This week, two shlichim, Lihi Klein and Yuval Guetta, will visit Ottawa to learn more about Jewish diaspora life and to strengthen connections between the city and Israel. Having previously served as shinshinim in Canada, both are excited to return and engage once again with Canadian Jewish communities.

Shlichim are young Israeli emissaries who volunteer in Jewish communities abroad after completing their mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces. By contrast, shinshinim are young Israeli adults who serve communities before their military service.

The Ottawa Jewish E-Bulletin spoke with Klein and Guetta ahead of their visit to learn more about their backgrounds, motivations, and hopes for their time in Ottawa.

E-Bulletin: What made you want to be shlichim?

Klein: “Yuval and I were both shinshinim in Toronto. It has been a few years since then, but we are still very connected. We were also both Diller Teen Fellows. When I did that, I was in MetroWest New Jersey. After that experience, I fell in love with the world of diaspora Jews, and I felt as though I still had a mission to complete. I applied to the Jewish Agency to become a shinshinit and it was the most meaningful year of my life. To this day, I am still really connected to the Toronto Jewish community. I’m still working with the Jewish Agency training and teaching the shinshinim that will go in the future.”

Guetta: “I was a Diller Fellow in Eilat, and the partnership was in Toronto. I really liked the atmosphere and the idea of how Jews in the diaspora are trying to connect with Israel. I wanted to take part in it. I fell in love with Jews in the diaspora and their Israel connection and realized it was what I wanted to do in my adult life.”

E-Bulletin: Why do you feel it’s important to work with different age groups?

Guetta: “When the students in universities are facing anti-Israeli or antisemitic stuff and they are not connecting with Israel, or they weren’t connected with Israel from an early age … they need to be educated from an early age to continue this connection and to get to know more Israelis.”

Klein: “I agree with Yuval. As shinshinim, we worked with a lot of different age groups. We started with senior kindergarten (SK) and junior kindergarten (JK), and I think the oldest person I worked with was around 100. I feel like I was able to touch the lives of each person, even if they are babies and kids, just for them to tell their parents that the shinshinim came … it’s for young Israelis to maintain the idea that Israel is not like how it’s portrayed in the media. I always say that I feel like a bridge. Each age group makes a different connection, but all are meaningful.”

E-Bulletin: Why is it so important to visit a small Jewish community like Ottawa?

Guetta: “We need to try and reach every Jewish community. Even if it only has two people or two families, it doesn’t matter.”

Klein: “This specific delegation is for smaller Jewish communities that don’t have shinshinim. The Jewish Agency is aware that [this program] is needed for [those communities] to get to know Israelis and become more educated about Israel, like what is it like for us to live there. It’s their mission to reach every Jewish person. In Vancouver, we will visit a community that has 35 members. You might think that a larger community would have a larger impact, but I would think differently because it is in those small communities that we can really reach every person.”

E-Bulletin: When you come to Ottawa, what do you hope to learn? What do you hope to share with the people you meet here?

Guetta: “First, we want to get to know the people and see what the Jewish community is like there. We want them to get to know us and to ask every question they have, even if it’s about the situation right now or in general. It’s about the connections between people and hopefully maintaining those connections [after the visit].”

Klein: “I think it’s really interesting to see different ways to be Jewish in the diaspora. When I was a Diller Fellow, I was in MetroWest New Jersey and then I explored Toronto. Now, to see smaller communities, where there isn’t the same access to kosher grocery stores or restaurants for example, it will be interesting to learn about how people follow Judaism there.”

E-Bulletin: Is there anything else you want to share with Jewish Ottawa leading up to your visit?

Guetta: “We are very excited to come to Ottawa! The connection and relationships between the Jewish communities all over the world and Israel is really important. We can see right now that it’s a difficult time. We are thankful for [the diaspora’s] support and for them advocating for us. It means a lot.”

Klein: “We are very grateful for the support and the love we feel from Diaspora Jews. Not only through the money that’s donated, which is incredible, but also the emotional support. There’s a lot of fake news and different opinions, but the strong connection we have and the feeling that you always have our back is something really touching to see. I’m also excited to see the tulips in the Spring!”

Klein and Guetta have a packed schedule during their short visit to Ottawa, including a Shabbat dinner for young adults, a visit to Hillel Lodge, and conversations with students at local Jewish schools.

To learn more about the Jewish Agency and its programs, click here.