We had all toured Israel before. Many of us had, in fact, led tours to Israel. Most of us had lived in Israel. But none of us had ever seen the Israel that we encountered on our Emergency Solidarity Mission to Israel for rabbis from January 22-25, organized by the Board of Rabbis and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. For the eight participants, including seven rabbis from different denominations and areas of Greater Philadelphia, this trip to Israel would be different from all other Israel experiences any of us had ever had before. We were going to Israel to bear witness to the October 7 tragedy and its continuing aftermath.
The term “bear witness” is never used lightly; it’s a heavy phrase. For us, to bear witness meant to go to Israel in its time of need and to listen to the horrific stories, hear first hand survivor accounts of the atrocities committed on October 7, provide as much comfort as we could through our presence, and learn deeper about the situation in Israel.
We visited Greater Philadelphia’s Partnership2Gether regions of Sdot Negev and Netivot, which are located in the envelope of communities near Gaza that were attacked on October 7. Rafi Babian, the head of security for the region, recounted his story of October 7 and how he heroically led a caravan of 30 cars from the Nova Music Festival through fields, in order to escape terrorists on the road.
As he spoke, we stood at the Graveyard of the Cars, where close to 2,900 burnt out and mangled cars have been collected in homage to those who were killed and injured while fleeing for safety. Babian encouraged us to look at a specific car and to imagine one couple or one group of friends who died that day in the car. He compared this memorial in formation to his experience visiting Auschwitz and seeing the room with thousands of shoes. We recited Kaddish in memory of those who are no more.
We spoke to Esther Marcus, the head of therapy at the Resilience Center in Sdot Negev, a project funded by the Jewish Federation, about her team’s efforts to help people come to terms with the trauma of October 7. Marcus described how we are all broken in some way and that the mission of the resilience center is to help people cope with their brokenness. Therapists help adults, families, and children come to terms with the lack of trust and fear that has been brought on by the recent tragic events.
We met with Alon Ben David and Lucy Aharish, well-known TV news anchors, who described the horrors of the day, provided deep background analysis of the war, and emphasized the need for the Israeli government to focus its energies on bringing home the hostages, no matter the cost. Lucy had a unique perspective as an Israeli-Arab and stood resolutely with all Israelis. She delivered an impassioned news clip in English on October 11 that went viral about the atrocities of Hamas.
We then drove north to Netanya to visit the hotel where members of Kibbutz Alumim have been evacuated and living for the past three months. We listened to shared testimony from Chani, Sharon and Suri, last names omitted for privacy, all members of Kibbutz Alumim, and survivors of the terrorist attack on the Kibbutz. They bravely told their stories of survival and described the small miracles that occurred on that day to keep them alive, while Hamas terrorists rampaged through their Kibbutz and murdered 21 Thai and Nepali workers. Suri described the day as “A feeling that on October 7 that G-d covered everyone’s eyes.” She stayed in her safe room with her husband and one-year-old baby for 26 hours.
In Hostage Square, the designated gathering place and activity center for hostage families to advocate for the rescue and redemption of their loved ones dragged into Gaza, we met Nadav Rudaeff. Nadav Rudaeff’s family was consumed with the whereabouts of his brother as he was escaping from the Nova Music Festival. Hours later, they heard from him that he had escaped and was safe. It was then that the family began to worry about their father, Lior Rudaeff. The last time Lior Rudaeff was seen was when he locked his wife into their secure room at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak and went out to defend the kibbutz, his home. We know that Lior Rudaeff was shot. We know that Lior Rudaeff has a medical condition that requires medication. We hope that he is still alive as one of the hostages.
These are just a few of the powerful experiences we had. As a group, we processed together, debated about the future, and supported one another as we experienced the horrors of terrorism and war. Through each visit, we listened to bring back firsthand anecdotes to Greater Philadelphia. As a next step, we will regroup, reflect, and move forward to actively use this experience of bearing witness to share Israel’s story in our hometown and continue the fight for Israel’s existence.
- Jeffrey Lasday serves as the Senior Chief, External Affairs of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
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