Peoples of Israel: Hannah Pasternak-Shames, the wayfinder
Hannah Pasternak-Shames, who made aliyah from New Jersey, found her calling by hiking the Israel National Trail. The experience led her to become a licensed tour guide, building a life in Jerusalem as a mother of four. The article profiles her journey of walking the land and learning to share its story with others.
Hannah Pasternak-Shames always knew she wanted to live in Israel. After immigrating from Livingston, New Jersey, she hiked the Israel National Trail for two months, crossing mountains, desert, and forests from Eilat northward. The experience was transformative, giving her time to reflect on her identity and aspirations. Along the trail, she boldly asked for a job at a campsite shared with American teenagers from the Alexander Muss program, landing her first job in Israel. The hike also sparked her career as a tour guide, a role she describes as taking a complicated, multi-layered story and making it simple for others. She settled in Jerusalem, married, and became a mother of four. She passed her licensing exam while heavily pregnant with her eldest son and later brought the baby to a Birthright certification course, where he was the first infant to attend.