From the Galilee to the World – and Back Again

Meet Joan-e Rapine joining the new Mateh Asher group

When she speaks about transitions, she does so with quiet strength and deep experience. Originally from Kibbutz Kfar-HaNassi in the Upper Galilee, she has spent the last three decades in the United States, raising a family, building a career, and traveling the world in pursuit of service and healing. Recently widowed, with her youngest daughter completing her studies, she chose this year of Shnat Sherut 50 Plus as the next chapter of her life, a way to reconnect with her roots and stand alongside her people at a time of profound need.

“I had been thinking about joining the Peace Corps again, wherever in the world I might be needed,” she reflects. “But when I learned about the opportunity to serve in Israel, it felt like a calling, a way to bring my skills home.”

A Life Dedicated to Healing and Empowerment

Her professional journey is extraordinary. With a master’s degree in mental health counseling and a bachelor’s degree in maternal and infant health and human lactation, she is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional, Board Certified Counselor, and registered clinical supervisor (AZ).

She specializes in Sand Tray Therapy, EMDR, Trauma Resiliency Model, Mind Body Medicine, Capacitar International practices, and expressive arts. Her integrative approach has helped countless adults navigate life transitions, grief, and trauma. For nearly five years, she has served the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona as a Behavioral Health Clinician while running her own practice, Hands in the Sand LLC.

Service Across Borders

Her commitment to service extends far beyond professional work. For over two years, she volunteered with the grassroots initiative First Aid of the Soul, supporting Ukrainian therapists during the ongoing war. Through Zoom, she facilitated trainings on self-regulation for trauma and led groups to practice skills under conditions of constant upheaval.

Her passion for teaching and empowering others goes back much further. She spent nearly two years in Guatemala as a Peace Corps volunteer, supporting livestock and agricultural development while also initiating women’s empowerment and innovative education projects. She has taught nutrition and composting in Hawaii, led childbirth preparation classes since 1999, and accompanied women through the deeply human journeys of childbirth and breastfeeding.

A Spirit of Adventure

Her life has always been marked by curiosity and courage. Whether hiking, caving, or crafting, she embraces the world with creativity and energy. And yet, at this stage of life, her path has brought her back to Israel.

Joining Shnat Sherut 50 Plus, she carries not only a lifetime of professional expertise but also a rare spirit of service shaped across cultures, borders, and decades. Now, she is ready to walk alongside Israeli communities in their own moments of transition, bringing healing, resilience, and hope.

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