Rhode Island’s new shlichah looks forward to sharing her love of Israel

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Rhode Island’s newest shlichah (Israel emissary) is already setting a different path at the beginning of her two-year stint in Rhode Island.

And she’s anxious to meet you and all the members of the Rhode Island Jewish community. She wants to experience all that the Ocean State has to offer, she told Jewish Rhode Island in a recent interview.

Gaya arrived from Israel at the end of August, and she says she’s settled in quite nicely thanks to the welcoming nature of our community.

“Even before I got here, people were messaging me. I’m a family person. Getting all these messages was so nice. It’s so warm and since the beginning I have felt so good here, she said. “This was definitely the right thing for me.”

We aren’t allowed to use her last name in our stories due to security concerns. But we can tell you that you will see the 22-year-old throughout  Rhode Island as she brings a little bit of Israel to everyone in the state as well as to southeastern Massachusetts.

A native of Karmiel in northern Israel, she recently lived in Tel Aviv for a year where she worked for an insurance company after her military service. (We can’t really talk about that either, sorry.). She grew up in Karmiel, a city she characterizes as good for families and filled with green spaces, with her parents and three sisters. Two sisters are older, and one is younger, and she is close to the whole family. In the family of girls, even her dog is a girl!

Her oldest sister is married, and the next oldest sister recently announced her engagement. Through the power of FaceTime, she can chat with them daily and she can watch her 2-year-old niece grow.

She calls her niece the “light of my life.”

“Keeping the connection between us is super important. I don’t think I would have been able to do it without FaceTime,” she says.

She has participated in the Diller Teen Fellows program in Pittsburgh and was also a part of the Scouts movement, where she guided children from 4th to 12th grade. She applied to be a shlichah while she was working in Tel Aviv.

The shlichim program, organized by the Jewish Agency for Israel, connects young emissaries with organizations in the United States. Gaya is one of about 2,300 shlichim currently working in the U.S. for organization sponsors ranging from communities to camps.

Gaya’s hobbies and interests include volunteering, traveling and exploring different cultures. In her free time, she loves to watch movies and create arts and crafts projects. She is passionate about Jewish holidays, cooking, baking and preparing traditional Israeli dishes.

Gaya says she looks forward to adding her personal touch to her time as a shlichah. The Israeli Culture Series will continue, and she hopes to lead activities to highlight Israeli food and alcohol. And she says she likes to drive, so we may see some travel activities.

“I’m a very warm person,” she says. “If people get to know me, they see that.”

We asked her to tell us a few things that the Rhode Island community might find interesting.

Favorite food: “My mom’s stuffed zucchini.” (You can find the recipe on Gaya’s Facebook page.)

Pets: “We have a dog who is so sweet. She’s between 11 and 13 years old.” Her oldest sister has a dog who is Gaya’s dog’s son!

“I’ve had almost any kind of pets. Bunnies, parrots, and we had snakes when I was young. And lizards. Any kind of pets you can think about.” They even had a cat named Bisseli.

Favorite leisure activity: “Spending time with people I love. Walks with people I love. Watching movies together.”

What we can do to help you in your job: “Ask me questions about Israel I’m happy every time I get to do that. Also continue to be warm and welcoming.”

“I love where I live,” Gaya says. “It’s only the start and already I love what I’m doing.”

FRAN OSTENDORF (fostendorf@jewishallianceri.org) is the editor of Jewish Rhode Island.