Alumni Spotlight: Frank Horowitz

Due to the war initiated by Hamas on October 7th, the tragedy that Israel has witnessed, and the ongoing war, Taglit-Birthright Israel BEYOND is featuring stories of alumni who are taking action and making a difference.

Taglit-Birthright Israel alum from 2016 Frank Horowitz shares his transformation from Jew-only-in-name to dedicated Israeli citizen and resident, and how he has been coping since the October 7 attack. 

Frank Horowitz played hockey his whole life. As a child and teen, he knew that when people saw his name on the back of his jersey, their first impression was his Jewishness. But his knowledge of Judaism was limited, and he had yet to visit Israel. 

His name, Horowitz, encapsulated most of his exposure to Judaism until he went on his Taglit-Birthright Israel trip in 2016. Neither his mother nor father had been to Israel, and his family’s disposition was that Israel was “not a safe place for Jews.” Nevertheless, when Frank learned about Taglit-Birthright Israel and turned 18, he signed up for the trip. 

Living in Israel: Frank Horowitz’s Perspective on the Homeland and Recent Challenges

Frank is a seeker who asked big questions as a little kid. 

“I had this unanswered question of what it meant to be Jewish,” he expressed, “curious and searching, I felt kind of out of place in the world in terms of having a searching soul and not being satisfied with the status quo.” 

At 18 and on track to become a professional hockey player, and he was keenly aware of his Jewishness. His connection was enhanced when he landed at Ben Gurion Airport, feeling an immediate sense of home. 

“Israel is supposed to stand in a different realm entirely than the rest of the world. I didn’t know any Torah [at the time], but I felt that way. I felt a sense of peace,” despite the known hustle and bustle of the country. 

He recalls that Taglit-Birthright Israel was one of the “fastest experiences” of his life. Being in Israel, he said, “makes it so that all the barriers are shed pretty quickly,” and friendships are developed in a matter of minutes. 

What attracted Frank to Israel were attributes of unity and responsibility, especially in contrast to his experience in the United States. 

“Over the last decade, there’s been a lack of identity in what it means to be an American. There’s so much division,” he says. Israel’s identity, however, predates the establishment of the modern state as the Jewish ancestral homeland. 

Frank notes that in Israel, “everyone was on a similar mission, and everyone had somewhat of a similar background story from their families and their grandparents, and they’re all part of something much greater than themselves, which truly drew me in.”

Over the last eight years, Frank has dramatically increased his connection to Judaism and the land of Israel. “When I went on Birthright, I was all in,” he said. 

“I’m going to join the IDF; I’m ready to move. This is it,” he matter-of-factly said, self-identifying as “an intense person.” 

His study of the Torah inspired him to immerse himself in a Yeshiva for a few weeks the next time he returned to Israel. After that, Frank graduated from New York University in 2020, packed his bag, and went to yeshiva in Israel during COVID for a longer learning stint. His desire to live a Torah lifestyle in the land had germinated. 

“I had idealistically decided ‘Israel’s a place for Jewish people. It’s where I want to be, and I’m basically not coming back. I’m going to build my life.’” Deeply immersed in Yeshiva and distant from distractions, Frank knew “this is the kind of life I want to live.” 

Being a tourist on a 10-day trip is very different from actually living in the land, and Frank had a jam-packed year leading up to the war.

“This last year has been the most amazing year of my life. It was the most challenging because I did about five different things that people spread out over time all at once: entering into the adult world, becoming newly religious, being married, working and living in Israel.” 

But Frank believes all the challenges are worth the sacrifice. 

“Definitely everything in life has its price and cost. There’s nothing more valuable than being in Israel, waking up in Yerushalayim, and being able to walk to the Kotel and experience the seasons of what the Torah describes as the festivals.”

The reality of living in Israel also has a serious side that everyone is hyper-focused on now. Frank describes the two realities of Israel, in that “we have Hashem protecting us and guiding us, but we also know that throughout our history, our people have been challenged with tremendous suffering.”

“We’re been in plenty of situations before, and Israel is surrounded by enemies whose sworn mission it is to destroy us and kill us and wipe us off the face of the earth, as we’ve seen, even at the expense of taking anyone. Civilians and children, there are no boundaries,” he said. 

When the war broke out on October 7, Frank was there with his wife of a little over a year. And the two experienced the malice of their enemies firsthand. 

Simchat Torah Amidst Rockets

When the war broke out, it was the holiday of Simchat Torah, which is supposed to be the happiest day of the year. But the joy quickly transformed into horror.

“People who grew up [in Israel] are used to sirens,” Frank explains. But being raised in the United States, Frank was not. 

Israelis in their twenties and thirties haven’t experienced a full-blown war in their lifetimes, but sirens and alarms tied to ongoing tensions are the norm. But it was different for everyone when the rockets and sirens kept going off on October 7th, 2023. 

The Bright Side of Darkness: Frank Horowitz’s Reflection on Jewish History and Individual Responsibility

Frank widens the lens as he considers this all-too-close-to-home war in Israel in the context of other events in his lifetime.

“I think we live in a time that’s kind of disconnected,” he says. Frank explains that from the 9/11 attack in New York City onward to the various school shootings and other unthinkable tragedies of the past several years, Americans have grown desensitized to the horrors of the world in order to survive. 

But in Israel, there was no desensitization. Rather, Frank experienced a “swift response” where everyone was “helping in every way they can.” He spoke about rabbis going to the frontlines, civilians figuring out what the IDF needed—from clothing and toiletries to gear—and joining together to gather supplies. He spoke about communities coming together to host families who were displaced. 

Prior to the attack, Frank notes, there was a growing lack of unity in the Jewish community, with differing beliefs and backgrounds causing divides. He says that the divide amongst the Jewish community “reached a climax, unfortunately, right before this all happened.” The divide, he explains “all shed in a matter of moments when we had to unite.”

A Call for Unity and Light: Frank Horowitz’s Message to Jews Worldwide

Throughout the history of our people, there have been many moments of darkness and pain. “But every single time,” Frank says, “There has been revealed a much greater light.” 

While the soldiers must endure the physical battle in the land, Frank says that each and every Jew needs to look within to figure out “How am I going to change? How am I going to make amends? How am I going to be a more authentic Jew?” 

Frank explains that rather than living in accordance with the expectations of the outside world, one needs to ask oneself how to really “tap into what I’m meant to be doing in this world and go for it. I think that’s how we can bring real change.”

“We’re here for a bigger cause,” Frank says. He urges everyone to pray for our soldiers and “bring a lot of light” to one another because regardless of the challenges we face, “We’re in it together.”