Travel Journal - Mission to Israel - June 2024

Shabbat in Jerusalem is always incredibly special, but all the more so at the end of our emotionally demanding and intense week in Israel.  After bringing in Shabbat together with candle lighting at the hotel, we walked to Kabbalat Shabbat services at Zion, an Eretz Israeli Congregation in Jerusalem. Zion is led by Rabbi Tamar Elad Applebaum, a leading rabbi in our movement who has been providing pastoral care to displaced people and so many in need. In addition to the unique and beautiful davening, Rabbi Elad Appelbaum gave a moving d’var Torah in which she specifically thanked us for being in Israel and implored everyone to support one another during this time of trauma for Israelis and Jews around the world.  Her message, connected to the Torah portion, is that we must push ourselves to reach higher each and every day.  It was then back to the hotel for a delicious Shabbat dinner.  

After dinner, our group met with one last guest speaker, Inbal Sitbon.  Inbal is a rabbinical student at the Schechter Rabbinical School in Jerusalem and was connected to us through her dean and our good friend, Rabbi Arie Hasit.  Rabbi Sitbon shared with us her experience on October 7 in Beersheva and also told us about the many connections she has to Kibbutz Be’eri, the Kibbutz that we visited on the first day of the trip.  Rabbi Sitbon works at the printing press at Be’eri and lost many friends and colleagues on October 7th and knows a number of the hostages personally. It was an emotional and powerful conversation that ended with Rabbi Sitbon explaining to us that since October 7, she feels that her calling to become a rabbi and to serve the Masorti (Conservative) Movement is more important than ever.

On Saturday morning, we made the long walk to our Sister Synagogue Kehillat Ma’ayanot. After getting to know each other from a distance since October 7, it was a tremendous privilege to meet members of the community in person and celebrate Shabbat with them.  TBS sponsored the kiddush, and community members told us publicly and privately how much they have appreciated our support over these many months.  After shul and Kiddush, they had arranged for home hospitality for all of us for Shabbat lunch.  What a blessing it was to be in their homes, to hear their stories, to make new friends, and to celebrate Shabbat together.   

After dinner at the hotel, we ended Shabbat with Havdalah and boarded the bus to head to the airport to begin our journey back to Cherry Hill.  As the trip comes to an end, I want to say a special thank you to some very special people.  Thank you to Ramah Israel and, in particular, our trip coordinator,  Adin Rodman, for his tireless work putting our Mission together.  Second, thank you to our AMAZING guide, Moshe Gold, who was a fountain of knowledge, a talented leader, and most of all, the definition of a mensch.  Finally, thank you to our 20 amazing trip participants who made our Solidarity Mission a priority and brought their hearts and souls to all of our work, encounters, and witnessing.  What an incredible group!  It was a privilege to spend the week in Israel with all of you.

It is hard to express how meaningful this trip was for us and for all of the people we encountered. There is much to share and discuss, and we will find a way to do so in the days, weeks, and months to come, but for now, here are some overall takeaways:

• If you have not been to Israel to see it with your own eyes and hear it directly from survivors and the IDF, whatever you think/imagine happened on October 7, it was SO MUCH WORSE.  It was, as many Israelis have described it to me, a Holocaust.
• Time and again, people spoke about the “we” and the “us.”  We are in this together - am ehad, b’lev ehad - one people with one heart.
• We must find ways to better tell Israel’s story in the media, on social media, and in our communities. This starts with sharing stories and personal narratives.    
• There are heroes all around Israel, walking down every street. There are so many unsung heroes. Israel is a country filled with heroes.
• One Israeli after another has told our group how much it means to them that we are here.  The support and love mean so much to them. And the hugs…SO MANY HUGS  - which they needed and we needed.
• The trauma and mental health issues in Israel are significant.  The road to healing is long.  And yet, the strength and resiliency of Israelis as individuals and as a people is nothing short of remarkable.   
• We must find ways to share this narrative in our South Jersey community and beyond.  We need to get more people to Israel to visit and to see it with their own eyes and hear it with their own ears.  And we must find ways to combat the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric that has become ever-present in schools, on college campuses, online, and more.
• And finally, despite the immense loss, suffering, and trauma, a message we received from Israelis throughout the trip is that Israel will be okay.  It will take time to rebuild and tremendous healing is needed.  Israel needs us now more than ever.  But Israel will be okay because that is the Israeli way.  That is the Jewish way.  HOPE.
• Rabbi Peltz is already working hard on planning the next TBS Mission to Israel for November.  If you have not been on one of our missions already, please consider going.  It is so important.  The people of Israel need us, and the truth is, we need them too. We are one people with one shared destiny, and together, we will prevail. Am Yisrael Hai!