What is the Israeli Shaliach?
Shaliach is the Hebrew word for "a representative sent on a mission," in our case, the Shaliach is an emissary for Israel, here to engage and educate the Jewish community about Israel. Sponsored from the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), every two years, a young adult from Israel is sent to Kansas City to be a part of the Jewish Experiences team, and create connections to Israel through education, engagement and conversations.
What does the Israel Shaliach do in the community?
The Shaliach works with the synagogues, the Hebrew schools, HBHA, KU Hillel, the CDC and other organizations to create educational opportunities about Israel, and promote Israel-related activities and conversations in KC.
Who is the Israel Shaliach now?
The Jewish Community welcomes Dahnya to Kansas City as the newest Community Shalicha (Israeli Emissary). The program is operated by the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI).
Dahnya was born in Houston, Texas, and made aliyah with her family at a young age. She grew up in Israel’s Upper Galilee, where she lived until October 7. She was homeschooled through much of her childhood by her parents, who were both world travel bloggers, and spent her early years exploring different cultures and countries.
In high school, she attended an agricultural school and trained as a professional pastry chef. Before beginning her army service, she took a gap year volunteering with at-risk teenagers in central Israel and South Tel Aviv.
Dahnya is passionate about creativity and connection. Her interests include crafts of all kinds, music, writing, cooking, and exploring new flavors in the kitchen. One of her greatest loves is travel, and she spent much of last year journeying through India and Southeast Asia, deepening her appreciation for cultures around the world.