Fifteen Naaleh students traveled on an important and inspiring mission to Houston, Texas. The first day was spent working with SBP, a disaster relief organization, to refurbish a house ruined by Hurricane Harvey. After that, the students davened mincha on the ruins of the United Houston Synagogue that was also destroyed by the hurricane. On Friday, they volunteered at the Houston food pantry and packed enough food for over 9,000 meals. Shabbos was spent at Chabad Aishel House that services families and patients of the local medical centers. They delivered food to local families on erev Shabbos, waitressed in the dining room on Shabbos, and brought ruach to a patient and her family in their home on Shabbos afternoon. It was a beautiful Shabbos of chesed, ruach and learning with Naaleh teachers and NCSY advisors.

Another 15 Naaleh students went on a mission to New Orleans, Louisiana. It was an emergency relief mission to help rebuild homes damaged in Hurricane Ida. The girls demolished a house and removed debris to prepare the site for the next phase of construction. They visited the Jewish cemetery and shuls, learned about the history of the area, and volunteered at a farm that assists with food insecurity.

Each of the trips was an unbelievably powerful experience for all involved.