Sending Leah Sima Back

Last year, something shifted for Leah Sima.

She went to Israel. She walked into a program most people have never heard of, and she came home different. Quieter in the best way. More settled. More herself.

Midreshet Darkaynu is the first and only program of its kind, designed for religious young women with special needs who want to spend a year in Israel learning, growing, connecting to their roots, and building real independence. It isn't a gap year in the typical sense. It's a program built around the student, structured intentionally, staffed by people who understand the terrain.
darkaynu

For Leah Sima, it was exactly that.

Why a second year?

The first year opens the door.

The second year is where you actually walk through it.

What Leah Sima built last year, the confidence, the friendships, the sense of belonging, those things deserve more than twelve months. A second year means she gets to go back not as someone new, but as someone who already knows she belongs there. That's a different kind of growth. Quieter, deeper, more lasting.

She's going back to deepen what she started. To take on more. To be the one who knows the ropes and can offer that steadiness to someone else arriving for the first time.

That matters in ways that are hard to put into words.

What we're asking

We're raising $40,000 to make this year possible for Leah Sima.

Every dollar goes directly toward her tuition, housing, and participation in the Midreshet program. There are no workarounds here. This is what it costs to give her the year.

We know that's a significant ask. We also know what we saw in her when she came home last year, and we believe this year will build on that in ways that will stay with her for the rest of her life.

If you've watched Leah Sima grow, this is one of the most direct ways to invest in that growth.

If you're newer to her story, welcome. We're glad you're here.

Either way, thank you for reading this far.