A granddaughter leaves for a year of study in Israel, carrying Alisa’s Hebrew name—and beginning her own journey of Jewish growth, independence and discovery.

Today my granddaughter Hannah left for Israel to begin her gap year.

That sentence is easy to write. The emotions that go with it are considerably harder to describe.

Hannah’s Hebrew name is Chana Michal Ahuva. Chana Michal was the Hebrew name of my daughter Alisa; Ahuva — “beloved” — was added for Hannah. So, there was already a connection between the two of them long before Hannah boarded the plane today.

This is hardly our family’s first experience sending a young person off to Israel. Children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews have made the trip. And over the years, through the Alisa Flatow Memorial Scholarship Fund, our family has helped other young men and women spend extended periods studying there.

Still, every departure is different.

I have written before about something I noticed during Alisa’s six trips to Israel, beginning when she was 11. “We always enjoyed sending Alisa to Israel because every time she........

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