I want to thank those of you who encouraged me to do this. I’m not entirely comfortable with it, and if it makes you uncomfortable, I apologize. But I think this is a necessary element for the book and other funding options were clearly going to take too long.
A link to the GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/a551b768
Dear friends,
As most of you know, I'm finishing a manuscript about growing up Appalachian and Jewish that looks at the tensions between those identities. In light of October 7th, I think it's impossible to tell the story of a Jewish life that focuses on the past and the present but doesn't look to the future, and so I've revised the outline and plan to write the last chapter about visiting Israel. So, you know, I have to visit Israel (darn nonfiction and its reliance on truth!).
Several people reached out yesterday after a post on my newsletter to say that they would happily donate if I did a GoFundMe. I also got some good suggestions for grant sources, but realized that process would take so long that it would delay the book more than either I or the press would really like. Thus, this GoFundMe was born.
I've decided to go as a volunteer with the Jewish National Fund . I both like the idea of being of actual use while I'm there, and of traveling with a group of people that includes experts with situational awareness who can maximize our safety in this moment. I'm hoping to go for the March 10th trip, since it coincides with our Spring Break.
Thanks to a generous gift from my cousin Joan, I'm already well on my way to having the costs of the trip covered, but I still need to raise about $2500. If you have both the inclinations and the resources, I'd be grateful for your help getting to Israel. (But if you have only the first, and not the second, please know that I am still grateful for your good wishes and interest in my project.)
Thank you and shalom,
Sarah
Yay! Go, you!
Great ideas. I am in.