Hi, my name is Roey Leshem and I’m from Boston, Massachusetts.
I am half Israeli but my whole life I’ve seen Israel through the lens of an outsider. Anytime I visited it was as a vacation. I wanted to know what it would be like to truly live in Israel. Through Aardvark, I now have the opportunity to visit my Israeli family every weekend and be much more connected to them.
I’ve also gained so many important life skills, and I’ve learned to be self sufficient. My cooking skills aren’t great but I’ve learned to budget, buy groceries, and have control over all of my day to day tasks.
Before the war I was managing external affairs for the Tower of David museum in Jerusalem. I helped with donor events, managed a database of journalists, and I worked with film crews to help them make the content they wanted from the museum.
I made the decision that I wanted to stay in Israel during the war and it has really helped me see Israel in a new light. Volunteering and helping the country recover after October 7th has been really meaningful and important to me.
Fun fact: I learned how to ski at the same time that I learned to walk
