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Young Olim Making an Impact

Gabi Katz was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and he moved to Chicago
with his family when he was three years old. They settled in a community that
valued Judaism and the Land of Israel, and so it was no surprise that Gabi ended
up making Aliyah.
At 17, Gabi took a year to learn at Yeshivat Hakotel, where the emphasis on Torah,
the Jewish people, and the Jewish homeland quickly made him fall in love with Israel.
After learning for a year and a half, Gabi drafted into the IDF to Combat Engineering
603 with nine of his good friends and other Israelis from his yeshiva.
During his time in the army, Gabi wrote a journal entry almost every day, which he
sent to friends and family. He is currently organizing these daily entries into a book
to motivate and inspire others (check out his GoFundMe campaign).
After finishing his service, Gabi returned to Yeshivat Hakotel, where he is learning,
teaching, and giving back to guys who are just like him and helping them through their
next steps. He is a participant in World Mizrachi’s semicha program and also works at
Aish Global as part of the development department. Being in Israel has helped Gabi
grow in ways he never thought were possible. Israel is the world’s greatest miracle,
and he feels incredibly fortunate to experience it firsthand. His happiest moment
since making Aliyah was when his younger sister told him she was making Aliyah too.
In Gabi’s words, “Never stop dreaming! Never forget that amazing feeling you had
on the first day you followed your dreams, how excited you were for what the
future holds.”

Shira Wiesenfeld made Aliyah in May 2022 and currently works at Keren Or,
a gan and school for children with special needs and visual impairments. Originally
from Pittsburgh, PA, Shira moved to Israel because she could not picture her future
anywhere else. She wants to build a family and a life in Israel and is delighted by
people’s reactions when they hear she is a lone bat sherut and made Aliyah by herself.
Shira decided to serve in sherut leumi because she wanted to immerse herself in Israeli
society and learn more about the culture while making a meaningful contribution to
her country. At Keren Or, she works with children who are lower functioning and have
cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI). She participates in their therapy sessions,
sets up their assistive technology, prepares food, plays with them, and more.

Shira clearly loves working at Keren Or and enthusiastically recommends it to anyone
interested in doing sherut leumi. Her admirable dedication to bettering the lives of
these children is a testament to the impact even the newest olim can have on Israeli
society. To those who not only want to make Aliyah, but also want to make a difference
in their homeland, Shira’s story is an inspiration.

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