Two separate yet equally powerful Federation missions recently returned from Israel. One group was the second delegation of prominent local elected officials and educators, led by our JCRC and Holocaust Education professionals. The other was a group of Greater MetroWest community members and supporters showing solidarity with our Israel partner communities. The groups spent time together in Israel, processing jointly what they each had witnessed.
These missions gave participants an opportunity to witness what happened in Israel on October 7 and to engage in meaningful conversations with Israelis – Jews and Arabs – who were most deeply affected by the attacks and the aftermath, hear from thought leaders, and ask questions.
An excerpt from community member Amy Giles’ description of her experience:
We were cautioned by our security guard that we’d have only 7 seconds to run to a shelter if the sirens went off (thankfully they never did) when we visited the town of Ofakim, Kibbutz Nir Oz, The Nova Music Festival Memorial, and Kibbutz Erez, all places within a few miles of the Gaza border. We played drums with 8 year olds at a community center, where music is viewed as a way to provide comfort and therapy to kids who are struggling in the aftermath of October 7. We listened to a Nova Festival survivor recount her happiness at sunrise, dancing with thousands, only to have that peaceful time shattered by gunfire and three hours of a harrowing escape to safety. Hostage Hersh Polin Goldberg’s parents spoke to us about the kind soul Hersh is and recounted how they’d heard from hundreds of people from around the world who had met Hersh on his travels after army service. Hersh’s mom Rachel also implored us to feel sadness not just for the hostages taken on October 7, but for the Gazans who are innocent and swept up in the madness that is Hamas….
When we walked through Kibbutz Nir Oz, where more than one quarter of the residents were murdered and more remain in captivity, we saw 90 percent of the buildings had been burned… The kibbutznik who walked us around explained that Nir Oz used to offer tours of their beautiful gardens, that’s what it was known for, and we could see all the flowers still in bloom. We waved to two Thai workers who recently had come to take care of the plants, and we felt sad to hear that all the Thai workers who used to live on Nir Oz were either murdered or captured. Hamas didn’t just murder Israelis, they are still holding hostages from 21 countries.
At the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in Jerusalem, we learned about Habuki, a stuffed animal dog with light brown fur and white patches, who has long arms and legs with Velcro so he can hug the children he’s given to. Habuki has a sad expression on his face and the social worker who presented him to us explained how children relate to him…. More than 1,000 Habukis have been given to the kids and it’s helping. This is a nation of people traumatized after October 7 and there aren’t enough therapists for each individual who needs one, so the Israelis, as they always do, are devising other plans and methods (phone apps and group therapy sessions) to meet the mental health needs.
….We listened to Aviva Siegal, a 62-year-old hostage who was released after 51 days. Her husband, Keith, a 64-year-old American citizen, is still in captivity and, after 42 years of marriage, she struggles every minute of every day without him… Aviva called the captors “inhumane, cruel animals” and she just can’t understand how they could treat people the way they did and continue to do… We were speechless (and quietly teary) when she stopped talking, devastated to hear what she’d been through and what she fears Keith is still experiencing.
I will never forget how each speaker opened up by saying they would answer any questions we had, that no question was off limits, and they’d be frank in their responses. They thanked us for coming, telling us how much it meant that we’d taken the time to come to Israel. The streets are pretty quiet, they miss the tourists; there are no Birthright crowds or loud b’nai mitzvah celebrations at the Wall. Imagine, the Israelis thanked us after all they’ve been through and continue to go through. They want us to share their stories, they say it helps them to talk about it.
The legislators and educators additionally met with Foreign Ministry Special Envoy for Trade and Innovation Fleur Hassan and Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Michal Cotler-Wunsch for updates on the political/ security situation and global surge of antisemitism and Israeli Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, a 40-year Mideast veteran covering the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, who said he was both surprised by the cruelty of the attacks, and at the same time, not surprised given generations of incitement against Jews in schools, mosques and media.
Given the intense political divisions in many New Jersey towns, classrooms, school boards, and campuses over the ongoing war in Gaza, it has never been more important to bring our educators and legislators to see for themselves what happened on that terrible day. Not only do they help inform those who teach our children and those who craft legislation, but there is no better way than travelling across Israel to build relationships and strengthen the bonds between our two countries.
A message from Maxine Schwartz to Rachel Polin-Goldberg
Dear darling Rachel-
How can we presume to know you, and the terrible pain that you, your husband Jon and two daughters are in. We should pass you on the street without a side glance, without recognizing you, without knowing you.
But we do feel as if we know you, we empathize with you because of the strength, sincerity, grace, generosity and hope that you have shown the world over the past almost 9 months. Hersh is all of our sons, and you, our hero.
You tell a lullaby, of a seed covered in war, trauma and some hope. And how our collective tears can grow this seed and the hope within. We carry this hope that your Hersh, our Hersh will return home now. We are here to tell you that we will continue to cry with you, to grow hope, to dream about Hersh and to pray for his return.
Hope, as you say, is mandatory.