Greater Philadelphia Bears Witness in Emergency Solidarity Mission to Israel

- Sarah Solomon 
Chief Development Officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

Today is day 157 and we have just passed the five month mark of this awful war. I just returned from Israel where everyone is so deeply affected, grieving the tremendous loss of life and anxious for what is to come all while trying to remain hopeful that the hostages will return home.

One of the first things I noticed was that everyone was greeting each other by saying “boker.” which means "morning," and not “boker tov,” which means "good morning." I was told that the “tov” part has been dropped for now as it feels inappropriate to use the word “good” when so many are suffering.

Each person we met while in Israel had survived the unimaginable.

• A mother who hid her children under a bed for 22 hours without food or water while she used one hand to hold the doorknob closed and the other to cover the dog's mouth so terrorists, who were shooting hundreds of bullets into their home, would not find them. 
• Displaced families who have been living in a hotel for more than four months without nutritional food and who are fearful for their children’s safety in a chaotic and unpredictable environment. 
• The director of a boarding school for disadvantaged girls who have been evacuated due to its dangerous proximity to the Gaza border and are now trying to navigate temporary housing. 
• Sheba Hospital's doctors and nurses, who had to practice with actors about how they would tell the returning hostage children that their parents or siblings were murdered and that they had no home to return to. 
  

We met with families at Hostage Square who begged us to continue to talk about their loved ones, share their pictures and to do good in our own communities in their honor. We toured what is known as the “car graveyard” where 1,200 cars, many from those who tried to escape the Nova Festival, sit piled high, burnt to a crisp or shot with thousands of bullet holes. This is also the site where Zaka, supported by the Jewish Federation's Philly Stands With Israel Emergency Fund, worked around the clock to identify the remains of hundreds.

We visited what is left of K’far Aza, one of many sites where more than 100 terrorists attacked, leaving 64 murdered, 19 taken hostage and 13 children as orphans. Entire families, representing three generations, were completely wiped out as parents were forced to watch their children being murdered and then were locked in closets to ensure a painful death while their homes were set on fire. 

I know that these details are extremely graphic and difficult to hear, but I feel that it is my obligation to come back and share these stories so that this will never happen again.

Amid so much darkness, it is important that we always find the good. The good in this awful story is all of us and the incredible impact we’ve been able to make on the lives of thousands in Israel during their worst days.

While we were there, we visited many of the programs supported by our Philly Stands With Israel Emergency Fund, including the Asif Food Trucks that are feeding soldiers with high quality food from struggling restaurants. This food is not only a delicious and essential meal, but also a moment of respite amid difficult days protecting our border.

I am proud to highlight this incredible program and take a moment to thank you all. The days have been long since Oct. 7 as we've supported the war in Israel in the fight against terrorism and the growing "war at home" in the fight to combat antisemitism. I can tell you with certainty that everything we do each and every day is worth it — every single second. Together, we’re truly doing life saving work and should be incredibly proud. We must continue to support each other and remain hopeful as hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin's mother says, “hope is mandatory.”

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