Dear TBZ Community:
I write this just a few hours after landing back in Boston, after spending six days in Israel – three visiting family and friends, and three in a solidarity mission with a group of twelve women leaders from the Boston Jewish Community. I am honored to have envisioned and planned this trip together with TBZ members Idit Klein (CEO of Keshet) and Dr. Judith Rosenbaum (CEO of Jewish Women’s Archive). My deepest gratitude goes to Dr. Stephen Arnoff and his team (Meirav Shveyki-Fishman, Rabbi Shuki Zehavi, Hillary Menkowitz and Bruce Shaffer) at the Fuchsberg Center in Jerusalem for putting this mission together for us. And to CJP for supporting this mission. This Shabbat N’kabla message is a report of my trip; I apologize for its length but I hope it gives you a sense of what I witnessed. (I have linked to many websites of organizations and articles with the hope to give you more access to information and stories that you might be unfamiliar with).
This past week was incredibly intense, and I know I will be processing my experience for many weeks to come. I have been wanting to get on a plane to Israel since October 7th. I knew in my heart and mind that I needed to be there, first and foremost to hug my family and friends, to listen to their experiences, to bear witness to the atrocities that occurred on that day, and to learn what people are feeling and doing and what they are experiencing. I knew that this trip was not going to be easy and, of course, it wasn’t. I cried and felt my heart breaking again and again, both as I learned more about the reality on the ground and as I grasped the lack of clarity as to what will happen next. But I also came back with a small sense of hope – or at least a reminder not to lose hope – as I saw some light while meeting with different women who are leading courageously, showing us the path forward.
Why this mission? Judith, Idit, and I shared a desire and longing to go to Israel; the three of us shared the idea of forming a mission that would look at October 7th and its aftermath through a gender lens. It was of the utmost importance that we could understand and bear witness, focusing on the atrocities of that terrible day while also understanding the ramifications and hearing about the ways to support the efforts for a shared society for Palestinians and Israelis.
My first three days were filled with encounters with my family and friends. Lots of hugs and tears, lots of listening to their stories. Everyone has lost someone or knows someone who has lost someone close to them. And so many of my friends have children enlisted and are hoping that their children come home soon, healthy and alive. One of my friends and colleagues, Rabbi Barry Schelsinger, gave me a book that his daughter wrote for children whose fathers are in the military reserves. Reading this book and learning about the need for it was eye opening – a generation of children and their families will experience this war with and through absent fathers.
Our group of twelve women leaders from the Boston Jewish community met with Israeli women (Jews, Bedouins and Palestinian) and feminist leaders across religious and cultural sectors, learning about the reality, the darkness of this moment, and the activism of many incredible civil society organizations that are working tirelessly to respond and to give hope during this time. I will try to summarize below the three days we spent together. I am also planning, together with Idit and Judith, to hold an evening to report back in more detail about our trip. Please plan to join us (in person or on Zoom) on Monday, January 29 at 7pm (details to follow).
First Day, Monday, January 8th:
Our first stop was Wolfson Medical Center, where some of the returned kidnapped were received and treated. We met with senior surgery and trauma doctors and learned about their experience and that of their patients. The care, the love, and the trauma was palpable. In addition we met with Esther, a twenty-year-old woman who survived the massacre at the Nova party at Re’im. After a night of dancing, she and her friend Shir slipped out to take pictures of the sunset when they heard the first rockets fall. They were able to flee and met a young man, Ori, who offered to drive them in his car. Terrorists found them and Ori was shot in front of their eyes. Eventually, after many hours being scared and pretending to be dead, they were saved by IDF soldiers. Esther’s message was powerful as she recognized the blessing, the luck, to be alive and said that she appreciates the little things, doesn’t take anything for granted, and that nothing is more important than to be alive and to live her life. During the time at Wolfson while listening to the account of Esther, an air raid siren went off, so we had to rush down to a safe place, under the stairwell. We were safe and I felt safe, but of course this experience gave us another perspective on the reality of this war.
We returned to Jerusalem where we met with Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, Chair of the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children, an independent, non-governmental organization created to document every piece of information, and to research, advocate for, and support the investigation of war crimes committed on by Hamas both on October 7th and the continuous war crimes towards the abducted women and children. Dr. Elkayam-Levy described how devastating it has been to see the UN first ignore, then minimize, and only recently make the kinds of statements that we should have seen in the first days after October 7th. I was moved by her courage, and determination. At the end of her talk she said that we need to have women in leadership positions in the next Israeli government. We have not been successful. Something needs to change.
Second Day, Tuesday, January 9th:
We began the day early and traveled south. First to the memorial site for the 364 people killed at the Nova festival. We walked around seeing pictures of the young people who “just wanted to party.” It was hard to walk around in the grounds where people went to dance, but instead they died a tragic death. As a group we recited the Mourner’s Kaddish and lit a candle. The messages of love and the photos of beautiful faces shared at the memorial site were a reminder that each person had a story, a family, someone who loved them and who they loved.
From there we traveled to Kibbutz Nirim, one of the kibbutzim in the Gaza envelope. I was at Nirim last year with the participants of TBZ and Temple Sinai’s joint Israel trip. Just a year later, the empty kibbutz is a different place. One of the members of the kibbutz, journalist Adele Raemer who walked us around shared her story, the story of others who survived, those who didn’t survive, and their journey now that they have been displaced. As we walked around we saw some of the devastation – burned cars and houses, bullets in kitchen walls and televisions. While we walked we also heard the sound of artillery explosions and bombs in Gaza, just beyond the border. In the words of Idit, “Just beyond a thin wire fence we could see Gaza, two kilometers away. I prayed that the bombs we heard and felt were falling on uninhabited spaces, but I knew that was unlikely. I feared for people in Gaza being wounded or killed as I walked through the abandoned kibbutz where people had been wounded and killed not long ago. It was a moment in which it was hard not to despair.”
The afternoon was an antidote to despair as we met with incredible women leaders Ayesha Zianda, Khitam Bader, and Racheli Geffen in Rahat. In this Bedouin city, we learned about the experience of local Arabs on October 7th. And about the first shared situation room, established on October 8th to serve Arab and Jewish citizens, with a focus on serving those from underserved communities such as unrecognized Bedouin villages and the Jewish towns of Netivot and Ofakim. We heard from Arab and Israeli women, who spoke about the importance of bringing people together and helping each other. They said, it is how they keep hope alive and stop despair from taking over: “The only treatment for being exposed to crimes against humanity is to be exposed to an abundance of humanity.” Their words touched my soul and reminded me not to lose hope. Their words were clear, saying that in the midst of the trauma since October 7th, there is an opportunity to break through the narrative that Jews and Arabs cannot live together.
Our evening ended after meeting an amazing young leader, Lee Hoffman Agiv, who is the Field Operations Manager at Bonot Alternativa, an Israeli social activist organization that seeks to promote social equality, empower women, and raise awareness of violence against women. She shared with us how quickly they shifted from being protest leaders to becoming emergency leaders, organizing volunteers to help anyone that was in need. They mobilize volunteers all over the country, responding to the needs of the society. After a day of bearing witness to so much destruction, hearing Lee speak with such passion and determination gave me hope. And like we heard in almost every conversation we had on the mission, Lee said, “There is no way to make this a better place to live for all of us unless women are part of every decision-making process.”
Third Day, Wednesday January 10th:
Our last day began in Jerusalem with more courageous and inspiring speakers. First we met with Hanan Alsana, a lawyer, a feminist, and a social and political activist in Arab-Israeli and particularly Bedouin society. She co-founded the Jewish-Arab Situation Room in Rahat that we visited the day before. She spoke about the complexity of this moment as an Arab-Israeli and what it means for her and many in her community to both hold loyalty to her Israeli citizenship and care for the people in Gaza, including many people of her tribe who live in Gaza. Our next meeting was with Peta Jones Pellach of Women Waging Peace, an organization that I have followed and admired since its foundation by Vivian Silver, z.l, who was murdered on October 7th. They have continued to stay active, especially in the call to bring the hostages home and to maintain their connections and sustain their relationships with their Palestinian “sisters” in Gaza. Peta, who is a religious woman, said of the work for peace, “If it is good enough to pray for, it is good enough to work for.” The commitment to work for peace as a religious imperative spoke to my soul.
Our third speaker was Rachel Stomel from the Center for Women’s Justice. Rachel was a guest (over zoom) at last year’s TBZ women’s retreat. Rachel told us about wartime challenges that are ignored, including agunot (women who do not receive a get, a Jewish divorce, typically because the husband refuses, but in times of war it could be because the husband disappears or is incapacitated to give the get), the rise of domestic violence, and the fear that many women have as more citizens have access to guns. Together with Rachel, we heard from Hannah Katzman, who lost her son Hayim Katzman on October 7th. Her account of her loss and the role she has taken to share her grief with others was sobering.
We left Jerusalem to go to Tel Aviv, to the headquarters of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. We met with family members of hostages, as well as with one of the hostages that returned home. I have no words that can hold what we witnessed, what we heard. It was humbling and heart-breaking to be in the presence of Raz Ben Ami, a former hostage, and her daughter Ella, who was one of the first to report the kidnapping of her parents. They are still waiting for Raz’s husband Ohad to come home. Each of the family members, together with Ambassador Colette Avital begged us not to give up, to do whatever we can – to call our representatives, to put pressure, to make sure that the international community, the Biden administration, as well as the Israeli government make the return of the hostages the priority. From the headquarters we walked to Kikar Hachatufim (Hostage Square), where people gather to support the families around powerful art installations. I had the honor of leading a service there, with song and prayer. I brought home “Bring them Home Now” pins, which I will put in a basket outside the sanctuary. If you take one, please give a donation to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum (or give a donation, even if you do not take a pin).
Our last stop was Beit Miriam – The Home for Gender Equality in Jaffa, where we met Israeli-Palestinian leader Sally Abed from Standing Together, a grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace, equality, and social and climate justice. Sally was in Boston not too long ago and many of us were able to hear her. Sally shared the words that possibly gave me the most hope or the most reason not to lose hope: “From the deepest crises come the clearest visions,” and after hearing so many visionaries, I pray and hope that a clear vision can come out from this dark time.
Our evening ended with music by Kaylee and RAZ, a Jewish and Palestinian duo who met at Seeds of Peace program, and our group closing with tears and blessings.
This week, we read parshat Va’era, the second Torah portion from the book of Exodus. God tells Moshe to go and speak to Pharaoh, to face him, to approach him, and to ask him to let the people of Israel go:
בֹּא דַבֵּר אֶל־פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרָיִם וִישַׁלַּח אֶת־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאַרְצוֹ
Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites depart from his land
If God wanted to liberate the people of Israel, could God just do it? Without needing to face Pharaoh? Without needing to send Moshe to face Pharaoh?
As I reflect on my visit to Israel this past week, it seems to me that the act of facing the destruction, the pain, the evil, the massacre, is necessary to be able to work towards redemption. Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy said to us, “We are putting together the pieces of a burnt puzzle.” To be able to put those pieces together, we must face the hurt, the burn, the trauma, we must see the pieces, we must face Pharaoh, only then we can work for redemption.
My heart continues to be broken, for the people in Israel, for my people, for the innocent people in Gaza, and for the terrible devastation happening in this war everywhere. But perhaps in this moment, I can hold onto the small rays of light of people who are not giving up on a future for Israelis and for Palestinians. People, especially women who are determined to heal and help others heal, sharing compassion and finding humanity in times where humanity is scarce.
May this Shabbat bring blessings and consolation to all of you and your loved ones. May we find strength, courage, and patience, and open our hearts with generosity. May all those who are ill find healing.
And my most fervent prayer, each day: May all the hostages come home soon to their families and friends, and may we see peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Claudia
P.S.: This Sunday, January 14, is 100 days since October 7th. Demonstrations as well as a strike that will be held by Israeli companies are among the many ways that this day will be marked to ask for the hostages to return. One important way for us to help is to call our representatives and use social media to amplify the voice of the families of the hostages. On Sunday, there is also an event in Cambridge, sponsored by Harvard Chabad and co-sponsored by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, CJP, JCRC and many other organizations. (at 38 Banks Street, Cambridge, 11:15am begin 1 mile loop walk.