An orthodox man, a Reform women rabbi and an Israeli Arab walk into a lecture as well as Nova musical festival and Purim

I like to title our Wednesday morning that an Orthodox Jewish man, a Woman Rabbi and an Israeli Arab walk into a bar.  Well actually they walked into our first session of the day.  The orthodox man was a participant on our trip and Mohammad Darawshe, is a

Shalom Hartman Institute faculty member and Director of Planning, Equality and Shared Society at Givat Haviva Educational Center. He discussed the challenges they and their teams have faced in today’s reality, and shared their dreams for the future. Rabbi Yehudit Werchow, one of our trip leaders is the former Director of Israel Engagement for the Union for Reform Judaism. She was born in Argentina and grew up in Israel.  Mohammad begin with what happened on October 8.  As the director of Givat Haviva he was able to open his campus to Jews who needed a place to stay who were refugees from the Gaza Envelope.  He realized that the trust level between Jews and Arabs was at an all time low.  We had heard the day before at K'far Azza that Hamas knew exactly where to attack in the kibbutz, which families had things to steal and where everything was located. This information had been gathered by the Palestinians who worked on the Kibbutz.  Mohammad believes in Conflict prevention, not unlike a vaccination which exposes to the disease in small doses; Arabs and Israelis must meet together even if it is small steps. Hamas has called for Arab Israelis to join their terror war.  For the most part they have not joined and realize that life is much better in Israel.  

Our Mifgash was almost at an end.  We did have some to process all we had seen and heard over the past 3 days.  We had small groups and we were each encouraged to share and help review all we had seen and heard.  I thank my group for helping me and making me look at the experience with different eyes. 

I was fortunate to stay in Israel for a few more days.  I still packed quite a bit into each day.  We went the next day to see t he Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an open-air music festival during the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret near kibbutz Re'im. There had been over 3000 people at this festival and as part of the attack, 364 civilians were killed and many more wounded by Hamas at least 40 hostages were also taken.  It was heartbreaking to see all the pictures of those who had died on this site.  They were all young, out for a Jewish holiday and those who survived also have harrowing tales.  They ran miles to the nearby kibbutzim before finding shelter.  It is monument now to all those who died at the concert.  I am not sure how this will be processed into the Israeli and Jewish consciousness.  I feel lucky that I was able to bear witness at all of these sites and to be able to see with my own eyes the destruction. Many of you have heard the story of Hersh Goldberg Polin.  He also had a picture amid all of the other young adults who had died.  

Hersh Goldberg-Polin Memorial at Nova

That evening, after visiting the Nova festival we went to a Purim Megillah reading in Tel Aviv at Beit Daniel.   It was fun, great to celebrate in Israel.  It was certainly a subdued celebration.  They began the service with a prayer for the hostages and the Israeli soldiers.  It was good to be with an Israeli congregation and it did lighten our hearts.  

Enjoy my pictures and my musings on my time in Israel.  I hope to do one more post.  I have to say that this trip, where I spoke Hebrew all the time, even went to a play all in HEBREW has inspired me get back to Israel and not wait 10 years.  

Lori Sagarin and me at Beit Daniel

We visited Kfar Aza and Kibbutz Sa'ad

On Tuesday March 19,  our Mifgash traveled to Kfar Aza, one of the Israeli Kibbutzim that was attacked on October 7th.  After the attack they evacuated after more than 60 residents were murdered and at least 18 were kidnapped on Oct. 7.  Our group was broken into 2 groups and my leader was Shachar, who is the only person who is currently living on the kibbutz.  To see the houses riddled by bullets, burnt to the ground and pictures of those kibbutz members taken hostage was not easy to look at.  The stories that Shachar told us were also devastating.  The members are still deciding if they want to come back to the kibbutz.  They are so close to Gaza we could hear Israel bombing.  It was a somber reminder of what is happening there.  One story I will share is that when Hamas attacked the Kibbutz they had house by house information about where everything was located in the kibbutz.  This is not the first kibbutz where I have heard this same story.  Palestinians who worked on Kibbutzim had provided this information to Hamas. I think rebuilding trust will not come easily.  The irony is that these Kibbutzim for the most part are liberal, peace loving places with many ties to the Palestinians.  Those relationships have been severed for now.  

Walking in the deserted kibbutz was very disconcerting. Most of the damage on Kfar Azza ws done to the neighborhoods where the young people lived in 2 room houses, a bedroom, kitchen and living room. They were brave and tried to save one another.  One young man, threw back 4 grenades and when he missed one grenade he fell on it to save his fiance.  This is just one story.  

We next went to Kibbutz Sa'ad, which is a modern orthodox kibbutz right across the street.  They were saved as the people from K'far Azza warned them and they were able to get their weapons and fight back.  Now, most of this kibbutz has come back.  They were in Dead Sea hotels for 5 months and just got back to kibbutz.  

One man stayed because he was in charge of the milking cows and he had many Thai workers he felt responsible for.  They also grow and refrigerate flowers on Sa'ad.  At one point the man in charge of the big refrigerators was asked to empty them, they were to be filled with the bodies soldiers killed in the fighting.

We heard from the principal of the area who lived on Kfar Azza.  He ran many schools and as the first week of war continued he went to 5-8 funerals a day. Teachers, friends and students.  He has not moved back to Kfar Azza yet.  He wants to visit the States in May.  We asked why May?  His personal kids will not be graduating with all their friends, many died and some have not come back to the area.  Also in May Israel has both Yom HaZikaron, memorial day and Yom Ha-atzmaout, Independence day.  He doesn't think his family can relive the past year through those commerations.

At the end of the evening we heard from Yussef Alziadna a Bedouin, mini bus driver.  A family friend called him at 6:00am from the Nova Music festival, another site of a horrible massacre.  He did not think twice but left to pick up these young people.  His mini bus held 14 people and he ended up helping over 30 people escape.  He became very famous in Israel and was even invited to meet President Biden.  He refused as he still has 2 cousins captive in Gaza.  Hamas has his phone number and has called him.  

This is just the beginning and I will write more soon.  

 

I am in Israel as I write this I want you to know that I have not been back to Israel for 10 years and that is a long time for me not to visit.  In the past 10 years my daughter Lital got married to her husband Cole, they have 2 children, I am a Savta, I had ovarian cancer and am STILL NED, (no evidence of disease), lost my father to cancer, and still work with my congregation, Makom Solel Lakeside as Director of Lifelong Learning where I work with adults.  That is just the tip of the iceberg of what I have been doing since last being in Israel.  Now for what's happening in Israel. 

The world changed on Shabbat Simchat Torah, October 7, 2023. It seems like yesterday that we watched television news day in and day out as the war in Israel came alive on our televisions.  We couldn't believe that this was a war and there were over 250 hostages brutally taken from Israel and thousands killed, including soldiers, women and children.  Many of those Israelis murdered. When the war broke out Israel called up 220,000 reservists and the whole country came together to help where they My heart has been the East since the war began and I was looking for a way to come to Israel.  I am so fortunate to have been in Israel with The iCenter, on a Mifgash with meaning.  A Mifgash is a meeting and we were 31 participants with 4 staff from the iCenter. We were also so fortunate to work the staff of Shorashim who made our ground accommodations.  

I have so much to say about this trip, the people who were on it and how much we learned.  I know that there is not one narrative about the matzav, situation here in Israel.  I do know that the world has changed and we can only hope to help in some small way.  Our first night with our cohort we worked with the artist Henoch Piven.  His workshops allow anyone to be an artist and since October 7 he has been working with families to help them get over their trauma.  We all did a piece entitled: My Journey in Times of Turmoil.  Just a sample of my art.

I am on the right and Israel is on the left and we both have tears.  I know this activity helped us to begin processing what we were feeling.  

Have I mentioned that I was the oldest person on the trip.  I take pride in that and have great hope to know that so many of my young colleagues are dedicated to making Israel a top priority.  Tuesday we know will be a long day as we are traveling to K'far Azza.  This kibbutz had many members brutally murdered and it was indeed a very long day.  I will write more after Shabbat as I do want to share my trip with you.

My cohort, Israel 2024 Mifgash with Meaning