A multigenerational mission(1)

It’s a tradition for students at Chicago Jewish Day School (CJDS) to take their first trip to Israel as kindergarteners. They fly on an El Al flight, eat Israeli food, visit the Shuk, and see other popular tourist destinations. 

But the kindergarteners don’t actually take to the skies. The “trip” takes place within the walls of its Irving Park campus, thanks to a flight simulator and a lot of creativity.  

Students look forward for years to an actual class trip to Israel. This happens in eighth grade, toward the conclusion of their CJDS journey. 

But after October 7, the eighth graders figured their trip-like most other day school trips-would be scrapped. Yet, the CJDS community was determined to make the visit happen. 

“We have always tried to live by our mission and vision, which articulates that we teach our students a love of Israel and Torah, and foster an appreciation for the centrality of Israel, its land, and its people,” said Judy Finkelstein-Taff, Head of School at CJDS. “Israel is the homeland of our people. We felt like when your family needs you the most, it’s not when you stay away. It’s when you show up and do whatever you can to help. So, that’s what we did.”

“The trip got canceled, and rescheduled, and then canceled again, and then, finally, we got to go. It was like a roller coaster,” recalled recent CJDS grad Teddy Gutstein, whose trip with his classmates marked the first time he visited Israel. 

Accompanied by their parents and grandparents, the students embarked on the nine-day trip this past May. They toured the Western Wall, the Dead Sea, and the beach in Tel Aviv. But they also volunteered with organizations whose work has been affected by the Israel-Hamas War. 

“Our trip was a combination of Israel pre-October 7 and Israel post-October 7,” explained Tamar Cytryn, Director of Jewish Studies at CJDS. “The experience of being there is very different than thinking about what it was going to be.” 

“It also gave them a major boost of Jewish self-confidence,” she added. “Our students were feeling sidelined and marginalized here, but I didn’t realize until the trip how much they were feeling like they were on the offensive. It was amazing for them to just be Jewish and love Israel, without having to think about what that means for the people around them. It reinforced that they have a lot to be proud of being Jewish, and…for being Zionist.” 

Gutstein says the opportunity to give back was especially meaningful. “One of the best things we did was pack medical kits for first responders and soldiers,” he reflected. “I felt like I helped the country, which is a great feeling.” 

Many of the students will transition to public high schools in the fall, which makes their experience in Israel especially poignant. For Gutstein, who plans to attend Evanston Township High School, the trip instilled greater pride for Israel and love for Zionism, and endowed him with the tools to navigate his massive future high school. 

“ETHS is a huge high school, and I know that it’s likely that I will run into antisemitism,” he said. “Had I not gone to Israel, I don’t think that I would have been able to hold my own in these encounters that are bound to happen.” 

“There is no doubt that this trip strengthened our students in a way that enables them to lead and respond in a very timely way,” Finkelstein-Taff added. “This was one of the most meaningful trips to Israel that I’ve ever been a part of organizing.”