Meet Your Staff: Matt, Arielle, and Michal
Matt Rissien
Where are you from originally and where do you live now? Originally Kansas City, Now live in Lincoln Park, IL.
What do you for a living? I am the youth director at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, IL.
When did you go to Israel for the first time? I went to Israel for the first time in 2004 on March of the Living (Poland and then Israel trip).
What's your favorite Israeli food to eat and favorite place to eat it at? My favorite Israeli food is Hummus Basar (Hummus with ground beef and grilled onions) and my favorite place to eat it is a restaurant called Pinati.
What's a fun fact about you? Random fun fact is I went to the University of Kansas and followed the basketball team very closely. In 2011, I drove to San Antonio to see them place VCU in the Elite Eight. When Kansas lost, I cried and it was on national television. Jimmy Kimmel made fun of me and #cryingjayhawk trended on twitter!
What's one thing about Israel that you wish you could bring back to America with you? If there was one aspect of Israel I could bring back to America with me, it would be kosher food EVERYWHERE!!!!
What's your favorite place to visit in Israel? My favorite place to visit is Tsfat because it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
What's your favorite place to bring groups? My favorite place to bring Birthright groups is the Has Pramenade because it literally overlooks all of Jerusalem.
What's the #1 reason that you recommend that your friends and family should go on Birthright Israel with Shorashim? The #1 reason that I recommend my friends and family to go on Birthright Israel with Shorashim is that they get to go around Israel making friends with people they may not have known before the trip.
What is your spirit animal and why? My spirit animal is a panda because they are cute and cuddly (and that's what people have told me I remind them of).
Anything else you want to share? I once won a free trip to Israel in a video contest by uploading a song Black Eyed Peas sang about Israel from their concert in Jerusalem that I was at!
Arielle Levy
Where are you from originally and where do you live now? Waco, TX to Austin!
What do you do for a living? I am the Austin, Waco, and San Antonio Director for Jewish National Fund! I wake up every day knowing I'm not only making a difference but I'm helping others make a difference in Israel as well. JNF is your voice in Israel!
When did you go to Israel for the first time? I grew up as an active Young Judaean attending summer camp for 9 years. In 2006 I went on a six week program called Machon when I was 17. I knew this would only be the beginning of my journey with Israel.
What's your favorite place to visit in Israel? The beach in Tel Aviv truly is my happy place. Another favorite is Ammunition Hill. For me it is not only an important historical site of the 1967 battle that made possible the reunification of Jerusalem. It is where I witnessed a memorable moment of unity and compassion of our people. I visited Ammunition Hill in the summer of 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. There people came from all over to brighten the days of those less fortunate who were mostly in wheelchairs. I'd love to share my story with you.
What's a fun fact about yourself? I once ate over a pound of tater tots in three minutes...
What's your favorite Israeli food/favorite place in Israel to eat it? I love falafel. For some reason no matter which store or restaurant it's from, falafel tastes the best when eaten in Tzfat.
Where is your favorite place to take groups? Everywhere is my favorite when in Israel! One of the most meaningful sites is Har Herzl. I believe when groups visit it is a time to really understand the past of our country and people and not only see but feel a depth to what we've been through. Connecting the stories of survival (of the Jewish people) with the individuals who we have lost fighting for us along the way. May their memory be a blessing.
What's the #1 reason that you recommend that your friends and family should go on Birthright Israel with Shorashim? Is Lior Chacham an appropriate answer? His stories won me over every time. Walking resource of everything Israel! What better way to experience a country in ten days than to have the locals join the group for the whole time. Birthright is a unique experience where you make lifetime friends in a moment of hours or days and building this type of relationship with Israeli friends is one way to personally connect with Israel more regularly. With this and everything Shorashim, heart and passion goes all the way. Experience Israel with Israelis!
Anything else you want to share? Am yisrael chai!
Michal Liberman
How long have you been a guide? Eight years.
What's your favorite Shorashim memory? It's hard to choose one favorite moment. every time there are new moments to be excited about, new moments to laugh from and new people to love.
What's a fun fact about yourself? I can't touch ice. It gives me goosebumps.
What do you love most about Shorashim? That it is a home.
What's your favorite site to go to take participants to on Birthright Israel? The Dead Sea- everybody acts so silly.
What's your favorite city in Israel and why? Tel Aviv because its fun, sunny, colorful, and all of my friend and family are there.
If you could say one thing to future participants, what would it be? Come with your heart and mind open!
Why is it important to you to have Israelis on the trip for all 10 days? I think that the Israelis coming for ten days rather the Israelis coming just for five days, makes the expierience and the group dynamic completly different . From the tour educator point of view, I can say that the Israelis makes everything much more authentic. They all come with their thoughts and feelings about the issues we talk about and they give together a bigger picture of Israel. Discussions and activities gets much more interesting when there are seven loacal people. Also, the Israelis who chooses to come on Shorashim and Shorashim chooses them to come on the program are really awesome and it can never ever get boring! From a participant point of view ( I was a participant on Shorashim before I became a guide), I can say that coming for ten days and not only for five was amazing because I was part of my group from the moment they landed in the airport (even a while before) til the moment the american had to fly back home, whenever it was. This way I could learn so much from the Americans and from the other Israelis and win the experience as a whole. HAVING THE ISRAELIS FOR THEN DAYS IT'S A WIN-WIN SITUATION FOR BOTH AMERICANS AND ISRAELIS!!
