This is the third in my series of articles reflecting on my mini sabbatical in Israel this summer made possible thanks to the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor. During my month in Israel, I participated in the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Community Leadership Program (CLP) and traveled throughout Israel visiting friends and relatives, volunteering, and attending protests. I also enjoyed a little “me time” – reading, hiking, sightseeing, and reconnecting with the people, culture, and language of Israel. You can read my previous articles about CLP and my reflections of my travels here.
As part of my full schedule in Israel, it felt important to spend time witnessing the critical work of Federation’s Israeli funding partners and how they have been impacted by the events of the previous ten months. Our local Federation designates 20% of its Annual Community Campaign each year to organizations in Israel and overseas, funds which have been more needed this past year than ever before. The staff, volunteers, and participants of all our funding partners were personally and directly affected by the events of October 7 and the war in Gaza. Many of the NGOs have operations in communities throughout Israel – including in the Gaza envelope – and work with families from all sectors including Arab, Druze, Bedouin and ultra-Orthodox. Every organization lost personnel and clients on October 7, and many thousands have been displaced by evacuations that are still on-going. Like the rest of the economy, the non-profit sector has been severely impacted by reserve call-ups and the deaths of soldiers in combat. Because of our focus on funding projects supporting a shared civil society, many organizations have Arab staff and clients who are concerned about relatives and friends in Gaza who have been killed, injured and/or displaced and who have been fearful of Jewish Israeli anger after the attacks.
In Israel, the programming year for many educational and programmatic organizations starts “acharei ha’chagim” – “after the holidays.” The October 7 massacre took place just as programs and initiatives were set to kick off, and many NGOs had to make hard decisions about how to continue their work in the new reality. We can and should be very proud of the leadership of our funding partners.
In the days immediately following October 7, Lior Sher, CEO of A New Way, wondered if it would be possible to continue their important work of generating highly meaningful interactions between Jews and Arabs through educational programs in the environment of fear and anger generated by the Hamas attack. It took just a few days for him to determine that this effort was more important than ever and must continue. At an annual meeting held in Jaffa – conducted in Hebrew and Arabic – A New Way reported on a successful year including participation of 2,250 students in educational shared society programs. Those who participated reported a 12% decrease in feelings of hatred toward the other society from the beginning of the year. Of course, there were challenges. It was difficult for some communities, like Ramla, to resume their cross-cultural programming. Yet, even there, they continued to work separately in Jewish and Arab communities to develop emotional resilience and build a foundation for future combined efforts.
For families served by Krembo Wings, a youth movement that serves children with and without physical, emotional and intellectual disabilities, and Youth Futures, a Jewish Agency initiative for youth at risk, these programs are a lifeline. Despite the significant impact of the events of October 7 on their counselors and mentors, many of whom lost friends and family members or who were called up for reserve duty, I learned that leaders of both organizations set about delivering emotional support and services to their staff and volunteers, while swiftly ensuring their clients were cared for. With schools closed, and holding special status as a social service provider, Krembo Wings was able to mobilize to offer programming, providing participants with a sense of safety and normalcy and offering respite to participants’ families.
Eileen with participants from Youth Futures, a program of the Jewish Agency for at-risk youth.
Meanwhile, Youth Futures leaders set about mapping the needs of their mentors and beneficiaries, providing training in trauma care and resilience. They also engaged youth in meaningful activities to allow them to help others as a way to cope with the current situation. In the northern city of Nof HaGalil, I met a mother named Miri who has a son who is severely autistic. Her younger daughter, Cineret, did not get the attention she deserved, was suffering from low self-esteem, and was having social and educational difficulties. Through Youth Futures, Cineret visited evacuated children and engaged them in activities with small animals. Through this leadership service opportunity, she found self-confidence and purpose – a change her mother could not describe without tears.
One of Ann Arbor’s longest funding partnerships has been with Hand in Hand Schools, Israel’s largest network of bilingual, multicultural Jewish-Arab schools. In 1998, Hand in Hand started with 50 children. Today, there are six campuses throughout Israel where thousands of Jewish and Arab students, teachers, staff and family members learn, live and work every day. I visited one of Hand in Hand’s newest schools in Haifa, which has seen a similar trajectory. Twelve years ago, 12 children started attending pre-school together. Today, the school extends from day care through 9th grade with an enrollment of over 400 children. In this large multi-cultural city, the school attracts families from a range of backgrounds, and children are exposed to Hebrew and Arabic from the earliest ages.
The massacre of October 7 and the war in Gaza has impacted everyone associated with this Hand in Hand school. All the families were horrified and scared, and – like many people I met – they continued to be fearful throughout the week, as no one knew if there were more terrorists loose in Israel ready to cause more harm. As casualties mounted in Gaza, Arab families were concerned and afraid for their friends and relatives, while Jewish families were worried about their loved ones serving in the IDF. Instead of shying away from potential internal conflict, Hand in Hand’s many years of experience developing and utilizing methods for dialogue has enabled the schools to confront and work through the difficulties to maintain a strong, cohesive culture of commitment to shared society. They are certainly a model for what Israel could be.
The idyllic setting of Bshvil Hamachar, where combat soldiers in Israel’s reserves work to overcome war-related trauma.
Recently, Federation began providing funding to organizations that help former soldiers and police officers working through combat-related trauma. We could not have known how important these efforts would be when we began funding Ruca’s Farm, a rehabilitative organic farm for the treatment of veterans with PTSD, early in 2023. I visited this new venture and met with some of the many volunteers who make this endeavor possible. I also had the privilege to meet with Tomer Freibach, the CEO of a new funding partner, Bshvil Hamachar (For the Future). This unique program works with combat soldiers in Israel’s reserves to help them overcome war-related trauma. They bring together entire units for transformative multi-day retreats facilitated by mental health professionals. This model leverages the camaraderie that already exists within the unit and provides safe spaces for open dialogue and developing healthy coping strategies. In the first 15 years of the project, 310 groups comprising 4000 soldiers had been served. Since October 7, awareness and acceptance of mental health treatment for the general population and for combat soldiers has significantly increased, and the need has exploded. As a result, in the last 11 months, Bshvil Hamachar has held special three-day retreats for 50 groups comprising 700 combatants.
Mitzvah Shelgon (“Operation Popcicle”) was just one of the many creative projects of the Israeli volunteer organization Brothers and Sisters for Israel.
Clean and grateful IDF soldiers in front of mobile showers brought by volunteers through the organization Brothers and Sisters for Israel.
Finally, the volunteer organization Brothers and Sisters For Israel has been providing support to evacuees and soldiers since October 7, and its energetic Northern Command director Eyal Meyerovitz never stops thinking about creative ways to help. Israeli soldiers serving in Gaza and protecting Israel’s north have experienced extreme weather conditions including cold rain in the winter and searing heat in the recent summer months. Eyal and his volunteer team developed and implemented projects like designing and distributing rain shelters crafted from sukkah frames, delivering care packages specific to female soldiers in the field, and building field furniture and heaters from discarded wood and oil drums.
This summer, they brought mobile showers to remote locations, and provided mosquito screens and sunshades, which I had the opportunity to help prepare for delivery to the field. One of the most exciting projects of the summer was helping soldiers and evacuees beat the heat through Mivtzah Shelgon, loosely translated as “Operation Popsicle,” which was supported by generous donors from the Ann Arbor community.
After my visits, I feel even more proud and gratified by the missions and accomplishments of the Israeli NGOs our community helps fund. For more information about our funding partners or to get involved, please contact Amichay Findling (amichay@jewishannarbor.org) or myself (eileenfreed@jewishannarbor.org).