I give to NIF because to me, the State of Israel is not a charity case. When I am called by mainstream Jewish establishments to “Support Israel!”… I really don’t know what to picture. The same way that if someone were to tell me to “support America,” I wouldn’t know what to do. I certainly would not go out and buy a gas guzzler, or plant a bunch of trees on top of someone’s home in the name of patriotism.

However, when NIF invites me to “support equality for women in Israel,” I am able to envision myself discussing women’s economic empowerment on the rooftop of the Aros el Bahr center for women in Jaffa with Executive Director Safa Younes– who was recently honored at NIF’s Guardian of Democracy Dinner in San Francisco (my hometown).

When I hear NIF ask me to “support the rights of refugees,” I can easily conjure up an image of the relieved face of an Eritrean woman asylum seeker when her name is finally called to see a doctor, at the overcrowded waiting room at the Physicians for Human Rights Free Clinic in Tel Aviv– where I volunteered last year through Tikkun Olam.

When I read editorials on the NIF website condemning the grave injustices being enacted by Knesset via the Prawer Plan in Bedouin areas of the Negev, I feel compelled to speak up on behalf of the Bedouin man I met this summer– who, despite the scarce resources available to him, managed to run a summer camp for local children during Ramadan so the army would see there was still life in the village– and refrain just a little longer from demolishing it.

These, among many others, are the reasons I give to NIF. For me, loving Israel is grounded in the compelling stories and memories I have from my various experiences there, and the longing to do my part to keep Israel a diverse and sacred place for Jews (of all denominations) and non-Jews alike.

Giving to NIF lets me know that I am supporting individuals and communities in Israel who truly need my help. And to me, that’s what Zionism is all about– carrying on the vision of my ancestors who toiled in sweat, blood, and tears so that Israel could be a light unto nations.