Volume 67, Issue 7

No Yeshiva Mission to Israel- Attempted Student Effort Fails Due to Lack of Funding

by Alan Goldsmith

A year after Operation Torah Shield II brought 280 Yeshiva students to Israel, as well as moral and financial support to its citizens, many students just assumed that an Operation Torah Shield III, which would again occur during intersession, was a foregone conclusion.  Due to financial and organizational complications, however, the planned trip was cancelled.  

After Yeshiva administrators declined to get involved in any student mission this year, a group of Wilf and Midtown Campuses students attempted to organize a mission on their own.  Led by Yeshiva College Junior David Weinberg, the group entitled their mission Group Israel Volunteer Experience (GIVE).  Their hope was to obtain funding both from organizations and private donors.

As one of their first orders of business, GIVE booked one hundred roundtrip tickets from New York to Jerusalem that would leave on January 9 and return the 19.  According to Weinberg, their trip was going to feature volunteering at homes for disabled children, stockpiling gas masks, studying in yeshivos, and more leisure time then last year’s expedition.  “It would be a great opportunity, and YU students have the push themselves and want to go to Israel and help their fellow Jews,” emphasized Weinberg. “We just tried to help facilitate that.”

Putting in hour after hour, the students vigorously pursued fundraising avenues, with their efforts showing some early signs of success.  Many cities across the country and Canada showed interest in subsidizing resident students’ trips.  After factoring in the projected donation yield, Weinberg estimated that the per-person cost would be approximately $375, a mere fraction of the initial $1,375 that the trip would cost without any subsidizing.

GIVE then had a promotional meeting to raise the specter of student interest and rally students behind their cause.  As was the case with the fundraising, the meeting’s handsome turnout fueled optimism among the organizers.  But that’s when the tides turned. 

When GIVE then asked donors to make do on their pledges, the money was much harder to come by then the verbal backing. Potential donors offered little assistance, citing the anemic economy as their alibi. It appeared as though most students would have to pay the full $1375, save those from Los Angeles, Chicago, Bergen County and West Orange. With that revelation, the number of interested students plunged to a combined ten from both campuses. 

Weinberg and other Wilf Campus students on the GIVE council members, after receiving word of the meager interest reasoned that it was no longer worth organizing a trip.  He and the male members of his council resigned on December 18.  “We wanted it to happen so badly,” sighed a dejected Weinberg. “Stepping down was the hardest decision to make.”

Rebecca Wimmer and Kaila Wruble, seniors from Sy Syms School of Business and Stern College for Women, respectively, briefly refused to resign and attempted to procure funding elsewhere.  “We told people to give us until Monday (December 23) and we’d do as much as we can to make this mission work,” said Wimmer. “We contacted a lot of different sponsors, and we realized that certain things we thought were finalized were not.”

Despite their efforts, they simply could not find the right combination of sponsors and interested students.  So, on the evening of December 24, Wimmer and Wruble decided to also resigned, effectively canceling the trip. “Everyone had last year in mind, but this isn't last year,” said a disappointed Wimmer.  “We’ve been calling Israel for hours, contacting people, but everyone says they don't have enough money.”

Students were dismayed when informed of the cancellation. “I haven’t been to Israel in four and a half years and I really wanted to go,” said YC senior ZY Kesselman. “I would’ve liked to returned and see my rebbeim at HaMivtar; more importantly, we’re all missing out on a chance to do community service and social action, and show our solidarity with our brothers in Israel.”

Yeshiva Student Union President Shai Barnea felt the students did a good job, despite the lack of success. “I commend them for trying, and it’s unfortunate that things didn’t work out,” he said.

Instead, the GIVE executive council will focus on potential activities that could be arranged for students who were planning to travel to Israel on their own during inter-semester break.¨

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