out of their units at the same time and being in touch with all the parents was a major undertaking. Various Federations have helped sponsor the trip over the past five years: MetroWest, Washington, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Hartford, Atlanta, Daytona and Detroit.”

“We needed a large space for the initial meeting, so the soldiers waited on the grass in the Yarkon Park, as the buses with their parents began to arrive on the opposite side of the Yarkon River. We had intended it to be a bit more orderly, but within seconds of the bus doors’ opening, throngs of parents began heading over the bridge in the direction of their children, while a mass of soldiers immediately started moving towards them from the other side. Then a shouting of names, running, hugging, kissing and crying. It was a Hollywood moment. We could have filled the Yarkon river with tears.”

It was a magical week for the parents and soldiers alike. Matti continues, “The soldiers showed their parents their base, their friends and their favorite hangouts. The parents met with army representatives and were given information in Russian on the army, their childrens’ rights and duties, benefits upon discharge, and of course, tours and information on their own opportunities in Israel.” The parents returned to the FSU consoled by the feeling that their children were in good hands and buoyed by the knowledge that Israel could be a real option for their future as well.