Green shoots
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Opinion

Green shoots

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been fortunate to visit Israel with colleagues from our agency, NJY Camps.

It is not an exaggeration to say these have been extraordinary days. We have spent our time meeting with partners and representatives of the Israeli government, and in between the work meetings and planning sessions sharing a few meals with family and friends.  We had the privilege of two visits to Hostage Square (including one during the release of three hostages under the new deal).

Our agency interviewed more than 80 young Israelis for positions this summer, and I spent my final evening there in conversation with young people from Sderot and their families, whom we hosted with the Israeli scout movement and Jewish Agency last summer in a program we called Machane Am Echad.

When I talk to family, friends and work colleagues from home, everyone asks some form of the same question: What is the mood in Israel?

I am not sure that I am qualified to speak on behalf of the nation or the people of Israel! But I can say that during the dozens of formal and informal conversations I have had with Israelis this past week or so, two emotions are almost universal: relief and angst, in different measures, and overlaid with a great deal of weariness.

The ceasefire with Hamas and accompanying hostage releases are complicated for people in Israel to process. It pits the imperative of desperately wanting to bring all the hostages home with the need to release monstrous terrorists in exchange for them. It is no exaggeration to say this is a deal with the devil. I have heard over and over some version of “We cannot bear to think about the release of the prisoners, but the hostages must come home, so we will do what we must do.”

Compounding this angst is the uncertainty whether this phase of the deal will lead to the release of all the hostages Hamas holds. This is a situation without precedent, so there are no experts or experience, and Israelis lean on one another. While standing at Hostage Square last Sunday I watched total strangers hugging one another and crying in a physical manifestation of a country whose people literally are holding one another up. Israel is also a country too often riven with internal political divisions that strain its society; in that, it is not dissimilar to the U.S.

However, even with anxiety and division, civil society is strong, and social networks sustain individuals and communities under what might otherwise be unbearable stress.

There are green shoots that as a visitor you can see even if Israelis cannot yet. Talking to young soldiers who have spent the better part of the last 15 months in service to Israel, you can see the country’s future leadership being forged. Many of these young people have taken life-and-death leadership roles at unimaginably young ages. They saved the country from Hamas and Hezbollah and certainly will be agents of societal change.

There is more discussion of the future and how to move forward than I have heard in more than a year. At times I would find people are almost reticent to openly talk about the Day After. Everyone says the same thing — the hostages must come home if the country is to fully move on and heal.  However, there is still a renewed sense of possibility, even if it is tinged with caution and anxiety.

Rebuilding has begun in the Gaza envelope. I learned from a colleague working on the rebuilding effort that almost 85% of the people who had been evacuated are now returning.  But the north is still empty and no return is scheduled until March. NGOs have sprung up all over the country, and the best and brightest minds are thinking about how to build back smarter and stronger. The resilience for which Israelis have become famous is still ever-present, even if a modicum of uncertainty remains.

So, what role can the diaspora play as our beloved Israel looks to find its feet and start the slow and arduous process of recovery and reclamation of its identity?

Three thoughts:

The Israeli economy has been hit tremendously hard. The war has wreaked havoc on small businesses and in some cases the capital markets. We should actively and in organized fashion look to bolster the economic sector of Israel. Those who have the means and opportunity should look to invest in the value proposition that is Israel. In the past I have talked about Kehilla 2050 and what it might look like for a more unified and connected sense of the Jewish people. An essential part of that vibrant community is a private sector that is burgeoning and driven by a sense of Jewish identity.

As a community, we should continue to support Israel through our philanthropy. There is no doubt that the rebuilding of Israel will require dollars from the diaspora community. But for the long-term health of Israel and the Jewish people we must ensure that Israel-diaspora relations are strengthened and enhanced. We must focus our philanthropy on ways that help to fortify and support an unbreakable bond with Israel. That comes through new and innovative programs at Jewish communal organizations, day schools, JCCs, synagogues, and of course transformative summer camps.  It is both an imperative for Israel’s continued health and safety but it also integral to Jewish identity and continuity abroad. The community is blessed to be able to deal with both the short term and long-term needs at once and we must.

If you were planning on visiting Israel, GO! If you are not planning on visiting, think seriously about doing so. You can travel in and around Israel safely and with as sense of comfort and security. The streets, office buildings, markets, stores, and restaurants are filled with Israelis going about their daily life. There are also visitors, but not enough. You will not regret it for a moment. The sense of pride and connection you will experience will be transformative. If for any reason you absolutely cannot visit Israel, be an ambassador for the Jewish state online by sharing positive stories of the strength, kindness, and ingenuity of the Israeli people, and show up to as many events in support of Israel as you can. I heard time and again how much it means to Israelis to know that people have their back, even as they feel isolated and exhausted from multi front wars.

On that final night, sitting in a circle with a dozen or so young people the final question I asked them was how do you feel? Do you have hope for the future? Each and every one of them answered with a powerful and unanimous YES! One on the young women said: “We have no choice. This is our land and we will make it good and we know you will be there to help us!”

Together we shall go forth because we have no choice, and this is our home.

Michael Schlank is a Jewish communal professional who has been the CEO of NJY Camps since 2020.

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