From New Jersey to finding purpose in Israel

“Nowhere in the world is the feeling of belonging to a nation, a community and a society as powerful as it is in Israel,” says Galil Neiger. “Volunteering, especially through extreme sports with people with disabilities, only deepens that sense of mission and connection.”

Neiger, 19, arrived in Israel just 18 months ago from New Jersey. What began as a planned year of study has quietly turned into something much more permanent. Despite the physical distance from her family and the life she left behind, she says she already feels fully at home.