by Justine Hemmestad
1-25-24
Not only is Israel suffering with the brutal loss of over 1,000 of its people, all the while knowing that additional Israelis are being held in unfathomable circumstances in Gaza, but Israel is suffering economically. Volunteers of like-mind- ed people, who want to get to work and help, are going to Israel to fill some of the farming positions, for ex- ample, that have otherwise had to be vacated when reservists were called to duty, or when people were displaced. Even simple things, like helping Israelis do daily chores, sorting clothing for people who can return to the kibbutzim, making care packages and boxing donated items for people in need, are incredibly valued and needed. People tend to feel helpless unless they do something, which helps us understand the significant mobilization of Jewish people from around the world. Programs such as Taglit Birthright Israel have invited alumni to share in the value of Arvut Hadadit (mutual responsibility) and come to Israel on an Onward volunteer program… to which 3,000 people have responded and are already hard at work in agricultural fields and logistics centers in Israel. And hundreds of people show their comradery by holding ceremonies to remember the kidnapped, such as the one in Tel Aviv with numerous orange balloons for a red-headed baby boy’s (Kfar Bibas) first birthday - in captivity. Josh Franklin, Rabbi of the Jewish Center in New York, shares that when people ask him, “Why would you go to Israel now?” he has a poignant answer: Franklin says, “An Israeli is trapped in a pit; a priest comes walking by, the Israeli cries out, ‘I’m stuck,’ and the priest says a blessing for him. A doctor comes by, and the Israeli calls again for help. The doctor writes a prescription and throws it in the pit. An American Jew walks by and the man calls out again for help. The American Jew jumps in the pit. ‘Why did you do that?’ says the Israeli. ‘Now we’re both down here.’ “The answer to a traditional version of this par- able is that ‘I’ve been here before, and I know the way out.’ But neither the American Jew nor the Israeli knows the way out… [likewise] I just know that I need to join with them in their pain, and that perhaps our shared mourning will one day turn back into dancing.” He continues to say, “Israelis who have kidnapped family members are living an unimaginable kind of nightmare so harrowing, it’s worse than death itself. One father of a 12-year-old girl thanked God that his daughter was murdered on October 7, because he couldn’t fathom the psychological, emotional and spiritual torment his daughter would have endured as a hostage in the pit of Gaza.” Rabbi Franklin, like the rest of the volunteers, wonders how he could not be in Israel during this time. He says, “This is precisely where American Jews need to be, supporting Israel in a time of pain.”
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