Letters from Israel

This page will be updated regularly.  Follow along on our clergy's journeys to Israel, to bring hizuk (strength) and support to our brothers and sisters in Israel. 

Shalom from Israel!  I have been in Israel since Monday and return to Cherry Hill overnight this evening.  It has been a quick but certainly important trip to Israel, probably the most important and impactful time I have ever spent here.  I am grateful to our Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey for planning this solidarity mission and I am grateful to my TBS family, all of you, for supporting my being on the mission and...Read more...

Day 2 of our Solidarity Mission to Israel was certainly powerful and impactful.  We began this morning with an emotional meeting with Jacqui and Yaron Vital whose daughter, Adi...Read more...

Dear TBS Family, 

Our TBS Israel Mission has returned from an incredibly powerful week in Israel.  I have been blessed to travel to Israel many times, but I have never had as many meaningful experiences as I had on this trip.  I hope that you were able to come with us by following our updates on Facebook and on the...Read more...

We started our fourth day today thinking about the early Zionist thinker AD Gordon, who called for people to come to Israel “,” to build and to be built.”  He was referring to working the land, which he thought would both establish communities in Israel...Read more...

Yesterday we revisited the terrible events of October 7. Today to focus was on how we respond to terror and tragedy. Not only by asking why, but asking what we can do to help. We stayed in Jerusalem and spent most of the time volunteering and listening. It was a...Read more...

Today our TBS Mission departs for Israel! The 15 people on this mission represent our entire community. We will spend the next five days bearing witness, volunteering, and hearing stories. We will travel south to visit Kibbutz Kfar Aza and other places devastated by Hamas on...Read more...

The title translates the Hebrew words written on a tent at the entrance to a respite center for IDF soldiers. They come here when...Read more...

Arrival: Very different this time. First thing I saw coming up the ramp from the plane posted below. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is there too say about 137 pictures?...Read more...

Dear TBS Family, 

This past Shabbat I spoke about my experience in Israel on the Masorti Movement Leadership Solidarity Mission. It was a very difficult yet important few days. I witnessed both the terrible destruction of lives and property wrought by Hamas terrorists on October 7, and also the incredible resilience of Israeli society. You can watch the video of my reflections from the trip that I shared at...Read more...

As I end my second day in Israel, I am still processing everything I saw and heard in the southern communities.  So much loss, trauma, and anger at what happened.  Instead of sharing more details about that at the moment, I’d like to share something else that speaks to the incredible spirit and resilience of the amazing people of Israel.  

Our last stop today was Shura, which is an army base for the Chief Rabbinate of...Read more...

This is a hard post to write.  That’s because our last part of our first day here focused on the hostages.  At the moment, Israel believes that there are 242 hostages being held in Gaza.  I say believes because no one is really quite sure how many hostages there are.  Every Friday the government publishes a new list where they adjust the total.  This is because of the long and difficult process of identifying...Read more...

Walked off the plane into Israel through a line of posters of the 240 Israeli hostages in Gaza. Included here is a picture of Yuval (8) and Ofri (10), two of the four members of the Brodutch being held hostage and for whom we have our empty...Read more...

Getting ready to board the plane to Tel Aviv.  It’s a full flight with many people coming to volunteer and to give hizuk and support. I was able to check two bags full of donations, with more in my carry ons, and we will ship...Read more...