January 23, 2026
Sasha didn’t always know where she fit in the Jewish story. Growing up between cultures, Judaism felt distant and undefined. Through her Honeymoon Israel journey, that distance has slowly given way to connection, community, and a feeling of belonging she hadn’t known before. This is a story about finding your place and discovering how meaningful it can be to feel at home.
Written by Sasha Sosniak, HMI CO Alum
I didn’t always know where I fit in the Jewish story.
I was born in the former Soviet Union and moved to the U.S. when I was 11. Just before we left, I stumbled across my father’s passport. Under “nationality,” it said: Jew.
At the time, that word meant very little to me.
After immigrating, I sometimes leaned on my partially Jewish identity to connect — with classmates, friends, people who seemed to have a clearer sense of who they were. But Judaism still felt distant, something I was circling rather than living.
Everything changed a few years later, when my now-husband, Mike, suggested we apply to Honeymoon Israel. He grew up Reform Jewish and had a strong sense of what Jewish life meant to him. I didn’t know much about Israel — just that it was complicated, contested, and far from my own experience.
I hesitated.
But Honeymoon Israel changed everything.
Experiencing Israel alongside other couples — each asking big questions about identity, partnership, and belonging — gave me language for something I had never fully understood before: Jewish peoplehood.
Judaism felt lived, human, and expansive. We didn’t come home with one right answer — we came home with confidence, community, and lifelong friendships.
For the first time, I knew I had a place.
Then October 7th happened, and the ground beneath me shifted again.
Like so many others, I felt shaken — by the news, by the grief within our Jewish community, and by how vulnerable it suddenly felt to be Jewish in the world. I knew I needed to do something that would help others — and help steady me, too.
I thought back to Honeymoon Israel. To the community it gave us. To the clarity and confidence it sparked. That’s when I decided to take the next step and join the HMI team.
There was no better moment to turn gratitude into action.
This past November, I returned to Israel — this time in my professional role with HMI. This time, it felt different. The land felt familiar. Broken and beautiful. Shattered and whole. I have friends and found long lost family here. It felt like a place where I could take some of my armor off. Where I understood more than I ever had before.
The most meaningful part was witnessing HMI’s impact firsthand. Watching couples experience Israel for the first time. Seeing people searching for belonging find it. Watching couples asking hard questions discover not just answers, but each other. Seeing healing begin — quietly, collectively.
Now, as we raise our daughter Jewish — teaching her about our family histories, our traditions, and Israel as both a place and a homeland — I see just how profoundly HMI shaped our lives. And I know it has done, and will continue to do, the same for hundreds, even thousands of others.
Especially now.
Applications for upcoming HMI cohorts are now open. Join the HMI family to find connection, community, and your place in the Jewish story — when it matters most.
Start Your HMI Journey
For ten years, HMI has helped couples explore love, identity, and Jewish community. Apply today to experience your own moments of connection, transformation, and belonging.
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