- Meir Zimmerman
Assistant Director, Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

Finding the Words

When I first sat down to write about my trip, I didn’t know where to begin. How do you convey the depth of what you’ve experienced over two weeks in Israel in just a few paragraphs? How do you balance the heartbreak with the inspiration, the trauma with the resilience, and most importantly, the weight of this moment in Jewish history with the need to think about the future?

Is Israeli society even ready to think about the future? The complexity of this trip has mirrored the complexity of Israel itself — layered, nuanced and full of hard questions with no easy answers. Over these two weeks, I have felt heartbreak, inspiration and a constant push to wrestle with difficult truths. I’ve sat with hostage families whose pain defies description, walked the streets of Sderot, stood at the site of the Nova festival and witnessed the profound impact of a prolonged war on Israeli society.

A Jewish People United

My time in Israel began with a week of volunteering through Onward Israel. Our group of 24 young Jewish leaders came from around the world — Australia, Belgium, South Africa and more — each of us felt compelled to be there in this moment. We were tasked with filling critical labor gaps in agriculture and distributing vital supplies sent by the global Jewish community after Oct. 7.

In those first days, we sorted donations, planted trees, harvested fruits and vegetables, and pulled weeds to support communities in southern Israel that had been evacuated or were struggling under the weight of war. The work was hard, sometimes monotonous, but deeply meaningful. 

When unpacking boxes of donations, each item bore the fingerprints of care and compassion. Handwritten notes from Jewish communities around the world accompanied many of the packages, each more heartening than the one before. These messages spoke of love, solidarity and hope. 

It wasn’t just material support — it was a tangible connection to the shared history, values and future of the global Jewish people. These gestures reminded me that even in the darkest of times, the Jewish people’s enduring sense of responsibility for one another is one of our people’s greatest superpowers. They weren’t just sending supplies; they were sending strength rooted in the unshakable belief that "kol Yisrael arevim zeh lazeh"— all of the Jewish people are responsible for one another.

Life with the Soundtrack of War

And yet, even amid these meaningful acts of solidarity, the war was an ever-present reality during my time in Israel. The sounds of bombs exploding in the distance, drones flying overhead and helicopters ferrying injured soldiers were a daily backdrop to our volunteering. Sirens in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem sent us scrambling to bomb shelters multiple times, sometimes in the dead of night, jolting us awake.

Signs of Oct. 7 and the hostages are everywhere across Israel. Stickers and posters with their faces and names cover cars, adorn every street corner and are even woven into art and music. At every turn, the hostages are mentioned — whether in songs on the radio, murals on city walls or conversations in cafes. This collective expression of grief and hope is woven into the fabric of daily life.

Driving through the south, the visual reminders of conflict were everywhere. Bomb shelters are woven into the urban landscape — at bus stops, on playgrounds and alongside homes. Every shelter is a reminder of the urgency of finding safety, with some areas having just 15 seconds to get to safety when the sirens blare.

What struck me the most was the emotional weight of living here and the normalization of this in daily life. However, despite the omnipresent threat of violence, Israelis continue to live — fully and defiantly. They laugh, they debate, they open their homes to strangers. This resilience is humbling, as even in the face of unimaginable adversity, life goes on.

Stories That Stay With You

When visiting Netivot, I was deeply moved by the incredible impact of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Partnership2Gether regions in the Southern District. Their proactive emergency preparedness — bulletproof vests, generators and cameras that allowed for real-time monitoring of terrorist infiltration attempts — was instrumental during the events of Oct. 7. These resources saved countless lives, enabling swift action and setting up blockades to protect the community.

In the aftermath, Philadelphia’s generosity continues to meet critical emergency, humanitarian and resiliency needs. The work of our Israel office, supported by our community’s unwavering commitment to Israel, extends well beyond our partnership region. Communities across the south and throughout Israel expressed their gratitude and have been touched by the support of this work.

In Sderot, a city just miles from Gaza, I learned how it has become a global leader in trauma expertise. The Sderot Resilience Center offers psychological support through therapies, hotlines and workshops, helping residents navigate fear and grief. Born from decades of instability, Sderot is visited by experts from countries around the world, including recently from Ukraine (after Russia’s attack) to learn from their resilience work. It is heartbreaking to know that for decades before this war, this life is a reality to those who live in Sderot.

One Friday night, I joined a close friend for a Shabbat dinner in Haifa. She shared the trauma her 3 ½-year-old daughter experienced when her father was called into the reserves on Oct. 7 without warning, and was away for over 100 days. Her daughter did not understand and cried every day that her father was away. Her story was another stark reminder of how war reshapes lives, leaving no family in Israel untouched.

I met with Bedouin communities in the south, who shared their own complex and nuanced experiences of the war. Close to 300,000 Bedouins live in southern Israel, and the conflict has affected them in unique and familiar ways. Most Bedouin villages lack bomb shelters, leaving them especially vulnerable. Several Bedouins were killed on Oct. 7, and seven were taken hostage—one for refusing to assist Hamas terrorists in identifying Jewish communities.

Their stories highlight the bravery and humanity displayed in the face of violence. Many Bedouins actively helped Jewish communities and saved lives during the Oct. 7 attacks, offering assistance in incredibly difficult circumstances. At the same time, many Bedouins have family in Gaza, adding another layer of complexity to their experiences. Most simply seek greater integration into Israeli society and better economic opportunities for their children.

Breaking the Cycle

It’s hard to think about a future with peace when the pain and anger run so deep on both sides. But, that is precisely why we must start thinking about the future before this war ends — not when the next one begins. Generations of conflict do not mean that future generations must endure the same. 

Breaking the cycle starts with re-education. This was emphasized when I met with members of an Arabic-speaking IDF intelligence unit, who shared their experiences with me. They described how deeply Hamas has instilled hatred of Israel and the Jewish people in Gaza’s population, starting from childhood. One soldier said, “In almost every home we enter, we see evidence of this indoctrination — children posing with weapons and missiles, and school textbooks with horrible antisemitic rhetoric.” Yet, history shows that change is possible. Germany and Japan were successfully re-educated after WWII, after massive devastation, and are now among the strongest allies of the U.S. and Israel. This gives me hope.

Next, we need leadership in Gaza that prioritizes the wellbeing of its people, not the perpetuation of conflict. The region receives unprecedented annual aid per capita, yet instead of building a thriving economy and investing in its future, Hamas and other Gazan leaders have funneled money into their own pockets, stolen aid, manufacturing rockets to shoot at Israel and building tunnels to hide their military operations under civilian homes. Effective leadership that prioritizes the wellbeing and prosperity of its people over hatred of others is essential for peace.

Finally, we must remember that peace with Egypt — once thought impossible — has endured for 45 years. This shows that even deep-rooted animosity and hate can give way to stability and cooperation. If it was possible then, it can be possible again. The Abraham Accords have also begun to transform the Middle East. 

I know these points will receive pushback, but we must hold onto that hope and work tirelessly to make it a reality—not just for those in Gaza, but for our own children’s future as well. A future where families no longer lose loved ones to war and terror attacks, and communities in the south no longer live in constant trauma.

Moving Forward

This trip was an emotional journey, exposing me to the raw realities of war and the resilience and humanity that endure in its shadow. I’ll never forget the moments of connection — sharing meals, stories and hope with people who refuse to give in to despair. It is special being in Israel at this moment, and I encourage anyone who can to visit. 

We all carry our traumas, but the best we can do is move forward together. Peace is not an abstract ideal — it is built brick by brick, relationship by relationship. Everyone in the region deserves a better future, and the time to start building it is now.

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