Oren Shay and Yarden Bleicher. Courtesy: Iris Bartov

By Iris Bartov

Austin has long had a tradition of having Israeli emissaries or shlichim visit the Jewish community. Part of the experience of having these young people in the community is finding host families who open their homes and hearts and share their lives for a short period of time.

For the first time ever, Austin will have two ShinShinim, Israeli high school graduates serving Jewish communities around the world prior to their mandatory Israeli army service, serve the Austin Jewish community for a full year. Two host families, the Finkels and the Gordons, are preparing to open their homes for these special visitors.

Kelly and David Finkel described their inspiration for continuing to host young Israeli emissaries, or shlichim and ShinShinim, in Austin. They both grew up in homes where the Jewish value of hachnasat orchim, welcoming the stranger, was a regular occurrence. Their childhood doors were always open, and as a family, they continue that tradition. The Finkels have hosted youth from the Maccabi games, filmmakers and actors coming to town for the Austin Jewish Film Festival, shlichim working with JCamps as well as other visiting artists. They feel this provides a valuable service to the community and are always delighted to help. Kelly said, “hosting enables us to see Austin through fresh eyes, again and again. Everyone has different interests, so we get to learn about our city in new ways.”

They have found that the people they’ve hosted are self-sufficient. They can get themselves around the city, so they are not in the role of schlepper. They often enjoy cooking, so the family gets delicious meals prepared for them. “Our guests have always been gracious rule followers in our home. Their space has been kept neat; they’ve done their own laundry; and they’ve often done the after dinner clean up,” added Kelly.

“Hosting has also helped us build community. This past summer, we hosted one of the Israeli shlichot at the beginning of her time in Austin. We felt a need to say goodbye, so we hosted all of the hosts for a final send-off. It was great to meet so many people who opened their doors,” said Kelly.

Similarly, when Karine Gordon shared her inspiration for being a host family, she emphasized that she came from a home where Hebrew was spoken and the door was always open to family, friends and guests. She and her husband Elan have hosted JCamps shlichim in the past and they said this seemed like a natural extension of that. Indeed, all the shlichim she has hosted have stayed in touch with the family, and Idan, her JCamps shlicha from last year, even came back to Texas to visit them this summer.

The Gordons are so excited that their ShinShin will bring Hebrew and Israeli culture into their home for the next three months and have their three young children experience this.

To learn more, contact Iris Bartov at iris.bartov@shalomaustin.org