Bringing Davis L.O.V.E. to Israel
By Rabbi Sam Trief, Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller, and Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus
When most people begin rabbinical school, they may imagine late nights with Talmud, spirited debates about theology and Israel, and learning to lead prayer from the bimah. They probably do not imagine meeting their husbands in Jerusalem and eventually moving to Atlanta.
And yet, for Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus, Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller, and Rabbi Sam Trief, that is exactly what happened. Loren, Rachael, and Sam are all graduates of Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. While they were in school at different times and on different campuses, they all ultimately landed in this amazing city of Atlanta, we call home.
What they always did imagine, though, was raising Jewish children deeply rooted in community and learning, children who would grow up loving Torah, Israel, and the Jewish people. How fitting that all three now have children at The Davis Academy. And how extraordinary that this shared chapter would lead to something historic: bringing Davis L.O.V.E. to Israel together.
At a pivotal moment in Israel’s history and in the school’s own history, a grassroots effort led to a first-of-its-kind trip: 23 Davis moms traveling to Israel, led by three rabbi moms representing Atlanta’s three largest Reform congregations, along with Amy Shafron, Head of School at The Davis Academy. The experience was rooted in two guiding themes: strengthening bonds among mothers and bringing Davis L.O.V.E., Living Our Values Every Day, to Israel.
On January 31, amid threats of snow in Atlanta and a possible escalation with Iran, we boarded our flights and hit the ground running. Over the course of the week, we toured women-owned businesses, volunteered with Leket and Save a Child’s Heart, met Reform women rabbis, heard from Tal Schneider of The Times of Israel about the political climate in an election year, visited periphery communities near the Gaza Strip, and learned from Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy about her advocacy for Israeli women and children at the United Nations. We welcomed Shabbat at Azrat Yisrael, the egalitarian prayer space at the Kotel.
The group reflected the beautiful diversity of the Davis community. For some, it was a first trip to Israel. For others, it was a return layered with meaning, traveling alongside the rabbi who had sponsored their conversion years earlier, or revisiting the country decades after an eighth-grade Davis trip, now as mothers raising children together. For all, there was a shared purpose: to connect, to witness, and to experience Israel as a community.
For the three of us, co-leading this journey was a rare gift, an opportunity to share “our Israel” through personal stories, rituals, reflections, Shabbat, and Havdalah, while standing not only as rabbis but also as mothers. As Meredith Lefkoff shared, “Being at the Kotel on Shabbat was so meaningful. Being completely alone, just us, and having a beautiful service together brought even more connection to this special group.”
We were honored to visit Israel’s First Lady, Michal Herzog, at the President’s Residence. In what felt more like a conversation among mothers than a formal meeting, she spoke about supporting bereaved families and prioritizing mental health for a nation carrying deep trauma.
As Leah Davis reflected, “We heard firsthand how challenging the past few years have been for the Israeli people and will hold them in our hearts back in Atlanta.”
Our time with Israeli mothers left perhaps the deepest imprint. In Tel Aviv, we met women balancing military service, reserve duty, and parenting amid ongoing uncertainty. Their honesty about fear, exhaustion, and resilience resonated profoundly with us as fellow moms. Amy Robinson shared after, “One response stayed with me more than any other. A mother of two sons in the army telling us to lean into our own communities to support one another.”
Traveling south to Kibbutz Nir Oz, we walked through devastation with Rita, who lost family members on October 7 and later in captivity. Her strength was staggering. As Robbi Hoff said, “She has lost so much, yet she has so much strength. It puts many things in my life into perspective.” We visited the Bibas family home and later met a resident overseeing the replanting of the fields, a quiet but powerful symbol of renewal.
At the Nova festival site, we stood among memorials lovingly tended by grieving families. We then visited Eden 51, a trauma center supporting women survivors and soldiers. Hearing from a 26-year-old officer who led a battalion door to door in kibbutzim was sobering. Yet knowing that spaces like Eden 51 exist reminded us that healing, too, is part of Israel’s story.
At Hostage Square, just one week after the final hostages had returned home, we encountered a volunteer taking down flags and posters. We joined her. What began as a small act of help became a sacred moment of transition, closing one painful chapter while carrying its memory forward. We brought several of those flags home. Two will remain at The Davis Academy as keepsakes and reminders of this chapter in Jewish history.
Davis L.O.V.E. reflects the values that shape our children’s lives: ruach (spirit), chochmah (wisdom), tzedek (justice), kavod (respect), and kehillah (community). On this journey, we saw those values reflected in Israel, in its resilience, its courage, and its people.
We brought back hope. We brought back connection. And we return to Atlanta recommitted to living those values every day.