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guest column
Surrounded by Chesed in Israel
W

hen we arrived in 
Bet Shemesh after 
making aliyah 
from Oak Park, I constantly 
asked my four kids, now aged 
9 to 14, “What would we do 
if we heard a siren now?” I 
pointed out the bomb shelters, 
explained how we’
d drop 
what we were doing and run. 
Sometimes we’
d practice. 
Now it’s the real thing. We’ve 
had four sirens since Simchat 
Torah (that’s considered 
relatively quiet.) Baruch 
HaShem, my kids are calm and 
are handling the tension well. It 
helps to be prepared. 
It also helps to occupy 
ourselves with helping others 
and there are tons of chesed 
opportunities. 
My husband, Yosef, and 
son Eliyahu, who had his 
bar mitzvah one month after 

we made aliyah, joined the 
organization “Grilling for IDF” 
and helped prepare deli and 
chocolate sandwiches. Along 
with the many other volunteers, 
they helped feed over 6,000 
soldiers. 
My kids went through their 
belongings and happily parted 
with their much-loved toys, 
books and games. We prepared 
food and clothes and donated 
it all to displaced families from 
the south. 
I signed up as a volunteer to 
wash soldier’s clothes — never 
have I been more excited to do 
laundry! Now I’m constantly 
on top of my own laundry pile 
because at any moment I might 
get some soldier’s laundry, and 
I want to be prepared to help in 
any way. 
Food is constantly being sent 
to army bases and soldiers are 

always sending messages back 
like “I’m eating better now than 
I did at home!” and “Thank 
you for your support, but please 
stop, we’re gaining too much 
weight!” 
Early in the war, we heard 
that someone went to an 
army base to disburse treats, 
but one soldier looked at him 
incredulously. “I don’t want 
food, I want tzizit!” He wanted 
to feel G-ds protection. The 
man told him, “I only have the 
one I’m wearing,
” but he took 
off his tzizit and gave it to the 
soldier. 
Since then, there have been 
thousands of tzizit made for 
the male soldiers. Everyone 
wants to get in on this, tzizit are 
known to protect, like a blend 
of physical and spiritual armor. 
Eliyahu started tying tzizit knots 
for soldiers — sometimes he’s 

PURELY COMMENTARY

KEREN K.

W

e are experiencing 
dark and difficult 
days in Israel.
The circles of pain and 
sorrow are endless — an entire 
nation has been 
traumatized. We 
are anxious to 
know what waits 
ahead in the 
coming days and 
weeks. And yet, 
there are rays of 
light.
A few days ago, I visited a 
rehab hospital and met with 
soldiers injured in the first days 

of the war. They were not bitter 
or angry, and although clearly 
in physical pain, they managed 
to lift my spirits. I was moved 
to hear them express their 
commitment to our country 
and their firm belief that we 
will ultimately be a stronger 
nation when this is over.
I also called in at the center 
for Brothers and Sisters in 
Israel, a group of civilians 
who do reserve duty in the 
Israel Defense Forces. Prior 
to Oct. 7, they were known as 
Brothers and Sisters in Arms, 
a leading force in the protest 

movement opposing the 
potential judicial reforms. This 
extraordinary group of Israeli 
citizens reinvigorated their 
organization on the first day of 
the war. They have mobilized 
an army of tens of thousands 
of volunteers to identify the 
needs of Israeli civilians and 
soldiers and to provide them 
with anything they ask for. 
One could not help but be 
awed by their dynamic activity, 
their sense of purpose, and 
their deep commitment to 
Israeli society and the State of 
Israel. 

When I meet these 
extraordinary individuals, I 
am reminded that despite the 
horrors we have experienced, 
the people of Israel are full of 
life and resilience. 
We will survive this 
catastrophe, and we will 
emerge from it stronger than 
we have ever been. 

Naomi Miller is the director of Israel 

partnerships at the Michigan Israel 

Business Accelerator (MIBA) and 

director of Missions and Exchanges 

at the Jewish Federation of Detroit. 

This was first published in the MIBA 

October newsletter.

Naomi Miller

essay
Inspiring News from Israel

Eliyahu, 14, helps Grilling for 
IDF by preparing a meal for 
thousands of soldiers.

