By Sonia Israel
JERUSALEM — This week, a small group of local community members – including Federation Board Members and major donors – are in Israel as part of Jewish Federation of San Diego’s second Solidarity Mission to Israel.
Each day, we will be sharing reflections from participants on all they have seen and heard throughout the trip. They will all also be posted on our website here.
We hope you will follow along and be inspired to join us on future missions as we continue to stand in solidarity with Israel and help rebuild our beloved sister region, Sha’ar HaNegev.
“I asked how long each day they worked. Galia said they were given time shifts, but she didn’t want to leave, so she would work all day from morning to night. And then, when she got home and tried to sleep, the images and the names would run like a movie in her head.”
Later, on the way to Jerusalem for the official start of the Solidarity Mission, local guide Yona Leshets and I traveled a new road that goes right past the military cemetery and memorial site, Yar Herzl (Mt Herzl), where so many new graves have been added:
“[It] was heartbreaking to see grave after grave after grave, each covered with photos and memorabilia of these young men and women with their date of death – October 7. October 7. October 7. October 8. October 9. And on and on.”
Later that evening, during dinner at the Kedma Restaurant in Mamila Mall, the group listened to a powerful panel discussion chaired by Charlene Seidle, president and CEO of the Leichtag Foundation, with two journalists: Maya Buenos of the Maariv Israeli newspaper and Natan Odenheimer of the New York Times about their experiences since October 7.
“Maya spoke about the difference between the Israeli internal papers and the international ones. And her conclusion was that no one can be objective right now. It is all personal. They are not just telling the stories. They are part of the stories. […] And their advice to us: ‘Be the heart that listens.’”
Federation ensures that our San Diego community and our international partners have the infrastructure in place to continue supporting Israel in her time of great need.
Each year, our fundraising assists new Israeli immigrants, ensures Holocaust survivors can live out their lives with dignity, supports at-risk youth and other vulnerable populations, and connects North American Jews with Israel and her people.
Our Annual Campaign now also supports the growing numbers of people in Israel affected by the war. This includes providing shelters and security in high-risk areas, protecting seniors and those with disabilities, administering trauma support for people whose families and homes have been shattered, and sending medical supplies to partner organizations on the ground in Israel.
None of this work would be possible without your generous support.
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Sonia Israel is a vice co-chair for the campaign of the Jewish Federation of San Diego