Tag: crisis response

Kibbutz Nir Oz was little-known outside certain circles before October 7, including within our local Jewish community. Now its name is a reminder of both unimaginable loss and extraordinary resilience.

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending a powerful event at the Bender JCC featuring three remarkable individuals with deep, personal ties to Kibbutz Nir Oz:

• Gadi Moses, the oldest living hostage to return from captivity, spoke about his experience of 482 days in captivity.
• Nir Metzger, whose father was murdered in captivity and whose mother was taken hostage and later released, spoke about the idyllic life on the kibbutz and how it was shattered in an instant on October 7.
• Emi Palmor, former Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Justice and now leading Nir Oz’s rehabilitation efforts, spoke about the challenging yet hopeful process of rebuilding the kibbutz, describing it as “the most important Zionist act of our time.”

Their stories were different, but the message was clear: after unbearable loss, the focus is on moving forward and rebuilding. The clearest example came with Gadi’s release from captivity, when his first message was simple and powerful: ‘I will do everything I can to rebuild Nir Oz.’ I left thinking not only about the horror of that day, but about the resilience it takes to rebuild trust, community, and a true sense of belonging from the ground up.

This conversation was part of Kesher Nir Oz, a grassroots partnership between members of our community and the survivors and leaders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, launched by lay leaders from Congregation Beth El, B’nai Israel, and Ohr Kodesh. It is heartwarming to see such busy people dedicate so much time and energy to sustaining this relationship.

Through Federation’s Local Israel Engagement work, we aim to help nurture such efforts alongside community leaders, recognizing just how powerful these people-to-people ties can be. These relationships don’t just show support—they help stitch our people back together. And that work is far from over.

We were honored to help bring a delegation from Nir Oz to visit our community last year, and now our conversations with Kesher Nir Oz continues. The potential is tremendous, and the need for healing, presence, and partnership is urgent.

If you know of (or are part of) a similar initiative between a DMV-area congregation or organization and a community or project in Israel, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at udi.eitan@www.shalomdc.org.

More than 700 days have passed since October 7—nearly two years since that horrific morning tore through Israeli life.

And for every one of those days, dozens of hostages have remained in Gaza, held by Hamas in conditions we can barely imagine. Today, that number stands at 48. It’s believed that 20 are still alive.

Among them is Alon Ohel.

A Glimpse of Life

Last week, for the first time since he was taken, we saw Alon.

In a Hamas video, another hostage—Guy Gilboa Dalal—is paraded through Gaza, pleading for his life. Alon appears beside him. A single, fleeting moment. A moment that marks the first visual proof Alon is still alive since October 7, 2023.

It means something. For his family, it means everything.

Until now, they had nothing. No photo. No message. Nothing since Alon disappeared from a shelter near Kibbutz Re’im, after escaping the Nova music festival massacre.

We now know from Hostage, a new book by survivor Eli Sharabi, who was held captive with Alon for months, that Alon was expected to be released in February. But the second-phase deal never came.

And so, seven months later, the agonizing wait continues.

This Sukkot, We Make Room for Them

As we look ahead to Sukkot, a time of shelter and solidarity, we’re preparing to turn our grief into action.

Together with the Hostages Families Forum, Adas Israel, and partners across Greater Washington, we will build a Sukkah of Hope in front of the White House.

A place to gather. To remember. To say out loud: they are still there. And we are still here.

Refusing to Look Away

Even in this unbearable reality, a single photo can mean everything.

It means someone is still alive.
It means their story is not over.
It means we still have time to bring them home.

And it means the world still needs to hold Hamas to account for these ongoing atrocities and the suffering inflicted on so many innocent lives.

We carry that truth into Sukkot, into the shelter we build, the space we hold, and the hope we refuse to let go of.

May this be the year they come home.
And may it also be the year of peace.

How do you save a life when seconds matter and rockets are falling?

That’s the question Israel’s medical professionals have been answering every day since October 7. In field hospitals, trauma bays, and combat zones, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Medical Corps is delivering trauma care under extreme conditions—stabilizing the wounded, treating mass casualties, and innovating in real time.

They’re not just responding to crisis—they’re reshaping what’s possible in battlefield medicine.

Today, the fatality rate for injured Israeli soldiers stands at around 7%—a dramatic drop from past conflicts. That kind of breakthrough doesn’t happen by accident. It takes strategy, speed, and relentless training. It takes care.

Behind the Breakthroughs: A Nationwide Effort

This life-saving work doesn’t stop on the battlefield. Across Israel, hospitals and trauma centers are stepping up in extraordinary ways:

• At Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, clinicians are pioneering cutting-edge rehabilitation—helping injured civilians and soldiers regain both function and hope.
• At Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva, preparedness proved critical. Even as the hospital sustained damage from rocket fire, its teams saved lives when seconds counted most.
• In Sderot, the International Resilience Institute is helping survivors navigate the psychological toll of ongoing trauma with holistic, community-rooted care.
• At Magen David Adom’s underground blood center in Ramla, Israel’s emergency medical services are safeguarding the national blood supply and enabling rapid response—even under threat.
  These aren’t just facilities. They’re lifelines.

Our Community’s Impact

Through The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Israel Crisis Response grants, we’re helping fund this network of healing: trauma recovery, emergency preparedness, and medical innovation that directly supports Israelis facing physical and emotional wounds.

We don’t do this alone. We do it through trusted partners on the ground—and with the strength of our community behind us.

A Conversation That Brings It Home

Now, we’re bringing that story home.

Thanks to the initiative of the American Physicians Fellowship for Medicine in Israel (APF)—and in partnership with Kol Shalom—we’re honored to host Healing on the Frontlines on Wednesday, August 6, 2025: a rare and timely conversation with Brigadier General Dr. Zivon Aviad Beer, Surgeon General of the IDF Medical Corps. Dr. Beer will share firsthand insights into delivering trauma care on and off the battlefield.

Joining him will be Amir Goldshtein, Executive Director of APF, whose organization connects North American medical professionals to Israel’s healthcare system and invests in its long-term resilience.

Also in attendance will be LTC Dr. Roy Nadler, Director of the IDF’s Trauma and Combat Medical Branch, who will be available for conversations before and after the program.

Why It Matters Now

This is a chance to hear what it takes to care for others in the most extreme conditions—and how our collective support helps make that care possible.

This work is far from over. But thanks to the strength of our partners and the generosity of our community, we’re helping Israelis heal, adapt, and move forward. One act of care at a time.

In April 2025, SafeHeart launched a groundbreaking new initiative as part of its Survivors’ Family Support Program: a Parent–Survivor Healing Retreat. Funded in part by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Israel Crisis Relief Fund, the four-day retreat brought 40 participants—festival survivors and their parents—to a peaceful setting in northern Israel for a shared, transformative healing experience.

This was the first retreat of its kind in Israel to offer therapeutic support to both survivors and their parents at the same time. By placing the family unit—not just the individual—at the center of recovery, SafeHeart created a protected space for families to begin seeing and supporting each other in new, healing ways.

One participant shared, “The retreat helped me understand where I am in my healing journey—and what I need to move forward from here.”

Facing Trauma, Together

Trauma rarely ends with one person. It ripples outward, touching every corner of a family. Survivors returned from unimaginable experiences to homes filled with love—and often, silence. Many parents carried quiet grief, unsure how to help. Words were missing. Connections were strained. Some families lived together but felt worlds apart.

“In just three days, I felt everything—love, grief, joy, fear, hope,” said one survivor, capturing the emotional depth of the experience.

Parents, many of whom put their lives on hold to care for their 20- and 30-something children, became caregivers and emotional anchors while processing their own pain without a roadmap.

One parent shared, “For the first time, I could truly listen to my daughter. I had heard her words before, but when I heard the same things from another survivor, something opened in me. I saw her differently.”

The retreat helped bridge those emotional gaps. Through parallel therapy tracks, guided joint sessions, and body–mind healing practices, both generations found a shared language for their pain—and a space to hold it together.

As another participant put it, “Meeting the young survivors reminded me what strength really looks like. They are my hope.”

Building Resilience Before the Storm

Unintentionally, the retreat also became a source of strength for what came next. In the weeks following the retreat, rising security tensions in Israel forced many survivors to return home once again. This time, families were more prepared. The emotional groundwork they had laid made it possible to sit together, breathe together, and weather the renewed uncertainty as a team.

One young adult reflected, “I gained deeper insight into what my parents are going through and more awareness of the space between us—how we can work on our relationship and how I can meet them with more empathy.”

Another added, “Togetherness and listening were essential. A year and a half of your support, dedication, and care gave me the courage to let go, to surrender to calm and stillness.”

The Parent–Survivor Healing Retreat didn’t just offer support in the moment—it planted seeds of resilience. It turned trauma into dialogue, isolation into connection, and homes into spaces of protection and understanding.

As one participant expressed, “Led by SafeHeart, I felt truly held. After a year and a half of support, I finally found the strength to let go—and feel peace.”

With support from The Jewish Federation’s Israel Crisis Relief Fund, SafeHeart continues to pioneer meaningful pathways to healing—not just for survivors, but for the families who walk alongside them.

In the wake of last month’s missile attacks in Israel, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington has announced a new round of emergency relief grants totaling over $378,000 to help Israeli communities recover, rebuild infrastructure, and support displaced families.

Though a ceasefire is now in place, the impact of the missile strikes remains widespread. Families have been displaced, and while many schools and businesses have reopened, hundreds remain under repair. Towns previously untouched by conflict are now grappling with destruction and uncertainty. More than 9,700 Israelis have been evacuated from homes that were hit or deemed unsafe, many now living in temporary accommodations with no clear timeline for return.

Municipalities across northern Israel are stretched thin, working to maintain public safety, deliver essential services, and care for vulnerable populations. One of the most urgent issues is the lack of certified, reinforced public shelters, particularly in under-resourced communities. Mobile units—like those previously deployed in Druze towns and the Kinneret Valley Cluster (KVC)—offer limited protection and are not built to withstand the current level of threat.

In response, the Federation is directing these emergency relief funds to trusted partners meeting critical needs on the ground. These grants reflect a community-led approach: guided by lay leaders and professionals, informed by local insight, and grounded in a strategic model designed to meet both immediate and long-term recovery goals.

This effort aligns with the organization’s evolving Israel strategy—one rooted in partnership, not just philanthropy. Several of the funded initiatives emerged from ongoing work with the KVC, a diverse northern region central to its place-based investment in long-term recovery and resilience.

Expanding Civilian Protection and Infrastructure

Residents in towns like Tiberias and Beit Shean are gaining access to safe shelter through a large-scale restoration project led by Osim Shechunah, a grassroots volunteer network transforming neglected public spaces into reinforced community shelters. This project was prioritized through insights from KVC partners and aligns with Federation’s goal of strengthening vulnerable northern communities.

Public shelters are also being equipped with emergency supplies, and homebound seniors are receiving essential care and safety checks through the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), one of the Federation’s long-standing global humanitarian partners.

Relieving Pressure on Israel’s Healthcare System

Patients recovering from trauma or illness will now receive care at home via Sheba Beyond, the virtual division of Sheba Medical Center. This expansion helps alleviate the strain on hospitals like Sheba, which has taken on patients transferred from missile-damaged facilities such as Soroka Hospital.

Emergency readiness is also being bolstered in northern Israel, where Poriyah Medical Center’s trauma unit—currently operating underground—is receiving upgraded equipment. Serving the Galilee and Golan, Poriyah is a key regional provider and a strategic focus of the Federation’s Israel infrastructure investment.

Supporting Emotional Recovery and Social Stability

Displaced children and families are receiving emotional care and daily structure from teen counselors mobilized by Dror Israel, a national movement focused on education and community resilience.

Meanwhile, more than 500 people—including spouses and children of IDF reservists—will receive emotional, financial, and parenting support from HaBayit BeMiluim, which pairs trained volunteers with families facing prolonged military service and uncertainty.

Together, these emergency grants address both urgent needs and longer-term recovery. They reflect a relationship-driven approach to supporting Israeli communities through trauma, rebuilding, and resilience.

There’s an infamous stretch of the Boston Marathon route called Heartbreak Hill. It sits between miles 20 and 21, a point at which the race weighs heavy on the runners, and the finish line is not yet in view. This stretch of road has been on my mind this week as our community finds itself rallying to meet another critical moment.

It’s hard to believe that after the horrors of October 7th and the war with Hamas, Israelis would once again be called upon to demonstrate their resilience, but that was the situation over the past two weeks as Israel sought to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program and Iran sought to inflict pain on the Israeli population. In response, Federation is accelerating funds and increasing support to provide Israelis with additional trauma care and mental health support, upgrade shelters for thousands of evacuees—including Jewish, Arab and Druze communities, and ensure specialized support for at-risk teens and displaced families. Learn more and donate.

Here at home, we are focused on security. This week, I joined a delegation of 400 Jewish leaders from around the country to urge Congress to adopt the Jewish Community’s Six-Point Policy on Security. The proposal calls for a comprehensive strategy to increase security for the Jewish community, including increasing Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding to $1 billion, expanding support for security personnel and local law enforcement at Jewish institutions, and enhancing FBI intelligence capabilities to address potential threats. It also emphasizes prosecuting antisemitic hate crimes and holding tech platforms accountable for spreading antisemitic content. Contact your representative.

This work is urgent, important, and deserving of your support. I also want to acknowledge that like those marathon runners rounding mile 20, it’s possible that the challenges over the past five years might be getting to us. Since 2020, we’ve been giving it our all to come together as a community and address immense needs locally, globally and in Israel. Through Covid, Ukraine, October 7, and beyond our collective efforts have been monumental and record breaking—and it’s understandable if we’re feeling more than a little fatigued.

The magic of Heartbreak Hill, however, is that while the marathon runners are exhausted, they are doing it with the largest crowds along the path of the race cheering them on. In our community’s case, we meet this moment by becoming both runner and cheerleader. We need everyone in our collective race. Our success depends not on a few but on all of us. And we need to remind each other we’re not alone on the course. We have one another, our allies, a purpose, and a Jewish story still unfolding.

We recognize that significant challenges remain. Our support for Israel continues to be vital. We must accelerate our investment in ensuring security at all Jewish institutions and events—and rise to meet the surge in interest and engagement we’re seeing across our community: to be together, to experience the richness of learning, celebration, and connection. After all, our goal continues to be to strengthen Jewish life and engage more people in the beauty of Judaism and the Jewish people.

We’ve been through a lot as a community, and there’s a lot more we’ll need to navigate together, but so long as we keep our vision for vibrant Jewish life front and center, there’s no hill we can’t climb.

Shabbat Shalom,

Gil

I’ve been to the site of the Nova Music Festival—where Hamas unleashed unthinkable violence—just outside Kibbutz Re’im. I’ve walked the grounds. I thought it couldn’t get harder than that. But then I walked through the Nova Exhibition at Gallery Place in Washington, DC, and heard the stream of raw video: the yelling, the screaming, the gunshots. Footage taken by people who were there—by victims, not reporters. You don’t just hear it. You feel it—in your core, in a completely different way. The exhibit doesn’t just show you what happened. It immerses you in it. It confronts you. It stays with you. Nova survivor Noa Beer shared her story and reminded me: this wasn’t just an attack on a place. It was an attack on joy. An attack on freedom. An attack on community.

Why Federation Day at the Nova Exhibition Matters

That’s why Federation Day at the Nova Exhibition on Tuesday, July 1 matters. It’s not just about viewing an art installation, walking past scorched cars, standing among bullet-riddled bathroom stalls, or staring at piles of personal belongings left behind. It’s about bearing witness—together. Come. Join your community. Bring someone who hasn’t seen it. Someone who needs to understand. That’s how we get through the hardest things: by showing up. By being in community. July 1 is for exactly this. A day to stand with the victims, lift up the survivors, and lean on each other. Because healing begins with presence. And it continues with action.

Federation’s Response: From Witnessing to Action

That’s why The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is:

• Supporting trauma recovery programs for survivors of October 7
• Strengthening local Jewish security through JShield
• Investing in both immediate relief and long-term healing in Israel

It all matters. And so does this moment—standing together, bearing witness, being there. I hope you’ll meet me there—on Tuesday, July 1.

713 7th Street NW
Open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Reserve your timed-entry tickets at novaexhibition.com

Doron Kalaf has worked with Beit Noam for more than 30 years. As Director of the Residential Program, he oversees five small apartments across Kiryat Ono, home to 25 adults with severe physical and cognitive disabilities. All use wheelchairs. All require full-time care. And none of the apartments, which are all old, rented, and unprotected, can shield them during emergencies.

So when the first missile sirens sounded in the early hours between Thursday and Friday, Doron acted immediately. He made the decision to evacuate every resident to Beit Noam’s day center, which was closed due to the war, but had one shelter large enough to house everyone.

He’s remained by their side ever since—recruiting emergency staff to provide round-the-clock care, including daytime support that doesn’t exist under normal circumstances. Some even slept on-site in difficult conditions.

“What we used to do in emergencies was just hold hands and pray,” Doron said. “This time, we had to do more. We couldn’t leave them unprotected.”

He made sure residents had everything they needed—not just physically, but emotionally. For people with intellectual disabilities, wartime can heighten anxiety and fear. Doron helped create moments of calm and routine: shared meals, music, and laughter.

His swift, courageous response transformed fear into safety and care for some of Israel’s most vulnerable residents.

How We Show Up

Beit Noam has served adults with severe disabilities for more than 40 years from its original center in a Tel Aviv suburb. When the war began, Federation connected with Beit Noam to help meet urgent needs and ensure uninterrupted care for their residents.

Our relationship with Beit Noam began long before this crisis, and it’s exactly what allowed them to respond when it mattered most. With trusted and long-standing relationships, strategic thinking, and community insight, we mobilize our partners to meet urgent needs and strengthen Jewish life—now and for what’s next.

Support the relationships and response our community depends on—donate today.

Fictionalized for storytelling purposes. Inspired by real experiences.

In Israel, life runs on the rules of the Home Front Command: no school, no work, stay close to shelter. Missiles are tracked, detected—and then the sirens sound.

In those 90 seconds, babies are lifted awake. Children are scooped into arms. Families rush into bomb shelters while texting relatives: Are you okay? Are you safe?

But behind the headlines and alerts are the quiet, human moments that rarely make the news. These moments tell the real story of life between the sirens—where fear and resilience live side by side.

The Shelter Within

One girl sleeps in leopard-print pajamas because they help her feel strong, just in case she has to run in the middle of the night. A toddler keeps a few toys in the shelter. Teenagers scroll silently, connected to their friends through glowing screens. A woman knits without looking up. Two kids play a clapping game, their laughter soft but real.

These are the small rituals of control when the world outside feels unrecognizable.

In the shared stillness of bomb shelters, strangers become familiar. Neighbors check in. People make sure everyone gets in before the door closes. Safety isn’t just personal—it’s collective.

“Club Concrete” and the Kindness of Snacks

The shelter becomes more than a safe space—it becomes a temporary community.

One neighbor sets up folding chairs like she’s hosting guests. Another pours lukewarm tea from a dented thermos. Someone shares Bamba. Someone else remembers a phone charger. There’s quiet generosity in every gesture. People make space for one another in more ways than one.

Sometimes they’re inside for ten minutes. Sometimes, hours. Either way, they wait—together.

Fragments of a Full Life

This isn’t just a story of defense. It’s a story of dinners left on stoves, of Lego IDF headquarters half-built, of whispered prayers into baby-soft necks after a long, sleepless night of sirens. It’s teens turning fear into song lyrics. Parents making hard decisions in soft voices. It’s life, in fragments.

Each story is individual. But the experience is shared.

What Holds Us Together

There’s no single story of what it means to live between sirens. But in cities and kibbutzim, in stairwells and shelters, thousands of quiet moments speak volumes.

Resilience is real. So is grief. So is exhaustion, and fear, and laughter.

And so is love—the kind that hands you a granola bar when you didn’t pack one. The kind that lets your child sing loud in a space where silence feels safer. The kind that chooses leopard-print pajamas, just in case.

The kind that leads a group of diaspora Jews to paint a mural on a bomb shelter wall, so Israeli children have something bright and joyful to look at in the moments they run to survive.

These are the moments—small, sacred, human—that hold us together, even when the world outside threatens to come apart.

In Crisis. We Come Together.

Today we’re reminded that resilience, collective action, and solidarity are more than values—they’re our sacred responsibilities.

As urgent needs emerge in Israel and here at home, our community is asking: How can we help?

In Israel, families are sheltering from an unrelenting wave of missile strikes. Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva was hit, forcing patients and staff into protected areas and temporarily shutting down essential medical services.

In Greater Washington, we’re reeling from violent antisemitic attacks and rising fear.

This isn’t business as usual.

This is the moment to lean in—together.

DONATE NOW

Because of your support, Federation is responding in real time:

• Delivering trauma care and urgent relief in Israel
• Improving shelters for evacuees through new partnerships in the Kinneret Valley Cluster (KVC)
• Strengthening security through our JShield initiative, which provides emergency planning, physical safeguards, and grant support for synagogues, schools, and gathering spaces across Greater Washington
• Your support provides urgent, critical resources to help keep our community safe—here and in Israel.

Stay Informed. Stay Connected.

Our partners are hosting virtual briefings with real-time updates on the crisis in Israel and growing security concerns here at home.

Updates are often posted on short notice, so we encourage you to check this page regularly. Recordings will be posted as we receive them for those unable to attend.

Let’s meet this moment, together.