Letters from Israel

Our TBS Israel Mission just completed our first day in Israel.  We started by revisiting the terrible attacks committed by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians and soldiers on October 7.  It was important for us to see with our own eyes the destruction and to hear ourselves the first-hand accounts of heroism and tragedy.  It was a difficult but meaningful day.  Let me tell you about it.

After we landed earlier this morning our group headed straight down south to the site of the Nova Music Festival.  It was here that approximately 4400 people came together to celebrate peace and love.  It became the exact opposite when terrorists attacked from Gaza, killing 364 souls and wounding countless others.  As you can see from the pictures, this site has become a memorial for the victims. Family and friends have come down with pictures and objects to remember their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers who were murdered.  It was a chilling reminder of the deadly and heartless violence of that day, which destroyed so many lives.

While at the Nova site, we also met up with a friend of Josh Romirowsky from our group who is currently serving in Gaza.  His reserve unit was called up on October 7 and he is still on duty, helping to evacuate the wounded.  He got permission to leave Gaza that morning to meet with us, and he went back there after he left.  He described to us the impossible situation in Gaza, with hostages being held all around, including in civilian homes and tunnel entrances seemingly under everything.  It was a sobering first-hand account from someone who has been in the middle of this since day one.  We concluded our time at the Nova site by listening to the song “Dance” by Osher Cohen, which was written a few weeks after this happened as a tribute to the victims, and then finished by saying mourners Kaddish together.
From Nova, we headed to lunch in the town of Netivot.  Normally lunch is not so special (actually, every meal in Israel has the potential to be pretty special), but this was a chance for us to bring some business to a town that hasn’t seen many visitors for a number of months.  We just had to eat some more, for the good of the town of course.

Next, we visited our friend Chen Kotler at her Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Chen has guided many TBS trips, but no tour was as emotional as this one.  Robyn Greenberg wrote this about our experience there:

“ When arriving at Kibbutz Kfar Aza I can hear the sounds of birds tweeting, the smell of newly blooming flowers, and ripened pomelos falling from the trees. These sounds and smells are reminiscent of spring and for a moment I thought, it feels peaceful here.

Upon walking through the Kibbutz my body shivered. I feel nothing but deep sadness. The smell of burnt dwellings, the utter destruction, the homes riveted with bullet holes. The marking of thirty-six lost community members and nineteen hostages. The tears are flowing from my eyes. Here at Kfar Aza, it is like time stands still."

We are greeted by Chen a courageous, resilient resident of Kfar who shared many stories of the tragedies and some heroic moments endured by her family and friends. The pain of reliving her experiences is worn on her face, yet she is so grateful we are here to bear witness and share the horrific truths of October 7.

As she ends the tour and says farewell her only hope is for Shalom. "May this be the future for Israel.”
Amen. Our last stop in the South today was the shelter from where one of the hostages, Hersh Goldberg-Polin was taken. Thirty Israelis huddled in this small shelter while Hersh and his best friend, Aner Shapira, hurled back grenades that Hamas terrorists kept throwing into the small space. Aner was killed, along with many in the shelter, and Hersh was injured and taken captive. We continue to pray and demand his release, along with the other 133 hostages still held in Gaza.  

After seeing the sites of the massacres of October 7, and hearing the stories of those directly impacted, we headed to Jerusalem.  We settled into the hotel, got some dinner, and then concluded our day with a final first-hand account from Jacqui and Yaron Vital. Yaron was at Kibbutz Holit on October 7 visiting his daughter, Adi, and his grandchildren Negev and Eshel.  When the terrorists entered her home Adi shot and killed one of them, and then she was killed in front of her 4 year and 4-month-old children.  The children were taken into Gaza along with a neighbor who cared for them, but were miraculously released immediately, most likely as a propaganda ploy from Hamas since it was filmed and released.  It was a powerful and emotional story, to conclude a powerful and emotional day.  

Judaism stresses the mitzvah of memory.  We must remember so we can learn from the past by being prepared for the future.  More than four months have passed since October 7, but in Israel, October 7 hasn’t yet passed.  It hangs over everything. Pictures of the hostages are up everywhere, hundreds of thousands of families are still displaced from their homes in the South and North, and Hamas continues to terrorize.  We started our trip by immersing ourselves in the terrible memories of October 7 because healing and peace can only come after we have confronted the very difficult facts and challenges we face.
That’s enough for tonight.  It’s been a long but important day.  More to come tomorrow. Thank you for reading and for all of your support.