Ifat,
It was so moving, powerful, connecting, and embracing…
Thank you for the words, the guidance, the emotion, and the love.
I’m sure the children received and took a lot, but let me speak for myself for a moment—especially with my birthday being tomorrow…
Thank you.
I listened, I breathed, I learned, and most importantly, I truly internalized it… and I’m taking it with me. 😘

Hi Ifat,
Thank you again for yesterday. I heard some great feedback. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, but the group shared wonderful insights.

Dear Ifat,
I wanted to thank you for coming and giving the talk! It was amazing!!
The participants were so excited that they even quoted your “wave” example when presenting our new councilors yesterday.
Have a safe and pleasant flight back home. 🙏

Dear Yifat,
I feel truly lucky to have experienced such a meaningful experience with you and thanks to you.
Yesterday, I finally had the opportunity to experience your workshop as a participant, allowing myself to step out of my role and truly be present for a personal experience. This opportunity brought me face-to-face with many personal things and gave me a powerful perspective on how to cope with the losses of the past year, after saying “yes” to the adventure of relocation.
I think you have a very unique ability to speak about pain and loss in a way that creates a sense of connection and closeness—something that gives people the safety to look directly at the things we all fear the most, and to come out of the conversation feeling stronger.
I could feel it in the participants, and of course, in myself as well.
A big hug, and wishing you a wonderful, meaningful continuation of your adventure throughout the U.S.

Dear Yifat,
I once again want to thank you for the opportunity and for the meaningful and valuable experience—for the children and for all of us.
We truly appreciate it. ❤️

Dear Ifat,
D. very much enjoyed meeting you and was telling us that he found the conversation and lessons from Ilay very insightful and wise. It reminded him of the Israelis he met on his trip! I’m so happy he came to meet you and hear your journey…
I think this is all so much about you, your experience, and Ilay and you, and him together!
It’s powerful in many ways and will resonate in people’s hearts. 🧡

Yesterday, we held the closing ceremony for the Rising Stars 2025–2026 youth program, and we are proud to say that it was a successful and meaningful year.
We would like to thank the Fooksman Family Foundation for their generous support, our guest speaker from Israel, Ifat Nachman, who lost her son on October 7th, for her inspiring speech, Federation CJA for helping make the project possible, and of course, our participants and their parents.
Until we meet again!
Rising Stars — Tech Zion Initiative
RSJ Philanthropy Division of Federation CJA