Every summer, thousands of American Jewish teenagers travel to Israel through NCSY summer programs hoping to deepen their connection to the Jewish homeland. Participants on the Anne Samson Jerusalem Journey (TJJ) expect to be inspired by the places they visit, the people they meet and the history they walk through.

This summer, many discovered something they never expected: that Israel needed them.

Courtesy/NCSY

TJJ participants at Kfar Kedem, the biblical experience in Israel's Galil region, during the summer of 2026.

That realization came into focus during a visit to Misgav Am, the northernmost kibbutz on Israel’s border with Lebanon.

An IDF soldier thanked the group for making the journey. “You came because you care,” he told them. “You want to show your love, and you want to hear the truth.”

Then he added the words I hope those teenagers carry with them for the rest of their lives.

“We are trying to protect the Jewish home for you too… The only thing that keeps us going is you.”

For many of our students, that was the moment their understanding of Israel changed.

As educators, we often think about how to inspire teenagers. But one of the greatest moments of growth comes when they realize they are not simply recipients of the Jewish story — they are responsible for it. That is what happened on that hillside overlooking Lebanon. For the first time, many of our teens understood that their presence mattered, that they had something meaningful to contribute to the Jewish people.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, many Jewish teenagers have faced antisemitism and isolation in their schools and on college campuses. They came to Israel looking for connection. Instead, they discovered that simply showing up gave Israelis strength.

There is something profoundly Jewish about that.

Judaism teaches that every Jew carries responsibility for one another. We often think impact comes from grand speeches or historic decisions. More often, it begins with something much simpler: standing beside another Jew and saying, “You are not alone.”

That lesson began before our teens even landed.

During the flight to Israel, a member of the airline crew watched a group of students praying together. Moved by what he saw, he approached them afterward and asked if someone could teach him how to put on tefillin.

No one planned for that moment. It happened because these teenagers were living their Judaism openly and joyfully. Before they had even arrived, they had already become ambassadors for Jewish life.

Too often, conversations about Israel focus only on politics, conflict and diplomacy. Those discussions matter, but they can obscure a deeper truth: the relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry is not unidirectional.

We often talk about what Israel gives American Jews — identity, history, belonging and inspiration. We talk less about what American Jews give Israel: hope, solidarity and the reassurance that the Jewish story does not end at Israel’s borders.

That realization is especially powerful for teenagers. Young people spend so much of their lives asking where they belong. In Israel, many of our students discovered a different question entirely: How can I contribute? That shift — from seeing themselves as consumers of Jewish life to active participants in it — is one of the most important steps in building a lasting Jewish identity.

Our students returned home with unforgettable memories. I suspect the Israelis they met will remember them, too.

As educators, we rarely know which moments will shape a young person’s future. A conversation with a soldier. A stranger asking to learn a mitzvah. A simple act of presence. That is why we bring teenagers to Israel: not only so they can strengthen their connection to the Jewish state, but so they discover they are an indispensable part of the Jewish story.

This summer, they arrived hoping to discover Israel. Instead, they discovered that Israel was waiting for them.

Rabbi Derek Gormin is the managing director of programming and education for NCSY.