Solidarity Mission to Israel - Feb 2024

Normally when I travel, I write a post and add some pictures on a daily basis. Going into the Solidarity Trip to Israel with the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas (JFGD), I knew I wouldn't be following my typical pattern. I wanted to be able to reflect on the trip as a whole and not treat it as a daily itinerary.

As I prepared myself for the trip, I was not concerned with arriving during the middle of the war. I had the upmost confidence in the security personnel to keep us out of harms way. I also felt prepared to bear witness to the sites of the destruction from October 7th. However, what I had completely underestimated were the highs and lows of emotions. I imagined how difficult it would be to meet those that were directly impacted by the terror attack but didn't anticipate the despair for those that were evacuated or missing their loved ones currently serving in the IDF. The stories of heroism of individuals on Oct. 7th and those still displaying acts of valor were surprise takeaways.

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?Reviewing the itinerary, the second day was clear it was going to be very difficult. Our group of 50, headed down to the Gaza Envelope or the Western Negev to meet with those directly impacted on October 7th. The first stop with Kibbutz Zikim.

On Oct. 7th, 8 boats full of terrorists attempted to land ashore. Six of the eight boats were intercepted by the Israeli Navy. However, the two that made it to shore resulted in 19 people slaughtered. While at the kibbutz, we met with the security personnel who heroically held off the terrorists trying to infiltrate the neighborhood. These brave locals, put up a great fight and prevented the infiltration and certain death to innocent lives.

Our next stop, was the most difficult site to see. A portion of the kibbutz, was destroyed through small arms, RPGs and burnt to the ground. We were taken around the kibbutz by a long time resident to hear a first hand account of the day. Unlike other sites in the world where death and destruction has taken place, Kfar Aza was still very raw and in a current state of disaster.

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One of the highlights of the trip, was the lunch we had with the Mobility 5515 unit of the Israel Defense Force. The young men of this unit, go into Gaza every night to complete a couple of missions. While they could have slipped out and got some rest in the afternoon, they were so excited to have lunch with us and feel the support we brought to their make-shift base. They especially appreciated the handmade cards that children in the Dallas area made for them.

I had the opportunity to meet Daniel, who just turned 29. Before he was called up in the reserves, he was studying to be an electrical engineer. While I was eager to find out more about him and what he was doing on the front lines to protect Israel, all he wanted to do was talk about life in the US. He had been to Canada but his goal is to travel coast to coast in the US. I told him he had a place to stay in Dallas, when he makes it over. Since this is an elite unit, we were careful not to take pictures of the guys or get too much info about them, but he insisted on exchanging contact details. We have kept in touch since and while he didn't always respond right away, I felt relieved when I saw that he has at least received the messages.

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Heading to the site of the music festival was incredibly difficult. Among the makeshift memorials that were set up, we listened to Yossi Landau of Zaka. His group was responsible for recovering the bodies on October 7th and in the days following. I don’t believe there was a dry eye in the group after listening to what he had to see on that day. However, on this now hallowed land, trees have been planted in memory of so many of the 300-plus young people that were massacred, kidnapped and worse.

Before leaving the Western Negev, we stopped by an area where the cars of the festivalgoers are piled up. They have not decided what to do with all these vehicles, some burnt to the frame and others relatively whole.

The remaining of the trip we spent time with families displaced due to the evacuations and families that have had loved ones called up to defend Israel. Each family we interacted with were dealing with tremendous challenges and appreciated the support we could lend.

On our final day, we visited Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. This area used to be a plaza in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, but is now where friends and families of hostages host rallies to keep the attention on their loved ones.

At our visit to the Hostage Family Forum, we heard from three representatives of families that have loved ones currently in captivity.

At the end of our trip, we had the fortune of meeting with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog. He was very interested in the rise of antisemitism in Dallas and in the US, in general.

This article could in no way describe the ups and downs of emotions during the 4 days in Israel. However, my overriding takeaways are that Israel is broken, but very strong. The people are incredibly resilient and united unlike ever before. This sign hung at the Mount Herzl, Israeli Military Cemetery sums up the sentiment.

Am Yisrael Chai!