Shabbat Shalom | July 12, 2024

Dear Friends,

Earlier this month members of our TSTI community participated in two different Israel Missions sponsored by our Greater MetroWest Federation. One “track” was a solidarity mission while the second was specifically designed to show elected officials and educators the reality of Israel. I’m proud that so many of the participants are part of our TSTI community and have been moved by the stories and experiences they have shared with me.

Amy and Richard Giles were two of the participants and Amy, one of our TSTI Board Members, was kind enough to share some of her reflections.

I’m honored to share her words with all of you.

Wishing you all a quiet and respectful Shabbat.

In friendship,

Rabbi Daniel Cohen

Piece for Rabbi Cohen from Amy Giles

The shabbat before we left for Israel, Rabbi Cohen said to me, “This trip will be life changing.”  And it truly was.

I had been to Israel four times before, the most recent trip ten years ago. So much has changed in these ten years, from the completed construction of busy highways leading into Tel Aviv (instead of the former chaos when the road ended in city streets), the sight of countless cranes helping to build high rises in Tel Aviv, Ashdod, and Ashkelon to the flurry of Haredim on the streets and at bus stops of Jerusalem. But this is a country at war, in both the North and the South. We were cautioned by our security guard that we’d have only 7 seconds to run to a shelter if the sirens went off (thankfully they never did) when we visited the town of Ofakim, Kibbutz Nir Oz, The Nova Music Festival Memorial, and Kibbutz Eres, all places within a few miles of the Gaza border.  We played drums with 8-year-olds at a community center, where music is viewed as a way to provide comfort and therapy to kids who are struggling in the aftermath of October 7th.

We listened to a Nova Festival Survivor recount her happiness at sunrise, dancing with thousands, only to have that peaceful time shattered by gunfire and three hours of a harrowing escape to safety.

Hostage Hersh Polin Goldberg’s parents spoke to us about the kind soul Hersh is and recounted how they’d heard from hundreds of people from around the world who had met Hersh on his travels after army service.  Hersh’s mom Rachel also implored us to feel sadness not just for the hostages taken on October 7th, but for the Gazans who are innocent and swept up in the madness that is Hamas.  The idea that the mother of a hostage (who the world has seen on video is now missing his arm) can feel sympathy for innocent Gazans is mind boggling, but I try to keep that empathy with me.  It’s not easy.

When we walked through Kibbutz Nir Oz, where more than ¼ of the residents were murdered and more remain in captivity, we saw 90% of the buildings had been burned.  All the bicycles (but one old one) on the kibbutz were stolen by the more than 1000 Palestinians who looted (tv’s and anything they could carry or fit in their white pickup trucks) the kibbutz on October 7th and burned everything as they roamed the bucolic setting.  The kibbutznik who walked us around explained that Nir Oz used to offer tours of their beautiful gardens, that’s what it was known for, and we could see all the flowers still in bloom.  We waved to two Thai workers who recently had come to take care of the plants, and we felt sad to hear that all of the Thai workers who used to live on Nir Oz were either murdered or captured.  Hamas didn’t just murder Israelis, they are still holding hostages from 21 countries.

At the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in Jerusalem, we learned about Habuki, a stuffed animal dog with light brown fur and white patches, who has long arms and legs with velcro so he can hug the children he’s given to.  Habuki has a sad expression on his face and the social worker who presented him to us explained how children relate to him.  Kids are able to talk about their own sadness as if it belongs to Habuki; they need to comfort Habuki, they can sleep with him to keep him safe because they think he may be scared of the sirens.  And more than 1000 Habukis have been given to the kids and he’s helping.  After all, as we heard many times, this is a nation traumatized after October 7th and there aren’t enough therapists for each individual who needs one.  So, the Israelis, as they always do, are devising other plans and methods (phone apps and group therapy sessions) to meet the mental health needs.

In a Leket field outside Tel Aviv, in Rishon LeZion, we picked one ton of kohlrabi (a cross between a radish and cabbage) to help feed 500 Israeli families.  Leket is the Israeli food bank-equivalent organization, and they grow vegetables and partner with farmers to supply those in need.

On our last day, we listened to Aviva Siegal, a 62-year-old hostage who was released after 51 days.  Her husband, Keith, a 64-year-old American citizen, is still in captivity and after 42 years of marriage, she struggles every minute of every day without him.  She recounted the horrors she and others endured, from rations of one sip of water a day, to oxygen-limited underground tunnels, to having to be quiet for days on end, while laying on flat, paper-thin mattresses in the dark. Aviva called the captors “inhumane, cruel animals” and she just can’t understand how they could treat people the way they did and continue to do.

She wouldn’t divulge details of sexual assault, but just said she knows what went on.  We were speechless (and quietly teary) when she stopped talking, devastated to hear what she’d been through and what she fears Keith is still experiencing.I will never forget how each speaker opened up by saying they would answer any questions we had, that no question was off limits, and they’d be frank in their responses.  They thanked us for coming, telling us how much it meant that we’d taken the time to come to Israel.

The streets are pretty quiet, they miss the tourists; there are no Birthright crowds or loud B’nai Mitzvah celebrations at The Wall.

Imagine, the Israelis thanked us after all they’ve been through and continue to go through.  They want us to share their stories, they say it helps them to talk about it.  And it’s helped me to write about it.

I can’t wait to return to Israel.  I just hope there won’t be hostages’ families to greet and that the focus will be on delicious shawarma, treats from Halvah King at Machane Yehuda and dancing at The Wall to welcome Shabbat.