Thanks to the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, I spent the month of July in Israel on a mini sabbatical from my role as the organization’s CEO. The first part of my month was spent participating in the Shalom Hartman Institute’s week-long Community Leadership Program. The theme of this year’s program was “Israel Tomorrow,” a rather optimistic and forward-thinking title given that Israelis are mired in trauma and uncertainty that continues seemingly without end, and American Jews are struggling with rising antisemitism and ever-increasing polarization.
The program did not dive directly into the future. In his opening remarks, Yehuda Kurtzer, co-President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, outlined two long-held assumptions that were fundamentally challenged by October 7 and its aftermath.
- Assumption #1: Israel changed Jewish history. A major premise underlying Israel’s founding was that the country would ensure safety and security for the Jewish people—there would be no more pogroms. The pogrom of October 7 and the failure of the IDF to protect its citizens has shaken that assumption and the Israeli people to their core.
- Assumption #2: The liberal fight for “justice for all” was reciprocal to Jews. In the U.S., the current generation of Jews has experienced unprecedented social security. Especially in liberal spaces, we felt that our allies shared our values and that we were in reciprocal relationships in the fight for justice for all. Post-October 7, many in our community felt unseen at best, and often betrayed and attacked.
While we ruminated on this thought-provoking opening address, participants attended other inspiring sessions throughout the week, such as one with Hartman Institute co-President Donniel Hartman and his “For Heaven’s Sake” podcast partner Yossi Klein Halevi. Their thoughtful conversation dug into “Israel’s Day After,” referring to what happens when the current war ends. They discussed issues like what the next governing coalition should look like, what issues need to be addressed by the government right now, and governing priorities for the coming years.
In other sessions of the program, we discussed building vibrant communities based on common values, and we identified the importance of “loyal critics.” We engaged in a moving exploration of Israeli poetry post-October 7, and we developed a deeper understanding of the (dangerous) religious nationalism of Israeli Cabinet officials Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. We learned about the key principles of fighting a just war justly and what Israel is doing to hold to these principles—quite a lot that doesn’t make the news, in fact. We parsed the definitions of “antisemitism” and “anti-Zionism,” delving into when they are the same and when they are not. And we learned that hope for the Israeli political future may rest on the political center’s ability to develop its own identity distinct from the far right and the far left.
For one day of the program, participants split into groups that traveled to different destinations around the country, aiming to better understand the diversity of Israeli life. My group traveled south to Kibbutz Nir Oz, where one in four people were murdered or abducted on October 7. Founded in 1955, the community was close-knit, dynamic and self-sustaining. Many of its members were peace activists who wished and worked for peace with their neighbors in Gaza. On October 7, more than 35 people were killed and over 80 taken hostage. Their homes were looted and burned to the ground; only four homes were not destroyed. Worst of all, they waited in vain for help from the IDF that never arrived.
Nir Oz is a strong community that is committed to returning and rebuilding, bigger and better. In the meantime, they live in two apartment towers an hour’s drive away, in Kiryat Gat. They are building a community center for the kibbutz there so they can gather and provide the services they enjoyed at home. They continue to fight for the release of hostages, knowing their community will not be whole until all are returned.
During our visit, we had the privilege of meeting with Ada Sagi, a 75-year-old hostage who was released in November. After recounting her harrowing story, she shared that she did not think that she would ever return to Nir Oz. She said that her dreams for peace have died after all she witnessed and experienced. And still, she remains worried—yet hopeful—that her friends still in captivity will be released. She celebrates her own freedom as a miracle.
The week’s conference ended with hope and optimism, of a sort. In his closing remarks, Donniel Hartman declared that we will only get to Israel’s tomorrow if we dream about it. We must have the courage to define ourselves by doing good, going beyond what is expected. We must embrace our critics—they may or may not be right, but they are saying something that needs to be heard. And we must become a people who can dream big dreams. What one generation sees as impossible, the next generation will experience as inevitable.
During the remainder of my month-long sabbatical, I visited projects funded by the Federation through the support of donors to our Annual Community Campaign, spent time in Ann Arbor’s partner community Moshav Nahalal, attended weekly protests for the hostages and a new government, and enjoyed time with family and friends. I look forward to sharing more about these significant experiences in the future.
To learn more about the work of the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, visit www.JewishAnnArbor.org or email info@jewishannarbor.org.