Final post from Rabbi Schneider from Israel.
Day 3.
I think it is appropriate that on the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, after witnessing the aftermath of some of the darkest days for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, I am flying back to Arizona. As I fly, it will begin to get brighter again. I hope my bearing witness is contributing to this light.
I also saw light this morning when we visited evacuees from Kibbutz Or Haner from the South. Where did we visit them? In a hotel in Jerusalem where they have turned the bottom floor into a playground and a ballroom into a kindergarten. It’s not ideal, but they are safe. But if you could hear these mothers you’d feel the deep trauma. As one woman said, “we all react to the smallest things, even a dropped spoon. Israel is a PTSD nation. Israel is a nation where everyone is on steroids. We all move so quickly because we know that if we stop, we will fall down. We won’t bounce back. In Israel, we bounce forward. Still, we are hurting. Please don’t forget us. Keep us in your minds and hearts.”
We then visited Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. We sat with Dani Miran, father of Omri Miran: (https://www.timesofisrael.com/taken-captive-omri-miran…/) – We listened. We gave him strength. He gave us hope. We must not forget about the hostages. My prayer….is that my prayer gets to the hostages.
See you soon
From Rabbi Schneider in Israel
Day 2. Today was a difficult day. We, a group of 20 reform rabbis from across North America, came to Israel to support and to bear witness; to hear firsthand testimony of the survivors and the fighters, to see the burnt out homes, left in the wake of the horrific atrocities Hamas committed against innocent Israeli civilians on October 7. To offer love and support. I knew that rationally. I could explain why I was coming. Then I experienced it today.
We began at Kibbutz Kfar Azza, which borders Gaza, where hundreds of innocent people, including little babies were brutally murdered on October 7th, and from where many hostages were kidnapped. Many of them are still being held by Hamas in excruciating conditions. Many houses in the kibbutz were burned to the ground: some by Hamas, others by the IDF in the battle with the 3000 terrorists that poured into Israel .
We saw the homes where you can still see the bullet holes; these serve as a stark reminder that Hamas targets Israeli civilians. These same homes are branded with spray painted codes, marking who was found inside and when the house was cleared. Every home is the story of a person or a family, ambushed on a holiday.
And we met many of the brave survivors, who defended the Kibbutzim and their towns; as they speak they’re honoring the heroes that fell in defense of the Kibbutzim, and they are committed to rebuilding it, and making it even stronger and more beautiful.
Next, we traveled to the community of Netivot, where we donated our collected goods to “Galgal Hozer,” a modest yet impactful charity which seeks to feed people both physically and spiritually, as well as ensuring that everyone has what they need. All our goods will be sorted and handed out to those in need in the western Negev.
We then met with a unit of soldiers where we donated the warm clothes you all donated. They are being sent into Gaza next week. They shared with us their thanks and also their concerns. I could sense their deep motivation to fight for their country and to honor the lives of those lost and taken by finishing the job of dismantling Hamas. Their smiles with us belie what I can only guess is also a certain amount of apprehension at soon being called to the front.
We then passed a “car graveyard” – one of two lots filled with cars of those who perished on 10/7, many at the music festival. The size of the lot and the number of cars speak to the scale of the tragedy and speak to all those not coming back.
We then stopped in Sderot, where we met with an extraordinary rabbi named Herzl. He shared his story of surviving being shot in the back by a sniper on Oct 7. His Synagogue is just a block from what was the Sderot Police Station, which was the site of a massive firefight between police and the Hamas terrorists over the course of 24 hours. The station was destroyed in the battle and then razed. We were shown body and security cam footage of that firefight and a heroic rescue of two young girls from a car, which had been ambushed and shot by terrorists. The chaos and loss of that day can only be somewhat understood by watching these videos and hearing this testimony.
Our last stop of the tour of witness was especially emotional. We visited the Shura IDF base, which is the base of the IDF rabbinate. This base includes a morgue and forensics labs to aid in identification. As you can imagine, after October 7, the facility was overwhelmed, and yet they continued their holy work of identification, notification, and preparation for burial. No photos are allowed inside the facility.
Inside the “Goodbye Room,” where families are brought for a last moment with their loved one, a heaviness of loss and sadness and holiness dwells thick in the air. The rabbis at Shura who do this sacred work are to be commended for their their unyielding compassionate concern for the dead.
Shura is also the home of all the IDF Torah scrolls. We saw a Torah that was with a unit of the IDF recently and hit with shrapnel. The sofer, the scribe, was literally pulling shrapnel out of the Torah. His intention was to repair it and get it back to its unit. Because Am Yisrael Chai!
This evening for dinner, after such a hard day, we were joined by local rabbis from Jerusalem for an opportunity to lift our voices and spirits in song, prayer, and togetherness.
I ended my day at the Western Wall, delivering your prayers that some physically gave to me (as promised!) as well as my own prayers for peace, for my family’s safety and health, and for the welfare of our community and the Jewish People
So, I am numb. And raw. And enraged. And mourning. And inspired. And hopeful. But, THIS too is #doingJewish.
The Nova Music Festival, before and after. #Oct7 #BringThemHomeNow
Rabbi Schneider attempts to capture day 1.
“A powerful first official day on the rabbinic mission. WARNING perhaps triggering…
Part 1. We began by leaving Jerusalem and drove to the “bread bowl” area outside Tel Aviv where we volunteered with Leket Israel to pick some kohlrabi because the usual staff, the foreign workers, were called to return home by their government. So there are few people left to harvest the vegetation and get it to market or even the hungry! Only volunteers now!
During our time in the fields, the air raid sirens sounded and we all dove to the ground until the all clear was announced. After 60 (90?) seconds, we saw and heard Iron Dome in action. Yes, it was scary. No one in Israel was hurt during today’s particular rocket barrage from Gaza toward Tel Aviv. After the adrenaline, and the reality set in, I kinda had to be proud of the Iron Dome and what it has done for Israel. Thank you USA! But, like Israelis, we had to literally dust off our clothes and go right back to normal life. There have been tens of thousands of these rockets in the last two months. The resilience of the Israeli people is breath-taking. Am Yisrael Chai!
Note on Leket and more on why we were there: Leket Israel strives to eradicate hunger through its various food rescue projects. During usual times, Leket provides food to 234,000+ Israelis each week and distributes over 61 million lbs. of fresh fruit and vegetables and 2 million hot meals a year. (I invite you to view this recent update on our additional efforts to assist those who have been impacted directly by the war and evacuation: https://www.leket.org/en/war-updates/)
Today, we 20 rabbis picked one ton of kohlrabi (!!) which will be distributed to families throughout Israel who have suffered during this tragic time.
Many have asked where I have/will I share the many funds you shared with me. Well…I started here. Thank YOU for helping me help those in need!! I will continue to share to those most in need.
Part 2. Back to Jerusalem! After a chance to wash up, walk around the train station and Emek Refaiim, the evening was incredible. We spent time getting to know each other, as we are a group of Reform Rabbis from across North America. We spent time creatively responding to the Jewish values that guided our joining this mission. This session was led by Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz of Jerusalem’s Kol HaOt – Interactive Jewish Educational Art Programs – www.kolhaot.com.
Part 3. This was followed by dinner and powerful discussion with author Yossi Klein Halevi. Halevi described the emotions in Israel and helped us to understand the reasons behind the different perspectives Americans and Israelis have in reaction to the War!! I look forward to attempting to share and unpack this for you when I return. Spoiler alert: Fascinating, differing perspectives. Two worlds, two perspectives…but still one people!! Our Jewish future will require we hear each other (American and Israeli Jews) and continue to support each other emotionally. (Beyond the physical support). There will be a day after…but what then? It is so hard to imagine at this moment but important to keep in the back of our minds while we fight for our survival and get the hostages home!
So, Day 1 in the (Face)Book. A day of bearing witness to fear, frustration, and, yet, resilience and hope. (These feelings and experiences will intensify as we make our way to communities directly touched by the violence on October 7th tomorrow.) You can pretend to care. But you can NOT pretend to show up. That’s why I am here. That’s why we are here.”
This is such beautiful Torah from Rabbi Sharon Brous
So there is a Mishnah, an ancient rabbinic text in the code of law that was codified 2,000 years ago, that tells the story of what would happen when the people used to go up to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. And imagine Mecca, like hundreds of thousands of people coming at once on a kind of sacred pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They would ascend the steps to the Temple Mount, and then they would go through this arched entryway. And they would turn to the right, and they would circle around the perimeter of this courtyard.
And then they would exit essentially right where they had come in. Except, the Mishnah says, for someone who’s broken hearted. That person would go up to Jerusalem. They would ascend the steps, walk through the arched entryway, but they would turn to the left. And every single person who would pass them coming from the right would have to stop and ask this simple question, what happened to you? And then the person would say, I’m brokenhearted. My loved one just died. I’m worried sick about my kid. I found a lump.
And the people who are walking from right to left would have to stop and offer a blessing before they could continue on their pilgrimage. And I just want to think about how profound the insight is in this ancient ritual because if you spend your whole life dreaming of going up on this sacred pilgrimage to the holiest site, the holiest place on the holiest days, and doing your circle around the courtyard, the last thing in the world you want to do is stop and ask the poor guy who’s coming toward you, are you OK? What’s your story? What’s going on with you?
And yet central to your religious obligation, in fact, the only religious obligation you have that day, is precisely to see this other person in their suffering, to ask them what their story is, and then to give them a blessing. And if you’re broken, shattered, the last thing you want to do is show up in this space with all of these people and go against the current in such a public and visible way. And yet, you’re obligated to do that.
And so I think the rabbis kind of captured this very sacred and profound, psychological and spiritual tool for us, which is to say when we are suffering and when we’re hurting, we need to be seen by other people. We need somebody to say, tell me about your pain. Help me understand what’s going on for you. And we need to be blessed.
And that’s why the loneliness of this moment feels so profound for so many Jews because we feel like, wait, we often ask people, tell me about your pain. Tell me about your suffering. How can I be a good ally? How can I stand with you in solidarity? Why aren’t people asking us? And it’s a reminder for us that we have to reinforce our commitment to living in a world in which we can see each other in our pain.
And when we’re walking from right to left, because we’re OK that day, not to turn our eyes away and our hearts away from the poor person who’s walking toward us who’s broken that day. Otherwise, our humanity is lost to us. And it doesn’t only hurt the person who’s broken. It hurts the whole society. It, frankly, hurts our democracy. It endangers our democracy when we’re unable to actually engage one another’s pain because we feel that our cause is so righteous.
Our work is so holy, so important that we’re going to keep circling from the right, even though there are all these people who are quietly walking in the other direction, saying, please, please see me. I’m hurting right now, and I need you to help me in this moment of my pain. I need you to help me by bearing sacred witness to my heartache in this moment.
Rabbi Schneider arrived in Israel around 2pm today (4am az local). He then traveled to Jerusalem and met up with Eric Sbar, first year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College -Jewish Institute of Religion (who also happens to be brother of TKA member Rachel Bertucci and son of TKA members Marc and Helene Sbar) to give him a hug of support for him and his family.
Rabbi Schneider then had dinner with Cantor Noa’s parents Rabbi Shlomo and Renee Tucker. They appreciate the Kol Ami support.
Also various pictures at Tel Aviv airport.
Rabbi Schneider is on his way to Israel as part of a 3-day rabbinic solidarity mission. Due to the generosity of so many in the TKA Community, he has FOUR DUFFELS of brand new hats, gloves, socks, and thermal underwear for the IDF soldiers and winter clothes for displaced families.
• Site visits to kibbutzim & hospitals
• Condolence calls with bereaved families
• Meetings with displaced families & families of hostages
• Volunteering the fields to harvest
• Giving our Israeli friends, family, and colleagues big hugs from YOU – their American family
Stay tuned for further updates
Thank you for your prayers and your support. And special thank you to The Driver Provider for hauling Rabbi and the donations to the airport
Adonai oz l’amo yitein; Adonai yivarech et amo va’shalom — May God grant strength unto our people; may God bless our people with peace.