Greetings from Israel

Dear friends and colleagues,

It’s been a month since the war began with Hamas terrorists invading Israel and brutally murdering over 1,400 people, wounding thousands more, and abducting more than 240 hostages, including young children taken from their homes. On some days it feels absurd that a month has already passed so quickly, while other days it’s hard to believe that it’s only been a month since our entire reality came to a sudden, violent crash.?

As a US-based company with primary development operations in Israel, we felt the need to send a special message to our customers, friends and colleagues around the world.

Thank you for your concern, your thoughts and your prayers. It certainly has been a challenging month. Your kind words and blessings are most welcome. They are a source of comfort and strength. Those of you outside Israel are facing your own challenges. We send you our love and blessings as well. Israel is also here for you. We stand together, as one people, against the forces of darkness.

And it really is evolving into a global battle of light versus darkness. People can have disagreements, but when the rhetoric descends into language of hate, of prejudice, of support for terrorism and genocide, we know that something is amiss. The silver lining is that a certain moment of clarity is emerging in the world’s consciousness.

Experiencing and bearing witness to the events that have unfolded is not easy for anyone. We – the people living in Israel, Jews around the world, and all those who long for peace and believe in human decency – are living through a collective trauma. It is important to acknowledge that. At the same time, in order to continue living our lives and for the sake of our mental well being, it is important to find outlets where we can do what we can – to take action that gives expression to the anxious energy roiling inside us.

The world has to keep functioning, including the important work we do together. Your organization needs to keep doing the good it’s doing – it is as important as ever, and more so in the context of bringing more light and good to the world at this hour. We are all being called upon to serve, each in our own way. To do the good we do, we have to continue to raise funds, unabashedly. The messaging may need to be tweaked, but the mission remains the same.

HiRaiser continues to serve and innovate on behalf of the amazing organizations we work with, so they can grow and their work can flourish. It’s been challenging. Some members of our team are in Israel and are busy with security responsibilities that keep them up at night, myself included. Some are volunteering in different ways to help communities and people in need. Others are in the US and Europe, and are distracted by what is happening here, where they live, and around the world, and are busy engaging in activism to help promote the justice of our cause. Yes, it is challenging for all of us. But we can and must overcome, support one another, and continue to bring light and goodness into the world.?

Let’s not only continue doing the good we’ve been doing together – let’s increase it! Let’s empower more organizations to do more good in the world. Let’s add even more light, because the light always shines through the darkness.

We are all being “called up” now, which implies that we have to rise to the occasion by elevating our mental fortitude, our level of activity, and our effectiveness. If there is any way we can help spark the next phase of growth for your organization or another organization you are connected with, please let us know.?

Wishing you, your family and your community comfort, strength and peace of mind during these disturbing, tumultuous times.

With Blessings,

Izzy Greenberg