Yoni was our beloved Shaliach back in 2013–2015.
It’s been three years since we saw his friendly smile at the J, so we decided to check in on him to see what he’s been up to! So take a seat, buckle up, and find out more about Mr. Alon.
Where are you currently living in Israel?
Since my return from Denver on August 2015, I live in Jerusalem in the historic neighborhood of Rehavia that was established in West Jerusalem in 1921. The neighborhood has a large population of North American Jews and often English is more common than Hebrew in the streets here.
Where are you working now?
I’m working as a freelancer for two major organizations in the Jewish world. The Jewish Agency for Israel where I work in writing educational materials that are being used to educate about Israel in the U.S. and I also work for the office of the Minister of Diaspora Affairs in a project that has to do with strengthening the Jewish world. However, about half of my time is invested into finishing my undergrad at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem where my two majors are Political Science and Communications.
What’s your favorite activity to do on the weekend?
I like to go on short runs, usually three miles. Spending time with family and friends. Catching up on school work and work on side projects I have in the field of video editing. I’m now working on editing a video interview that I had recently with my 91-year-old grandmother in which she talks about her childhood in Jerusalem in the 1930s.
What do you miss about Colorado?
I miss a lot of things. The great long drives west on I-70 towards the Rocky Mountains for skiing in Arapahoe Basin or Breckenridge. The drive down the JCC Ranch Camp through Parker and Elizabeth. Having a tasty burger in the Cherry Cricket on 2nd Ave. Attending the Shir Chadash Saturday service at HEA and surprisingly enough, listening to the country music on 98.5 FM KYGO. And you would think that it was someone local that got me into country music, but honestly, it was the first JCC Shaliach, Noam Dahary, that turned me into a country music lover in the time we spend together in Denver.
What is your favorite thing about being Israeli?
Being able to live here and take a part in the Israeli story which is both old and new. Feeling as if I’m another word in the page of Jewish history of this area. Knowing that my life here today is the manifestation of my grandparents’ dreams from when they were growing up away from Israel and also, the understanding that what we do here is not perfect and that we as a society still have a long way to go.
We miss Yoni every day, but we’re happy to hear about all of the fun and exciting things he’s doing back in Israel. We hope you visit Denver sometime soon.
**Photos taken by Aviad-Tevel-Studios**
