Lisa, Jona, Gary: Our Entwine Journey

posted August 23, 2024 by Gary Fayman

Picture this: You’re scrolling on Instagram when you come across a photo of Jewish young adults lighting Shabbat candles in Argentina. Intrigued, you click on the profile. From there, image after image of Jewish chesed (community) floods your feed. Community garden planting in Miami. Exploring the streets of Bulgaria. Havdalah in Poland. You see people you know smiling and hugging people you have yet to meet. Intrigued, you click on the link in the bio, and it takes you to Entwine’s website. You’ve never heard of Entwine before but do a deep dive into what you learn is the young adult arm of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as JDC, or “The Joint.” As you continue reading, you learn that Entwine works to “build a generation of young Jews who lead and live a life of action with global Jewish responsibility at its core.” You come across the travel section and soon feel the urge to apply for every trip that’s offered.

Lisa Whitney has traveled on several Entwine trips. Not only does she like the countries where Entwine chooses to visit; she’s inspired to travel to places where she can learn more about their Jewish communities, their histories, how they’re able to rebuild themselves post-war, and how they can move forward. She describes her recent trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina this past October, “I really liked seeing the link while we were in Bosnia, which is now a Muslim majority country. I found it symbolic to be there. They call it the Jerusalem of Europe.” During our conversation, I learned that three major religions coexist in Bosnia and there’s a greater level of tolerance there. Additionally, the friendships Lisa has formed from her trips are very important to her. “I think the biggest thing I take away from traveling with Entwine is not just the memories but the experiences after the trip,” she explains. The trips are what you make of them. In turn, make the effort to stay connected with the people you travel with and honor the spirit of what the people in the countries you visit went through and have compassion and sympathy for them. It goes beyond the memories; “it’s the feelings you get from the experience.”

Jona Yadidi heard about Entwine a while back as her cousin traveled with them to Morocco. “I realized it was a really cool way to travel in an affordable way while still doing the things I’d normally do on vacation.” Jona described wanting to know the Jewish history of the place and what role the history plays in its community. Reflecting on her Entwine trip to Miami last December, Jona was inspired by hearing from different community leaders talk about their lives in South and Central America, how they were persecuted as Jews, and how they had to move to Miami to be able to live freely as Jews. She recounted the story of one of the speakers about being held up by a cop for being Jewish. After telling the man that “he was having a good day,” the cop let him go. Jona explained this was similar to the story of her family who is Persian. Her parents had to go somewhere new where they didn’t speak the language. “It provided this connection and understanding of what their families went through that I resonated with because it was part of my Jewish story as well.”

When you travel with Entwine, not only do you get to sightsee and explore; you have an incredible opportunity to become a part of the local community while you’re there. Not only do you make an impact on the people you visit; they in turn, as well as the experiences you gain, transform you. When I traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia in the Summer of 2016, we went grocery shopping for an elderly homebound woman and visited her. She lived in a walkup in a rundown part of the city. This woman had been through a lot; she was living alone, in poor health, and hadn’t seen her son in three years (he lived in a different country at the time). JDC also greatly supplemented the little funds that the Russian government provided, which was only the equivalent of $200 per month at the time. Despite all this woman went through, I was struck by her kindness, optimism, and resilience. Seven years later, I still think about her.

For Lisa, it was about the impact JDC and Entwine had made on her life. She has so many good memories, long lasting relationships, and learned a lot about the world and how JDC helps everyone – Jews and non-Jews. When I asked Jona why someone should travel with Entwine, she replied, “I mean…why not?” Jona elaborated: It’s such a great opportunity to have a balance between being a tourist and learning. If someone is looking for a trip where they don’t just want to be a vacation – they want to add meaning to their vacation and travel – Entwine is such a great opportunity to do that. The ways in which the programs are structured are great, the people on the trips are so kind, and you really get to be immersed in the culture where you are while also actively learning and making a difference in that community. “Honestly, before this trip, I didn’t know anything about what Entwine did and what JDC does every day. It’s such important work – everyone should know what they’re doing.”