My name is Amal Nafaa, and I am an 18-year-old Druze woman from Beit Jann, a village in northern Israel. I live in a loving home with two parents and one sister; my father is a construction worker, my mother owns a beauty salon and my sister is an aerospace engineering student at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. My family has taught me that no matter what life puts me through, I should always pursue my dreams and continue discovering myself at every stage of life. I love all kinds of art, animals, helping people and making my surroundings better. My dream is to become an independent artist and architect, live peacefully surrounded by my loved ones and make a meaningful contribution to the Druze community. 

The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethno-religious minority of 150,000 people in Israel. Growing up in a homogeneous community like Beit Jann shaped my Israeli identity in ways I only began to understand as I grew older. In my village, being Druze was never something I had to explain; it was simply part of everyday life, woven into my family, traditions, language and community. As I began meeting people from different backgrounds, I realized how unique my upbringing was and how differently people can experience being Israeli. I learned that my Druze and Israeli identities are not separate or competing parts of who I am — they shape each other. Being raised in a close-knit Druze community taught me that Israel is made up of many different stories, and that my story is one of them.

Courtesy/JUF

Amal Nafaa

I was motivated to join the JUF Sanabel Druze Leadership Program when I first heard about it because I saw it as more than just another great opportunity for personal growth: It was an opportunity to contribute to the Druze community in Israel. Sanabel is a 10-year leadership development program for Druze youth in Israel, created by the Jewish United Fund of Chicago (JUF) and operated by the Starting Line (Kav HaZinuk), part of Rothschild Partnerships. Each cohort includes 27 participants, selected from more than 450 applicants. The program nurtures these young people from age 15 to 25, through some of the most formative years of their lives. Sanabel offers a long-term peer community that combines leadership development, personal growth and mentorship from accomplished Druze professionals who invest in the next generation.

Israel’s Druze community is known for our strong emphasis on education, service, loyalty and contributing to Israeli society. Over the years, the Druze community in Israel has produced remarkable military officers, educators, physicians, entrepreneurs and public servants. Sanabel helps prepare the next generation to continue this legacy with confidence, values and responsibility.

I have always believed that empowering young people, even those with only a small spark of leadership potential, can create a ripple effect that reaches far beyond the individual. When young people are given the tools, confidence and opportunity to lead, they can help shape their communities and sometimes even their country — especially when they come from a community that deeply cares about its land, its people and its responsibility to serve.

What makes Sanabel unique is its belief that leadership is not only about making an impact on others, but also about becoming the best version of yourself. 

Before joining Sanabel, I believed I already had everything I needed to succeed. I thought I was joining to help my community. Instead, I discovered that the program first and foremost helped me grow, shaping me not only as a leader but as a person. Every meeting, seminar and project challenged me in a different way. I learned how to turn ideas into action, present myself with confidence, pursue ambitious goals, face uncertainty and failure, embrace different perspectives, truly listen to others and better understand both myself and the kind of leader I want to become.

Sanabel also helped me better understand what it means to belong to a minority in Israel. It showed me the potential within my community and the responsibility we have to create positive change wherever we go.

More than anything, Sanabel gave me a second family, a circle of people I can rely on. Through my mentor and conversations with inspiring Druze and Jewish leaders, I gained the confidence to begin my own journey as a young leader. I genuinely believe that Sanabel changes lives because it invests in people long before they become tomorrow’s decision-makers.

Sanabel’s impact goes far beyond learning. In my first year, I created a project to build and install bird nests with food and water throughout my village, together with my father and the local council. In my second year, my Sanabel peers and I transformed a neglected area in the Druze village of Peki’in into a public park with the support of the local council, donors and volunteers. These experiences taught me that meaningful change begins with one simple idea, grows through teamwork and perseverance and becomes possible when people believe in one another. They also reminded me that opportunities like these exist because people choose to invest in young people they may never have met.

This summer, together with 14 other Sanabel participants, I represented Israel’s Druze community in front of leaders from organizations such as JUF, which provided financial support for the program, as well as BBYO, the Israeli Consulate, The Ark and many of Sanabel’s supporters.

Before visiting Chicago, my understanding of Jewish life in America was quite limited. I knew that Jewish communities in the U.S. had a strong connection to Israel, but I did not really understand what that connection looked like in everyday life. What surprised me in Chicago was how deeply connected people felt to Israel while also building and maintaining a strong Jewish identity and community thousands of miles away. I was especially impressed by the sense of responsibility people had for one another and by how much effort they invested in preserving their traditions, strengthening their community and supporting Israel. In many ways, it reminded me of my own Druze community — the importance of belonging, tradition and taking responsibility for one another.

Before traveling to Chicago, I believed leadership was mainly about creating projects and solving problems. After meeting the Jewish community, I realized that true leadership is also about generosity, investing in people and building communities where everyone feels responsible for one another. I saw firsthand that philanthropy is not simply about giving money; it is about believing in people before they believe in themselves and creating opportunities that can change the course of someone’s life.

What touched me most was not only the generosity itself, but the people behind it. During our conversations with Sanabel donors from Chicago, I was deeply moved by how genuinely interested they were in us. They wanted to hear about our dreams, our challenges and our hopes for the future. Their humility, kindness and open hearts made every conversation feel sincere and personal. I realized they were not simply supporting a program — they truly cared about the young people behind it. That genuine care made me feel seen, valued and inspired to carry the same spirit of generosity and responsibility into my own community.

Seeing that made me appreciate even more what Sanabel has given me.

I returned home understanding that making an impact is not only about what I accomplish myself, but also about how I inspire others to believe in their own potential. Sanabel taught me that leadership means taking responsibility not only for my own community but also for Israeli society as a whole. Whatever path we choose, we carry these values with us. Strengthening Druze leadership is not only an investment in the Druze community — it is an investment in Israel’s future.

Without the generosity of donors who believed in young Druze they had never met, many of us would never have had these opportunities. Their support opened doors, created possibilities and changed lives — including mine. 

So whenever someone asks me what Sanabel is, my answer is simple: family. Family is where people believe in you before you believe in yourself, challenge you to grow and remind you that you are capable of more than you ever imagined. That is what Sanabel became for me.

Amal Nafaa is a fourth-year participant in the JUF Sanabel Druze Leadership Program.