Hausner Alumna Rachel Rosen Shares Her Solidarity Journey

“We felt like we couldn’t be anywhere else,” shared Hausner alumna Rachel Rosen (Class of 2013), in describing her family’s January visit to Israel. In the aftermath of October 7th, Rachel and her family traveled to Israel on a solidarity mission. According to Rachel, “We wanted to do something and wanted to help… we were excited to volunteer and sit with our greater Jewish Family in Israel.”

While in Israel Rachel and her parents volunteered, visited military bases around the country, and brought postcards written by Hausner 6th graders to a BBQ to share with IDF soldiers, putting smiles on their faces. They also visited Ofakim, one of the sites invaded by Hamas on October 7th. There they saw bullet holes, memorial posters, and learned about those who perished while defending their homes. 

“I was surprised when I got home how intense it was,” Rachel shared. “When we were there we were focused and fell in line with the energy of the country. When I got home I took a step back and absorbed the experience - it was really heavy and intense.”
 
Rachel graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2022, served on the board of the college’s Israel Group, Badger Alliance For Israel and now works for AIPAC as a Middle East Research Analyst. 

According to Rachel, Hausner prepared her to speak out against anti-semitism. “It gave me confidence in being Jewish. I don’t have tolerance for antisemitism. [Hausner] made us happy and proud to be Jewish.”

Another important skill learned at Hausner was self-advocacy. “We had very close relations with our teachers. That made my sister and I feel comfortable seeking help from teachers and professors in high school and college,” Rachel shared. “We also learned public speaking, and made a lot of presentations throughout the years.”

A special Hausner memory is of Rachels’s 6th grade English teacher, who noticed her writing talent, and was especially supportive. According to Rachel, “I still reach out to her with short stories and she’ll respond. It meant a lot that she noticed and tried to draw it out.”