Maya hugs her baby Elay

Name: Maya Abarbanel

Professional role:

Executive Director of Parallel Lives. Previously served as a JAFI emissary in Akron and Canton, Ohio, in the IDF spokesperson’s office and as a Search and Rescue Officer

Age: 31

City: Rechovot, Israel

Interests: Reading, art and travelling around the world.

Favorite Project: Parallel Lives and also Hug an Abandoned Baby

Why did you join JGooders?
Since I truly believe that every donation can make a difference, I registered my project, Parallel Lives on JGooders.com. Our project creates meeting points between people from all over the world and speaks to many people, who through their donations can make a direct impact on Jewish identity and Peoplehood.

While I was posting my own project, I checked out some of the others and saw the Hug an Abandoned Baby project. I have a one-year-old baby, Elay, and this project seared my heart. As soon as I read about their work, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, that there are babies left alone in the hospital who don’t receive the warmth and love they need. As a mother with a baby of my own, I decided to do something. My immediate intent was to volunteer, but I saw that they only accept a few volunteers who can be very committed and it didn’t work out for me.
I decided to make a donation to the project on behalf of Elay’s birthday on July 30th . when he will get older he will know that a donation on his name was made in order to help others.

Tell us more about Parallel Lives:
Parallel Lives is unique in that it involves Israeli soldiers from IDF’s elite units, which are usually highly secret, and young adult Jews from around the world. Global Jews, same age as the soldiers, don’t usually have an opportunity to meet these top soldiers, the future leaders of Israeli society. We see both the soldiers and Diaspora Jews as our future leadership and believe they will have a strong influence on our Jewish world future . it is crucial for them to meet each other: for young Jews abroad, it is not enough to just hear about IDF on the TV, but to meet them in person, to put an individual face to our soldiers. At the same time these soldiers meet other Jews, exposed to Jewish life outside Israel and become aware to the support Israel gets from around the world.

Our programs allowed them to explore each others lives, which are very different due to life circumstance, and conduct deep discourse about their own Jewish identity, mutual responsibly and Israel- Diaspora relations.

In what ways do you do good?
I strongly believe that when you give, you receive back and actually had numerous opportunities to experience it during my life. In 2005-2007 I was a volunteer shalicha (emissary) together with my husband in Akron and Canton, Ohio. We packed everything up and moved to the USA for 2 years of volunteering. We received a lot of warmth and love from the people in Akron and Canton ,as well as personal and professional satisfaction, and it is meaningful milestone in my life.

When we returned to Israel, I wanted to continue working in the Jewish community and was invited to join Parallel Lives. It resonated with me and gave me an opportunity to combine my previous roles as a captain in the IDF and the global Jewish world. I love my work, and see it as a very important task to connect young Jews around the world.

Why do you do good?
I feel good when I do a mitzvah. It makes me feel good to do good for others, to know that I can help others and make things better for them. The best feeling comes from knowing I have helped someone whether in a small way like helping them carrying their shopping baskets, to larger things. It fills me with a good feeling.

Message to the world:
“Kol Israel Arevim ze la ze” – The nature of the world is for us to help one another and to be there for one another. My wish is that everyone does good and together we will make the world a better place.

Tags: Hug a Baby, Israel, Israel Defense Force (IDF), Jewish community, Maya Abarbanel, Mitzvah, Parallel Lives, Tikkun Olam

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